Can I have a stranger's dead car towed from my Stoneham lot?

Only when M.G.L. c. 266, s. 120D is met. The Stoneham driver must have been warned off by you or by a sign from the person lawfully in charge, and police must be notified. In Stoneham, skipping police notice or owner consent on a removal can cost up to $100.

I sold my car and the buyer never retitled it. Am I liable?

Not if you signed the assignment and the car was delivered. Under c. 90D, s. 15(e), a Stoneham seller is clear of later use and violations even before a new title comes out. There is no state release form, so cancelling the registration is what stops the excise.

Does Stoneham have a junk-car bylaw?

We found no Stoneham bylaws online, so this page goes by state law, and the town may have extra rules.

Do I return my plates to the RMV?

No. Cancel the registration and destroy or recycle them.

Town guide · Massachusetts

Junk and abandoned cars in Stoneham

Find someone else's dead car in a Stoneham lot you control, and you cannot simply call a tow. Under M.G.L. c. 266, s. 120D, police hear from a Stoneham property owner before any tow. The driver also needs a warning first, face to face or by a posted sign. A Stoneham tow with no word to police and no owner okay risks a fine as high as $100. If it is your own car, things are simpler: we buy whole non-running and junk cars, you sell the whole car as it sits, and there is free pickup anywhere in the US, Stoneham included.

Updated October 11, 2026 · 10 sources

Photo: Pi.1415926535 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Stoneham, the short version

Population: 24,253 (Census estimate, July 2025)
County: Middlesex
Land area: 6.016 square miles
Local junk-car bylaw: Not found online; state law applies
Towing from private property: Needs notice to the driver and the police (c. 266, s. 120D)
Fine for an improper removal: Up to $100
Release-of-liability form: None; c. 90D, s. 15(e) protects the seller
Plates: Seller keeps them

A car that is not yours

Two state rules work side by side here:

Section 120D covers you as the person in control of the property. Post the notice, or tell the driver directly, and make sure the police are notified.
Chapter 90, s. 22C covers the town. In Stoneham, an abandoned-looking car that would cost more to haul off than it is worth counts as refuse. Once it sits past 72 hours without consent, on private property, a private way or a public street, a street officer can have it towed.

The state's page on automobile law also points owners to local police guides on removing cars from private property. See car abandoned on your property.

Stoneham's bylaws

Stoneham's bylaws were not online, so all of the above comes from state law. Stoneham may have its own rules on unregistered or wrecked cars, so ask the town before relying on any timeline.

Sold it, but the buyer never retitled

Massachusetts answers this in statute. Chapter 90D, s. 15(e) means a Stoneham seller who signs the assignment and hands off the car is not answerable for later driving or violations, even before the buyer's new title arrives. You do not file any release-of-liability form. What you do need to do is cancel your registration, because the excise keeps billing on a registration that is still active.

Signing the title

No notary appears in the Registry of Motor Vehicles seller steps. A Stoneham seller enters the mileage first. Next, the Stoneham seller and buyer each sign, hand-print a name and date it. Got room on the Stoneham title? Put the price there. If not, send the RMV a bill of sale with it. The statute adds an exact odometer figure and your warranty of title to the assignment, with the certificate then mailed or handed to the buyer.

Plates

The plates leave with you. Stoneham owners cancel online, keep the receipt, send the insurer a copy, and recycle or cut up the plates. The RMV does not take them back. If you are buying another car, you can move them to it within 7 calendar days. More in after you sell.

Getting an offer

Selling a car in Stoneham? Call (877) 421-6008 or reach us through the offer form. We can pick up on a side street near the old station, in a condo lot, or at a shop in Melrose, 2.3 miles away in a straight line. Wakefield is 2.7 miles and Winchester 2.8. For statewide rules, see Massachusetts.

Questions people ask

Can I have a stranger's dead car towed from my Stoneham lot?: Only when M.G.L. c. 266, s. 120D is met. The Stoneham driver must have been warned off by you or by a sign from the person lawfully in charge, and police must be notified. In Stoneham, skipping police notice or owner consent on a removal can cost up to $100.
I sold my car and the buyer never retitled it. Am I liable?: Not if you signed the assignment and the car was delivered. Under c. 90D, s. 15(e), a Stoneham seller is clear of later use and violations even before a new title comes out. There is no state release form, so cancelling the registration is what stops the excise.
Does Stoneham have a junk-car bylaw?: We found no Stoneham bylaws online, so this page goes by state law, and the town may have extra rules.
Do I return my plates to the RMV?: No. Cancel the registration and destroy or recycle them.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.

U.S. Census Bureau, city and town population estimates 2020-2025 www2.census.gov
U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer (land area) www2.census.gov
M.G.L. c. 266, s. 120D (removal of vehicles from private property) malegislature.gov
M.G.L. c. 90, s. 22C (abandoned vehicles) malegislature.gov
Mass.gov: Massachusetts law about automobiles mass.gov
M.G.L. c. 90D, s. 15 (assignment on transfer) malegislature.gov
Mass.gov: Registration and title for a vehicle bought from an individual mass.gov
Mass.gov: Cancel your vehicle registration and plates mass.gov
Mass.gov: Transfer your registration to a vehicle bought from an individual mass.gov
Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles mass.gov