Junk and dead cars in Maple Grove

Maple Grove street rules for a dead car

Three more lines in Chapter 32 matter here:

• Never overnight. Section 32-38 clears every public street from 2 a.m. through 6 a.m., "on any day of the year, including, but not limited to, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays."
• No curbside wrenching. Section 32-40 says no one may park on a street "for the principal purpose of displaying such vehicle for sale or washing, greasing or repairing such vehicle," unless an emergency forced the repair.
• Leave the chalk alone. Wiping off an officer's timing mark is unlawful.

How a Maple Grove impound plays out

Section 32-36 calls an illegally parked car a nuisance that police may have towed. Then:

1. Within seven calendar days, the police chief notifies the owner, by mail to the last known address or by published notice.
2. The car is released only to "the duly identified owner thereof, or the owner's agent," once towing and storage fees are paid.
3. After 30 days from the notice with nobody redeeming it, the chief moves to sell it "by sealed bids or by public auction."

The tow does not erase the ticket, either. The code says impounding "shall not prevent or preclude" prosecution. Towed or impounded walks through the choices.

Abandoned property in Chapter 20

Section 20-288 defines "abandoned property" broadly. It covers "deteriorated, wrecked, inoperative or partially dismantled motor vehicles" with no value beyond "nominal scrap or junk value," left "unprotected from the elements." We did not find the enforcement rule that goes with it, so ask the city how it applies on private land.

Where Maple Grove titles get done

We checked Hennepin County's service center: Suite A-025 inside 300 South Sixth Street, downtown Minneapolis, phone 612-348-8240. As the crow flies, it is roughly 13 miles southeast of the middle of Maple Grove. Minnesota deputy registrars, nearly 200 in all, handle transfers as well.

The Minnesota side of selling

Plates work backwards from many states. Once ownership changes hands, your right to use them ends. The buyer keeps them on the car, along with the registration tax you paid.

At delivery, sign the title over and write the real price. Fill in the date and both disclosures: damage on every car, odometer for 2011 and newer. Mail DVS the title's Notice of Sale, or report online, no later than ten days after. Do it and state law treats a Maple Grove seller as "not liable as owner for damages from operation of the vehicle after delivery." No emissions check is needed, because Minnesota's program ended by March 1, 2000.

Getting an offer

Maple Grove car owners can reach us at (877) 421-6008 or online. We come to it, on a cul-de-sac driveway or in a lot by the Government Center. Junk car removal explains pickup. Next door are Plymouth and the statewide Minnesota page.