Selling a junk car in Romulus

The garage rule for inoperable cars

Section 58-161 is the city's main storage rule. "It shall be unlawful for any person to store, place or permit to be stored or placed, any inoperable motor vehicle or any parts of a motor vehicle on land located in the city, unless the inoperable motor vehicle or parts shall be kept in a wholly enclosed garage or other wholly enclosed structure."

There is one exception: an owner or occupant may keep "one such inoperable motor vehicle" for a set period. The text we read was cut off before giving that period, so ask the city how long it is. The section is clear about where that car cannot be: it does not permit inoperable cars "on any street area in the city or in any front, back or side yards in the city."

A lien from an ambulance ride

The impound in 2-354 is about the ambulance bill, not about where the car is parked. Notice of the lien reaches the owner by personal service or certified mail, sent to the last address the city has on file. If a lender also holds a lien, see car loan still owed.

Three inches and the street is off limits

Romulus does not wait for a declaration. Section 58-129 makes it unlawful to park, or leave parked, any vehicle on a street "upon which there has accumulated snow or ice to a depth of three inches or more," or during an emergency declared by the mayor. A dead car parked at the curb in December breaks this rule after one heavy snowfall.

Where junk cars go next

The city's junk dealer rules show what happens to a scrapped car. Before cutting torches touch it, section 46-269 requires the gas tank, oil pan, plastics, fabrics, rubber mats and tires to come out and be stored away from the sparks. Seats and upholstery may stay inside unscrapped junk vehicles.

Titles and plates in Michigan

Michigan issues titles through Secretary of State branches, not through Wayne County. You do not have to work out a car's value to call it scrap; state law lets the owner decide. A Romulus scrap processor taking an older car needs your assigned title, then sends it to the state within 30 days of crushing the car.

For the sale itself, the buyer gets the original title. Fill in the mileage and your part, and make sure each named owner signs. The SOS list of seller steps has no notary in it. If you are selling to one person and you both hold a Michigan license or ID, you can transfer online; approval can take up to 3 days. Otherwise hold on to a photocopy of the title you signed for a year and a half. Pull the plate and keep it for another car.

Getting an offer

Selling a Romulus car? Call (877) 421-6008 or fill out our short form. Romulus covers 35.608 square miles, so the truck may be meeting the car at a crash lot, a garage or a long driveway. Taylor is 5 miles away and Inkster 5.4; the Michigan page covers state rules.