Pearl, Mississippi: selling a dead or junk car

The rest of the Section 24-3 list

The same section names three more kinds of vehicle, each allowed only inside an enclosed, covered structure out of sight:

• "Vehicles or motorcycles which have been wrecked, damaged or are in need of or are under repair"
• "Inoperable vehicles or motorcycles without current license plates"
• trailers for hauling "which are not properly tagged with current license plate stickers"

Loose parts count too. The list runs from "tires, rims, wheels" through "transmissions, hoods, brake assemblies, trunk lids" and more. Pull the engine and leave it on a pallet by the shed, and the pallet becomes the problem. See missing parts if the car is already partly stripped.

Yard parking: two cars, 12 hours

Section 24-6 deals with lawns, not driveways. No more than two automobiles may be "temporarily parked, at one time, in the front or side yard of any residence, excluding a proper driveway." And no car may stay there "for more than 12 consecutive hours." A car that stopped running on the grass has half a day under this rule.

After the city's notice

Section 24-12 says that if the owner or occupant does not fix the problem after notice, "official action shall be taken by the City of Pearl to abate such nuisance." Junked vehicles are "towed and impounded until lawfully claimed or disposed of" under the state's abandoned-vehicle statutes (63-23-1 to 63-23-11), and the owner also faces the penalties in Section 24-2. The impound holds the car for 90 days. Inside that window, the title holder of record can buy it back by paying "all costs including towing, storage and other such administrative costs." After that, ownership is forfeited. Notice to remove a car covers what to do when the notice arrives.

On the street, Section 38-34 lets police remove a car that is "left unattended upon a street or is so parked illegally as to constitute a definite hazard," or one left on a bridge, viaduct or causeway where it blocks traffic. If the owner can be found in the registration records, written notice follows right away.

Tags and titles in Rankin County

The tag is what trips people up in Pearl, so handle it first. At the sale, the plate stays with you; drop it at the Rankin County Tax Collector. The DOR dates the leftover tag credit from that drop-off, and other counties honor it too.

For the title, the seller writes in all of the assignment save two spots the buyer fills: printed name and signature. Name the buyer before handing it over. A lost title means ordering Form 78-006 ($9.00) first.

A car left at a tow yard has its own rules. Under state rules, a towing company, dealer or repair shop holding an abandoned car with no market value can dispose of it once two licensed dealers put in writing that it has no value. The Mississippi page has the rest.

Nearby towns

As the crow flies, Brandon is 5.9 miles from Pearl, Jackson 7.7, Ridgeland 11.2 and Madison 14.1.

Getting an offer

For a Pearl offer, use the form or dial (877) 421-6008. Tell us the vehicle, its mileage, if it cranks, and the title picture. Collection happens at the garage, the side yard or the street out front.