Selling a dead or junk car in Liberty

The ten-day clock, and what Liberty counts as junk

Section 21-2 covers two kinds of car. The first is any vehicle "not currently licensed and is not visible displaying current license plates" that stays parked or stored on private property "longer than ten (10) days." The second has no day count in the text: "any inoperable, partially dismantled, junked, wrecked, discarded motor vehicle," including one "under repair" that cannot be "operated in a normal and safe manner."

Section 30-17 goes further. A car eligible for Missouri registration "which is not then so licensed or registered" counts as inoperable, so lapsed tags alone can put a running car in this group.

There is one way out. The rule does not apply to a car "in an enclosed building" or parked where it is "not to be readily visible from any public place or from any surrounding private property." A tarp does not meet that test, because the code names the tarp itself.

Where a stalled car can sit

Liberty also bans parking on "that part of a residential yard other than a driveway or parking space." A legal parking space must be at least 9 feet wide and 20 feet long, linked to the street by a driveway at least 9 feet wide. Moving a dead car to the grass so the driveway is open also breaks this rule.

Snow routes, time limits and the tow lot

• Two hours after a snow declaration. In a Phase II snow-routes emergency or a Phase III downtown emergency, the code says cars "must be removed within two (2) hours after declaration of emergency." The city posts the notice on the front window of Liberty City Hall. If a car won't start, it is not going anywhere in two hours.
• Two hours downtown. Parts of Kansas Street, Missouri Street and Water Street have a two-hour limit from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
• One hour, then a tow. Section 20-142 lets police tow "any vehicle parked in violation of any ordinance or law for longer than one hour." You pay the tow-in and storage charge before you get the car back.
• Sixty days unclaimed. Under Section 20-150, impounded cars still unclaimed after 60 days go on a monthly list to the city clerk for a published sale. If yours is already on a lot, see towed or impounded.

Title and plates for a Clay County car

Titles don't come from Clay County. Missouri issues them through local license offices and the Motor Vehicle Bureau in Jefferson City. Liberty needs no emissions test. Those places don't include Liberty. For Liberty readers, it covers Jefferson County, St. Charles County and St. Louis County plus St. Louis City, and Liberty's Clay County is not on it. A Liberty buyer must still receive a safety inspection certificate that is less than 60 days old. Liberty cars under 150,000 miles are exempt until ten years past their model year.

Missouri does not require a notary for title signatures. Fill in the miles and the sale date. Don't erase anything or use correction fluid. Take your Liberty plates off, current or expired, before handing the car over. Within 30 days, Liberty sellers mail the Department of Revenue a DOR-5049 (Notice of Sale) or a DOR-1957 (Bill of Sale). A lost title costs $8.50 for a duplicate plus a $9 processing fee. After you sell covers the last steps.

Getting an offer

In Liberty, call (877) 421-6008 or fill in our form. We haul from driveways, side streets and shop lots. Gladstone is about 8 miles west. For statewide rules, see Missouri.