Selling a junk or dead car in Burton

Junk, parts and the zoning code

That definition is written for land use, not for one car in a driveway. It lists "scrap metals, other scrap materials, or reclaimed materials" next to vehicles and "machinery or parts thereof." A heap of pulled parts beside a half-stripped car is the kind of thing it describes.

The Burton sections we reviewed do not set a day limit for a single dead car at a home. State abandoned-car law, MCL 257.252a, targets a vehicle dumped on another person's property without permission, or one sitting on public ground two days or longer. A wreck on land you own is for local ordinance to handle. Burton may have its own, so ask the city if a car will sit for a while.

When the snow order goes up

Section 145.01 lets the Mayor, the Chief of Police or the Director of Public Works declare a snow emergency when heavy snow or a storm "impairs or prevents the full use" of streets. Parking is then banned on any street in the city. The order "shall not be effective until notice is posted" in at least three public places.

A car left out during the emergency can be moved by police or public works crews to a spot the chief or director picks. The crew files a written report in duplicate with the car's make and plate number. To get it back you pay the tow plus storage "for each and every day" it is held. The outer limit is in Section 145.01(E)(2): a car "remaining unclaimed for a period of 60 days shall be deemed an abandoned vehicle."

Under that order, a Burton car with a dead engine is stuck right where the plow needs to go.

Lost the title?

Long-parked cars often lose their paperwork. Michigan charges $15 for a replacement title sent by mail, roughly a two-week wait, or $20 to walk out with one that day. When a replacement is all you need, a single owner may come in and sign for it. Titles come from Secretary of State branch offices, not from Genesee County. More in selling with no title.

Handing it over

On sale day, give the buyer the real title, odometer box completed, seller's portion done, and a signature from every owner it names. The SOS seller steps list no notary. Pull the plate before the car leaves; the state warns that a plate left on can make you answer for the buyer's violations, "like parking tickets." You can move that plate to another car you own or buy. Keep a two-sided copy of that signed title for 18 months minimum.

Nearby

As the crow flies, Flint sits 4.1 miles off. Auburn Hills and Pontiac are each 29.5 miles. See Michigan for statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Reach us at (877) 421-6008 or through the form with the car's model year, maker, odometer number, running condition and title status. A driver can load it from behind a Burton garage, out of a side yard or at a repair shop.