Golden Valley: selling a car that no longer runs

What screening means here

The same section sets the bar for anything stored outdoors in a side or rear yard, a car included. The screen can be a wall or fence no more than six feet high and at least 75 percent opaque. Vegetation also works if it is at least six feet tall and just as dense. From the street, the view of that storage must be "at least 50 percent obscured."

The driveway is no answer either. Section 113-151 says required parking areas and driveways "shall not be used for" storing inoperable vehicles. Loading spaces are barred from the same use.

When the police tow

Section 26-108 lets the city remove a vehicle "found abandoned on public or private property," or parked against city code. It also covers a car blocking snow removal or traffic. Officers can tag a car with a "Police Hold" card, and it then stays put until the department releases it.

Section 26-116 sets the impound rules, and they are strict:

• No one may work on the car while it sits in the lot.
• The towing contractor "shall not permit the owner or any other person to take or remove from the vehicle any part."
• On release, the owner pays only the impound and storage fees the code provides.

So pulling a battery or a set of wheels before letting the car go is not an option once it is towed.

Scrapping a Golden Valley car without a title

Minnesota has narrow routes for a car with no paperwork, set out in statute 168A.1501:

• Old and long off the road. A Golden Valley car at least ten model years old may be scrapped through a licensed dealer with no title. In Golden Valley, the owner shows ID, signs a statement, and brings DVS printouts showing the car has gone unregistered for over seven years.
• The parts dealer's hold. A licensed used parts dealer can take a car to dismantle with no ownership papers. A Golden Valley seller presents ID, signs the statement, and puts a seven-day hold agreement in writing. The dealer keeps the car for seven straight days, skipping weekends and holidays in the count.
• How the money moves. When a scrap car changes hands without a title, payment must be a check or electronic transfer, and it goes to the person who showed ID.

To scrap a car in Golden Valley, turn in the title, any lien releases, and ID. A signed statement from the Golden Valley seller, made under penalty of perjury, says nobody holds a lien and the car was never stolen. See selling with no title for more.

Minnesota title and plates

On the title, a Golden Valley seller writes the price and date and completes the mileage and damage statements. Minnesota plates remain bolted to the car for its next owner. Within ten days, mail the title's Notice of Sale stub to DVS or file the sale electronically.

A Hennepin County office

Golden Valley is in Hennepin County. For Golden Valley, Hennepin County handles this at 300 South 6th Street in Minneapolis. Look for Suite A-025, or call 612-348-8240. It is roughly 5 miles east of central Golden Valley in a straight line. Nearly 200 deputy registrar counters elsewhere in Minnesota process transfers as well. The list is on drive.mn.gov, or call the state at 651-297-2005.

Close by

St. Louis Park is 2.9 miles away, and Crystal and New Hope are both under 3.5 miles. Minneapolis is 4.8. Statewide rules are on the Minnesota page.

Getting an offer

Golden Valley car owners can reach us at (877) 421-6008 or through the offer form. We can back the truck into a fenced Golden Valley side yard, a garage stall, or wherever the car died.