Selling a dead or junk car in Rochester Hills

What the parking standards say

Section 138-11.102 sets the general standards for off-street parking. For houses, parking for single-family and two-family dwellings "shall consist of a parking strip, driveway, garage or combination thereof" and must be on the premises it serves. The same section bars outdoor storage of wrecked, junked or unlicensed vehicles in areas designated for parking. It also rules out repairing vehicles there, the maneuvering lane included, so a slow teardown in a parking area is out too.

Our search turned up no separate Rochester Hills ordinance on junk cars at home, though the city may still have rules of its own. Ask Rochester Hills city hall before leaving a dead car outdoors for weeks.

When state law takes over

When someone else leaves a car on your land, Michigan's statute governs. Under MCL 257.252a, 48 hours parked on Rochester Hills public property makes a car abandoned. So does sitting on private land the landowner never approved. In Rochester Hills, the landowner can call a towing agency to haul it to storage within 15 miles, once the tow operator has notified police. MCL 257.252d also allows Rochester Hills officers to tow a car for safekeeping and bill its last titled owner.

Police learn the owner's name from the state inside 7 days of the tow. The notice then says a car neither redeemed nor contested within 20 days may be sold; contesting takes a court petition and a $40.00 bond on top of towing and storage. Towed or impounded has the details.

Wrecked cars and Michigan's title brands

If the car was in a crash, Michigan's thresholds for late model cars decide its title. Salvage is repairs at 75% to under 91% of pre-damage value. Scrap is 91% or more. A salvage-titled car can be rebuilt for the road, but a scrap-titled car can only be used for parts or scrap metal. Michigan prints its branded titles in gray and yellow. No matter how old or banged up the car is, a Rochester Hills owner can seek a scrap or salvage title when they like. See wrecked or totaled.

Title, plate and records

Oakland County doesn't title cars; Michigan's Department of State does, at its branch offices. Selling in Rochester Hills, you give the buyer the original title, write the miles in the odometer section, complete the seller's section, and sign, along with any other listed owner. The SOS instructions for sellers never mention a notary.

Unscrew the plate when the car goes. It stays with you for your next vehicle, and left on it could tie you to tickets the buyer earns. With no Michigan release form, a Rochester Hills seller keeps a copy of the signed title, both sides, for 18 months or more. Riding along to a branch with the buyer is the other option.

Getting an offer

Use the form or call (877) 421-6008. Tell us about your Rochester Hills car on our short form. We can load it from a Rochester Hills garage, a driveway, or the shop where it broke down. Nearby pages: Auburn Hills, Troy and Pontiac. See Michigan for state rules.