Selling a junk car in Ozark

Ozark's own rules: what we could not find

We couldn't find Ozark's city code online, so this page leans on Missouri law. Ozark could still set rules of its own for parked, unlicensed or inoperable cars. If a notice from the city lands in your mailbox, the time limit printed on it is the one to follow; notice to remove a car covers what to do next.

Two pieces of state law set the outer frame. Section 304.157 lets a local government provide for towing vehicles from real property under its own ordinance. The same section lets law enforcement authorize a tow of abandoned property left on private land belonging to someone else once it has sat unattended "more than 48 hours", or sooner when it is a safety hazard.

If the car was already towed

State law runs on short clocks after a tow. Inside five working days, the registered owner and any lienholder are mailed a notice of the removal (Section 304.158). The Director of Revenue searches its records for both within five working days of the report.

Once that notice goes out, Ozark or the county keeps the car for 30 days. The wait drops to 10 days for an Ozark car past six years of age, with damage above 50% and a value under $200. After that, the Ozark car is hauled off by a licensed salvage or scrap business. Missouri law itself sets the $200 figure. It is not what the car sells for. Towed or impounded explains how to get one back.

Signing it over in Christian County

• In Missouri, nobody has to notarize the signatures on a title.
• Fill in the sale date and odometer reading on the Ozark title in your own hand. No correction fluid, no erasures.
• Give the Ozark buyer a safety certificate from the last 60 days. Under 150,000 miles, a car is excused for ten years past its model year.
• If a loan was paid off, a notarized Lien Release (Form 4809) goes with the title.
• Pull off the plates, current or expired, before the car leaves with the buyer.
• Ozark sellers have 30 days to tell the Department of Revenue the car was sold. Use the DOR-1957 (Bill of Sale) or the DOR-5049 (Notice of Sale). A tear-off DOR-5049A comes on newer titles.

Missouri issues titles from the state level. Lost the title in Ozark? A replacement costs $8.50, and there's a $9 processing fee on top. Get it at a license office near Ozark or in Jefferson City at the Motor Vehicle Bureau.

An old car with no title

Section 301.227 opens a door for older junk. If the online lien search is clear, a dead Ozark car at ten model years can be sold untitled to a scrap metal operator. The operator forwards your state ID copy and the bill of sale to the Department. An Ozark car at 20 model years skips the lien check. The statute's idea of inoperable is a car that is, among other things, "wrecked, discarded, worn out" with its best use as scrap. Junk car with no title has the other routes.

Getting an offer

Send the form or ring (877) 421-6008. Send our offer form for the car you have in Ozark. Nixa is 4.4 miles from Ozark as the crow flies, and Springfield is 11.8. Statewide rules are on the Missouri page.