Selling a dead or junk car in Greenville

What the 48 hours covers

The definition does not ask whether the car is in plain view, whether it has a tag, or whether you own the land. It asks only whether the car is wrecked, junked, partly taken apart or not running, and whether it has sat more than 48 hours. Its definition of a vehicle stretches past cars: it names trucks, trailers, motorcycles, tractors and "other farm machinery."

When the city removes it

Greenville's Section 6-498 lets the police chief, or a person the chief picks, take away "any vehicle left at any place within the city which reasonably appears to be in violation of this article, or reasonably appears to be lost, stolen, or unclaimed." After that it is held "impounded until lawfully claimed or disposed of in accordance with Section 63-23-1 through 63-23-11, Mississippi Code Annotated 1972." Those are the state's abandoned-vehicle sections, so the hold time comes from Mississippi law rather than Greenville's code.

On streets, Section 6-80 adds the usual towing powers, such as when a car is "so parked illegally as to constitute a definite hazard or obstruction." An owner traced through the car's paperwork is told in writing at once. A written report is made if no owner is found and "three (3) days" go by with the car still unreturned.

Tickets follow the plate

Under Section 6-317, when a car is parked illegally and nobody can say who left it there, the registered owner is "held prima facie responsible." A dead car left at the curb under your name is your ticket.

If a shop or tow yard is holding it

Mississippi counts a Greenville car as abandoned once it sits with a dealer, mechanic or wrecker service beyond the pickup date agreed on, or beyond 40 days. Within 7 days the business must tell the owner and any lienholder; after 30 unclaimed days it may sell or scrap the car. See stuck at a repair shop.

Title and tag in Washington County

• On the title assignment, the seller handles every blank but two: the buyer prints and signs their own name. A title handed over with no buyer named is a violation.
• Remove the tag at the sale and bring it to the Washington County Tax Collector, who credits what is left of the fee.
• A car that will not pass an emissions test is not a registration problem here. The Department of Revenue says Mississippi does not require one to register.

Paper title forms are mailed to the DOR in Jackson. The Mississippi page has the statewide rules.

Nearby towns

Every other town on this site sits more than 80 miles from Greenville. As the crow flies, Clinton is 82.2 miles, Madison 82.5, Ridgeland 84.1 and Jackson 88.4.

Getting an offer

Greenville owners can reach us at (877) 421-6008 or through the form. We offer free pickup anywhere in the US, so it doesn't matter how far Greenville is from other towns. We drive to the spot where your car is parked.