Is there a Madison city ordinance on junk cars?

Our search did not turn up Madison's ordinances online, so this page leans on Mississippi law. Madison could still have rules on inoperable cars, and City Hall can tell you.

When does a car left on a Madison road count as abandoned?

Under Mississippi DOR rules, a car left alone on a public road, street, highway or other public land for five days or longer counts as abandoned. Madison may set its own limit.

The tag on my parked car lapsed. What does Mississippi charge?

Beginning the 16th day of the month after expiration, the state adds 5% for 15 days, then 5% more per 30 days late, up to 25 percent. Hitting that ceiling also wipes out the Legislative Tag Credit.

Who keeps the plate after a Madison sale?

The seller does, and surrenders it to the county Tax Collector. Mississippi counts the tag credit from the surrender date.

Town guide · Mississippi

Selling a junk or dead car in Madison

Madison drivers who park a dead car and forget the tag pay for it later. Starting on the 16th day of the month after expiration, Mississippi adds a 5% penalty for the first 15 days. After that, it tacks on 5% per 30 days overdue. At the 25 percent ceiling the owner also loses the Legislative Tag Credit. If the car is never going back on the road, we buy whole non-running and junk cars, and you sell the whole car as it sits.

Updated October 11, 2026 · 5 sources

Photo: Pmsyyz · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Madison, the short version

Population: 28,575 (Census estimate, July 1, 2025)
County: Madison
Land area: 25.249 sq mi
City junk-car code: Not found online; state law applies
Abandoned on public property: Unattended at least 5 days
Late tag penalty cap: 25 percent
Plates: Seller removes them
Duplicate title: $9.00, Form 78-006

No city code to quote

We could not find Madison's ordinances online. The rules below are Mississippi law. That leaves a gap. Madison may have junk-car or yard rules that state law does not cover. A call to City Hall settles it before a broken car becomes a fixture in the driveway.

Mississippi's abandoned-car triggers

DOR names three ways a car becomes abandoned:

five days or more sitting unattended on a public road, street, highway or other public land
parked at a dealership, repair garage or wrecker yard and never collected, past the pickup date both sides agreed on or past 40 days
hauled away by police and still unclaimed after 40 days

The person holding the car then gets one week to send a letter to the owner and to any lienholder. If nobody claims it inside 30 days, it can be sold or scrapped. One change lands July 1, 2026: from that date, towing firms and repair garages have to route those certified letters through a third-party vendor the state approves. A Madison car that dies at a garage and gets forgotten can end up in this process. See car stuck at a repair shop.

Turning in the Madison County plate

You keep the plate. Take it off once the title is signed over and bring it to the Madison County Tax Collector. Credit for the unused tag fee is measured from the date you surrender it, rather than the date of sale, and you can spend that credit in another county.

Title paperwork

The seller completes the whole assignment section except the two buyer lines, which are the buyer's printed name and signature. Writing nothing where the buyer's name goes, planning to add it later, breaks state law, DOR warns. Family deals need one more sheet. In Madison, DOR wants an Affidavit of Relationship for a buyer who is your spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild.

A lost title stops the sale until a replacement arrives. That means Form 78-006 and a $9.00 fee. The steps are on junk car with no title.

Around Madison

In a straight line, Ridgeland sits 3.9 miles off, Jackson 11.9 and Clinton 14.8. The Mississippi page collects the statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Reach us online or by phone at (877) 421-6008. For a Madison car, the form gathers what we need. We offer free pickup anywhere in the US. Madison pickups can happen at your home, your workplace or the shop that couldn't repair it.

Questions people ask

Is there a Madison city ordinance on junk cars?: Our search did not turn up Madison's ordinances online, so this page leans on Mississippi law. Madison could still have rules on inoperable cars, and City Hall can tell you.
When does a car left on a Madison road count as abandoned?: Under Mississippi DOR rules, a car left alone on a public road, street, highway or other public land for five days or longer counts as abandoned. Madison may set its own limit.
The tag on my parked car lapsed. What does Mississippi charge?: Beginning the 16th day of the month after expiration, the state adds 5% for 15 days, then 5% more per 30 days late, up to 25 percent. Hitting that ceiling also wipes out the Legislative Tag Credit.
Who keeps the plate after a Madison sale?: The seller does, and surrenders it to the county Tax Collector. Mississippi counts the tag credit from the surrender date.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.

Mississippi DOR: Motor vehicle titles (assignment, plates, replacement title, Form 78-006) dor.ms.gov
Mississippi DOR: Motor vehicle FAQs (tag surrender, credit, late penalty) dor.ms.gov
Mississippi DOR: Abandoned vehicles dor.ms.gov
U.S. Census Bureau: City and town population estimates, 2020-2025 www2.census.gov
U.S. Census Bureau: 2025 Gazetteer, places (land area) www2.census.gov