How to sell a dead or junk car in St. Louis

A derelict car on your own lot

St. Louis property maintenance amendments, Section 25.32.020, say an unlicensed, unregistered, uninspected, derelict or abandoned motor vehicle "shall not be parked on any property, in a state of major disassembly or disrepair, or in the process of being stripped or dismantled" unless that work happens in a structure built and approved for it.

In a nonresidential district the rule is stricter. Without the building official's approval, no currently unregistered or uninspected, derelict or abandoned car may be on the property at all, and none may ever be in major disrepair or being stripped.

The same section says notices about a property's condition "shall run with the land." A violation notice stays in force when the property changes hands, so selling the house does not clear a car-related order.

Snow routes and stalled cars

St. Louis has written down what happens when a car dies on a snow emergency route. Section 17.38.040 says that when a vehicle stalls on a snow, sleet or ice covered route, or where a parking ban is on, the driver must "take immediate action" to get it onto the first cross street by tow or by pushing. Raising the hood does not count: "No person shall abandon or leave his vehicle in the roadway of a snow emergency route."

Section 17.38.030 goes a step further. You may not let a car stall on such a route because the tank ran dry, the battery gave out, or the drive wheels had no chains, snow tires or studded tires. An old car with a tired battery is a liability on those streets each winter.

Getting an impounded car back

Section 17.56.190 lists what it takes to redeem an impounded vehicle or its parts:

• evidence that traffic or parking fines are cleared, or a summons showing future court dates
• payment of the removal and storage costs

Under Section 17.94.040, a vehicle not redeemed in the required way and time "can be disposed of in the same manner as an abandoned vehicle." State law then takes over. The owner and lienholder get a written notice within five working days. St. Louis then holds the car 30 days past that notice. A St. Louis car is held 10 days if three things are true. It is past six years old, its damage tops 50%, and its value is under $200. A car on the short hold ends up with a licensed salvage or scrap business. The dollar amount is just a legal cutoff, not our estimate of what any car is worth. Towed or impounded has more.

Inspections: the city is in the emissions area

St. Louis City is one of four places where a Missouri seller provides an emissions inspection, along with Jefferson, St. Charles and St. Louis counties. The test can be no more than 60 days old. The seller also has to supply a safety inspection certificate that is no older than 60 days. St. Louis cars below 150,000 miles get a pass for ten years past their model year. For a car that cannot pass, see failed emissions and failed inspection.

Title and plates

Missouri issues titles at the state level, so there is no city title office to visit. St. Louis owners can file at any Missouri license office. The Jefferson City Motor Vehicle Bureau also takes them. A replacement title is $8.50, plus a $9 processing fee.

When you sell:

• add the odometer reading and the date, keeping it free of erasures and correction fluid
• skip the notary, because Missouri does not require one on title signatures
• attach a notarized Lien Release (Form 4809) if a loan was on the car
• remove the plates before the buyer takes it, valid or expired
• within 30 days of the St. Louis sale, the paperwork is a DOR-5049 (Notice of Sale), or else a DOR-1957 (Bill of Sale)

Giving the car to a relative instead? Write "GIFT" in the sale price area. The General Affidavit (Form 768) does not need a notary.

No title on a ten-year-old car

Section 301.227 lets a St. Louis scrap metal operator take an inoperable vehicle without a title once it reaches ten model years. First the operator runs an online lien search. Next, the St. Louis buyer sends the bill of sale to the Department, plus a copy of your state ID. Once a car is 20 model years old, no lien search is required. Junk car with no title covers the other routes.

Getting an offer

Use the form or call (877) 421-6008 and share the model year, make, model, mileage, if the car runs and any title details. Our tow truck can pick it up at a curb, from an alley garage or at a shop. Nearby towns with their own pages: University City is a 5.1-mile straight-line trip, Webster Groves 6.8 and Florissant 12.2. The Missouri page covers statewide rules.