Selling a junk or dead car in Columbus

Two clocks in Section 20-99

The section holds two rules. Whoever is "in charge or control" of a property may not let such a car "remain on such property longer than 72 hours." And no one may leave one "on any property within the city for a longer time than 24 hours." So a dead car you drop at a relative's house or an empty lot runs on the shorter clock. Exceptions exist; Municode has them in full.

Never at the curb

Section 20-98 is a single sentence: "No person shall leave any partially dismantled, nonoperating, wrecked, or junked vehicle on any street or highway within the city." It gives no hour count. Pushing the wreck out front so the driveway is free only moves the problem onto public pavement.

If Columbus police tow it

Section 31-54 lets officers move a vehicle from a street "to the nearest garage or other place of safety" or to a garage the police department uses. When the officer finds an owner through the registration papers, the code calls for written notice "immediately," saying why the car was towed and which garage has it. An owner who can't be traced gets three days; if the car is still unclaimed after that, the officer files a written report.

To get it back, the owner must "furnish evidence of his identity and ownership, sign a receipt and pay a fee not to exceed $10.00" for removal. Storage is extra: "an additional fee of $1.00 for each day" past the first 24 hours. Those figures come from the code text, so confirm current charges with the department.

Parting it out at home

The zoning code defines a wrecking yard as an area "used for the dismantling or wrecking of used automobiles or the storage, sale or dumping of dismantled or wrecked automobiles or their parts." Stripping a car in the yard looks a lot like that. If you are weighing it, read part it out or sell it whole first.

Paperwork for a Lowndes County car

In Mississippi the state Department of Revenue issues titles, and its Motor Vehicle Services office works by mail (Box 1383, Jackson 39215-1383). Plates are a county matter, handled by the Tax Collector.

• Title. Complete the seller's side of the assignment in full; only the two buyer lines, printed name and signature, stay open. Writing in no buyer at all, planning to add one later, is illegal according to the DOR.
• Plate. Unscrew it the moment the title changes hands. Credit for months left on the tag is counted from the day the Tax Collector receives it, so a plate left in a drawer earns less.
• Lost title. Order a replacement first on Form 78-006, which costs $9.00. The sale cannot go through without it. See selling with no title.

More on the state rules is on the Mississippi page.

Nearby towns

As the crow flies, Starkville is 24.4 miles from Columbus, Tupelo is 55.9 and Meridian is 79.4.

Getting an offer

In Columbus, call (877) 421-6008 or use the form. Our form gathers the details on your Columbus car. Pickup is free anywhere in the US; the driver comes to the Lowndes County address you give, whether that is a garage bay or the edge of a gravel drive.