Cashing out a dead or junk car in North Platte

What makes a car "junk" here

Section 95.20 defines a junk motor vehicle as one "on which the engine, wheels or other parts have been removed, altered, damaged or otherwise so treated or allowed to deteriorate that the motor vehicle is incapable of being driven under its own motor power." A car with a dead engine or no wheels qualifies.

The city's property maintenance code goes further. Section 151.001 amends it to read that "inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicles shall not be parked, kept or stored on any premises." Under that text, a lapsed plate alone can be a problem. Body work and major overhauls are allowed only "inside a structure or similarly enclosed area."

Five days' notice, then removal

Section 95.22 lets the city remove any vehicle that "reasonably appears to be in violation of § 95.21." On private property it first has to give notice "that the city shall remove the vehicle from the property after 5 days from the date of notice." One method the code names is "affixing written notice on the vehicles." The officer can come onto the property at reasonable hours to inspect, post the notice, and then remove and impound the car. It stays impounded "until lawfully claimed or disposed of in accordance with the laws of the state."

Streets, alleys and the 72-hour rule

Section 76.10 bars leaving a motor vehicle, trailer or machinery of any kind on public streets "for more than 72 consecutive hours" unless signs say otherwise. Under Section 30.047, anything that stays in one place on a street, alley or public property past 72 hours "shall be deemed abandoned" and removed by police. The owner of record gets notice by registered mail to collect it and pay the charges for removal, keeping and storage. If the car is not claimed within 5 days of mailing, it is disposed of under Section 30.046.

When police tow a car off a street, Section 70.28 has the Evidence Technician tell the owner in writing where it went and why. An owner without plates on public property faces the shortest clock: Section 95.20 makes such a car abandoned after more than 6 hours.

Lincoln County title office

Note the name: titles here go through Lincoln County, not the city of Lincoln, which is 213.7 miles east. The office we checked is at 301 North Jeffers, Room 102, phone (308) 534-4350 ext. 4155, roughly 1 mile northwest of central North Platte in a straight line.

On a sale, every owner signs the seller's section and any lien is cleared first. A North Platte buyer gets Form 6 or a bill of sale, with the miles filled in by the seller. No notary is needed, per the DMV. Get the buyer's section filled out before the title leaves your hands. An open title can be seized. Within 60 days, a North Platte seller can return the decals, plates and registration and recover the unused part of the registration. Need a new copy of the title? It costs $14.00.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or ask online. Send the form for your North Platte car. We collect in town or out on a Lincoln County ranch road. North Platte is 91.9 miles from Kearney; see Nebraska for state rules.