Selling a junk or dead car in Jefferson City

Seventy-two hours, and paperwork counts

Section 22-30 applies to whoever is "in charge or control of any property within the City", whether owner, tenant, occupant or lessee. Businesses get more room: a lawful business or vehicle storage facility may keep wrecked vehicles outside for up to 90 days, or 45 days for a semi-trailer, unless the land is in an industrial zone.

The city decides what "improperly" means with help from Section 22-32. "Failure to display current license plates and renewal tabs as issued by the Director of the Missouri Department of Revenue shall be prima facie evidence that the vehicle is improperly registered." Expired tabs alone are a starting point for a case.

What makes a car inoperable here

The zoning definitions in Section 35-92 spell it out: "An inoperable vehicle shall mean any motor vehicle which lacks a current registration or a registered vehicle which lacks two or more wheels or any other component parts, the absence of which renders the vehicle illegal for use on the highway."

That is a paperwork test and a parts test in one sentence. A car on blocks fails it, and so does a clean car whose registration ran out.

Grass and gravel are off limits

The same section, 22-30, closes another door: "No person shall park or leave standing any motor vehicle on or in any front, rear, or side yards" unless the space is permanently set up and used for parking. Moving a dead car to the lawn so the driveway is open just swaps one violation for a new one.

Streets and the junk label

On the roadway, Section 22-13 bars leaving a vehicle "at the same place on the roadway for a period of time in excess of 72 consecutive hours." The nuisance chapter, Section 21-1, then calls any vehicle left that long a "junked motor vehicle", along with any car parked in breach of 22-30.

Police may also remove a car from a street, highway or city parking area under Section 22-29, for example when it blocks traffic or sits in a city metered or rental space that has not been paid for. A removed car is treated as abandoned or disabled.

If the city labels your car junk and you disagree, Section 21-10 sets out the hearing. The Hearing Examiner writes findings within 30 days of the hearing. "If the Hearing Examiner determines that the vehicle is not a junked motor vehicle, the decision of the Director shall be withdrawn and the Director shall be prohibited from again determining that the vehicle is a junked motor vehicle for 30 days."

Titles in the capital

Jefferson City is where the state's own title office sits. Jefferson City owners can apply right in town at the Department of Revenue's Motor Vehicle Bureau, or at any Missouri license office.

Points that trip up sellers here:

• An old loan still on the title needs a notarized Lien Release (Form 4809). See lien still on the title.
• The title itself needs no notary, but nothing on it can be erased or covered with correction fluid. Mistake on the title covers what to do if it already happened.
• A lost title costs $8.50 plus a $9 processing fee to replace.
• For a Jefferson City car 26 model years old or older, the Director can issue a junking certificate from a bill of sale after the highway patrol says it isn't stolen.
• Remove the plates before the buyer takes the car, and report the sale within 30 days.

Getting an offer

Jefferson City owners can call (877) 421-6008 or use the form for an offer. The truck can meet the car on either side of the river, in Cole or Callaway County. Columbia is about 28 miles north, Rolla about 49 miles away, and the Missouri page covers the statewide rules.