Selling an inoperable car in Ramsey

Reading Ramsey's definitions

Three pieces of section 30-1 decide things once your car quits:

• Who decides. An abandoned vehicle is one "determined by the zoning administrator, chief of police, or their assigns, to be an inoperable vehicle," or one whose last registered owner "has relinquished dominion or control."
• How wide it reaches. Motor vehicle "includes, but is not limited to, automobiles, trucks, buses, recreational vehicles, trailers, motorcycles, snowmobiles, motor bikes, scooters, all-terrain vehicles, and go-carts."
• When it is judged. The test is applied "at the time of inspection." A car that ran last summer is judged on whether it runs now.

Those definitions are all we found online. Ramsey may set further rules on where such a car can sit, so call the city if a notice has arrived.

Snow and the street

Three inches is the number to remember in Ramsey. Under section 54-39, no one may park on a block when, within the preceding 24 hours, falling or blowing snow "has accumulated to a depth of three inches or more at street level anywhere within that block." A car blocking snow removal can be removed by the city "at the owner's expense," after a warning tag is placed on it. Section 54-28 also bans parking on a highway or street shoulder near a theater while it is open. For a car that won't start, the street is the riskiest place to leave it.

After an impound, Minnesota's chapter 168B runs the clock. Section 168B.04 authorizes the tow; under 168B.07 the owner gets the car back only by covering tow and storage charges, inside a 15-day or 45-day window from notice, by vehicle type.

Title offices we checked from Ramsey

Both offices we checked lie outside Anoka County. Ramsey sellers use the Hennepin office downtown in Minneapolis. Its address is 300 South 6th Street, Suite A-025, and its phone is 612-348-8240. It is roughly 22 miles southeast of central Ramsey in a straight line. Olmsted's, reachable at 507-923-2020, is in Rochester, around 99 miles southeast. In practice a Ramsey seller rarely needs either, because Driver and Vehicle Services lets deputy registrars statewide, almost 200, process the transfer. drive.mn.gov has the list; 651-297-2005 is the phone line.

The handoff, Minnesota style

• Plates. Leave them on. The buyer takes them over, with the registration tax you prepaid.
• Your signature. DVS's seller checklist mentions no notary. If a lender appears on the title, add the lender's release card or a release with a notary's seal.
• Notice of Sale. You have ten days to send the tear-off form or report online. It asks for the buyer's name, home address and license number, plus the sale date.
• What the buyer does. A new title must be applied for inside 20 calendar days. If not, DVS charges a $2 late transfer penalty and suspends the registration.

See after you sell for the full list.

Around Ramsey

Andover is 5.6 miles away, Champlin 6.8, Elk River 7.5 and Otsego 8.2. See Minnesota for statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Use the form or call (877) 421-6008. Ramsey owners can use the offer form, even when the car has been sitting a long while. A car stuck on a driveway or in a pole barn is fine; the truck comes to it.