Springfield junk car rules, and how to sell yours whole

Section 379-1, clause by clause

Springfield files this rule under "Vehicles, Abandoned and Unregistered." Three clauses matter to someone holding a dead car.

The fine. It applies to whoever leaves a car "upon any public or private way or upon any property other than his own without the permission of the owner or lessee of said property." Registered or not makes no difference.

The removal power. City officers who "reasonably deem that any motor vehicle has been apparently abandoned by its owner and standing for more than 72 hours" may have it hauled off. That power reaches "any property within the City," not just streets, and it runs through state law, chapter 90, sections 22B and 22C.

The street ban. The section also bars parking certain cars on the public way "whether or not such vehicle is in an otherwise permissible parking space." A legal spot is no shelter for a car that meets the conditions the section lists. Read that list at the code link under Sources.

Springfield's solid waste chapter shows how the city files an old wreck. Section 401-1 puts "abandoned motor vehicles, used motor vehicle parts, tires" in the same definition as garbage, ashes and street cleanings.

Where the 72 hours come from

Chapter 90, section 22C is the statewide law under the city clock. Springfield uses the state rule. A car that looks abandoned, has sat past 72 hours, and isn't worth the cost of hauling it off can be treated as refuse by a street officer.

If a tow truck got there first

Police-ordered tows in Massachusetts have a storage ceiling set by statute: $35 a day for a passenger car kept in a lot that is fenced, lit and secure, and half of that in any other lot. The lot can hold the car under a lien until it is paid.

A garage holding a car in Springfield has to mail the registered owner its storage charges by registered letter, return receipt requested. Chapter 255, section 39A does allow a sale, but it takes a while. An unclaimed Springfield car sits 60 days before a notice goes out. Then a Springfield lot keeps the car another 21 days. Springfield's police chief gets word 5 days ahead. The newspaper then runs the ad once a week for three weeks in a row. Anything the sale brings in beyond the garage's bill goes to the owner. More in our guide to a towed or impounded car.

Stop the excise at the source

The yearly excise on a Springfield car is a city bill, not an RMV one. In Springfield the excise runs $25 for each $1,000 of value. A lapsed registration doesn't stop those bills. Only cancelling ends it. Cars registered for part of a year owe from the month of registration through December. Springfield's board of assessors hears disputes up to 3 years past the due date. If 1 year past your payment runs later, you get that.

The sale paperwork

Massachusetts asks little of a seller. Write the odometer reading on the title. Both the Springfield seller and buyer then sign the transfer area, print their names and date it. The Registry of Motor Vehicles private-sale steps stop there, with no notary named. A title lacking a price line means the buyer brings a bill of sale that states the price. By statute, the assignment also carries a warranty of title.

Next, end the registration online through MyMassGov. Save the receipt; your insurance company should get a copy. The plates are yours to destroy: snip them in two or send them for recycling. Buying another car? They can move over to it within a week. No release form exists in this state. Once a Springfield seller has signed and handed over the car, chapter 90D, section 15 shields them from what the next driver does. After you sell lists the loose ends.

Neighbors on the map

Straight-line distances from Springfield: Chicopee 4.6 miles, West Springfield 5.7, Ludlow 6.3, Agawam 6.8, Holyoke 8.5, Westfield 11.2. Statewide rules live on the Massachusetts page.

Getting an offer

Have a Springfield car to sell? Call (877) 421-6008 or use our offer form. We'll send the truck to the Springfield car, even behind a repair shop.