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Town guide · New Hampshire

Bedford, NH: selling a car that has quit running

We found no Bedford ordinances online. For a dead car here we can only cite state law, though Bedford could have extra rules. In New Hampshire, a place keeping 2 or more cars "no longer intended or in condition for legal use" fits the state's junk yard definition in RSA 236, and running a junk yard takes a state license. If a second car has quietly died in your Bedford driveway, we buy whole non-running and junk cars. Sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

Updated · 11 sources

The white Presbyterian Church in Bedford, with tall columns, a clock tower topped by a steeple, and trimmed shrubs along the front
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Bedford, the short version

Population
23,973 (Census estimate, July 1, 2025)
County
Hillsborough
Land area
32.78 square miles
Town junk-car code
Not found online
State junk yard test
2 or more cars unfit for legal use
State inspection
Suspended until further notice
Plates
Stay with the seller

The state's junk yard limits

New Hampshire's definition is broad. It takes in cars bought to be pulled apart for parts or scrap, not only a business with a sign out front. Whoever keeps such a place needs a junk-yard license, and the site itself needs a certificate of approval. Applications go to the local governing body. For a single broken car, Bedford may have its own approach, so ask Town Hall before any notice arrives.

No inspection sticker right now

For a car that failed inspection, timing matters. A federal court injunction, and then the loss of the company that ran the program, led the DMV to halt state inspections in a notice dated February 13, 2026. Stations may not issue stickers, and cars need no yearly state inspection for now. The state is appealing and says this can change. Any car you drive in New Hampshire must still be kept safe under RSA chapter 266. If the repair is not worth it, see failed inspection or rust.

When a shop or lot is holding it

A broken car often ends up stuck at a garage. RSA 262 sets the storage-company dates:

CarWaiting periodNotice
Under $1,000 in value, or salvage-only15 daysVerified mail, 10 days ahead at minimum
More than 5 model years old20 daysNotice, no newspaper publication
5 model years old or newer30 daysNotice

See car at a repair shop if a bill is growing.

Paperwork for the sale

In Bedford, titled cars (model year 2000 and later) pass to the buyer with a signed title at the sale. The seller writes the buyer's name, address and odometer number on its reverse. Both people sign, and the buyer takes it. New Hampshire doesn't title older cars. For those, the seller hands over a bill of sale (form TDMV 22A) along with form TDMV 19A or a copy of an old registration or title.

A replacement title is form TDMV 18, $35 since January 1, 2026. The state lists about 30 to 50 calendar days.

The plates come off with you

Unlike some states, New Hampshire leaves the plates with the seller. The registration expires on the sale. Keep it, because the town clerk credits it toward the next car you register. After the plates move to a new car, the old one may not be driven.

Around Bedford

Manchester and Merrimack are each 5.8 miles from Bedford as the crow flies, Londonderry 8.3 and Nashua 13.1. State rules for every town are on New Hampshire.

Getting an offer

Reach us at (877) 421-6008 or through the form. Bedford owners can send our quick offer form to get started. The truck goes to the car, even at the end of a long wooded driveway or inside a garage bay.

Questions people ask

Does Bedford have its own junk-car ordinance?
Bedford's ordinances were not available online when this page was written, so everything here comes from New Hampshire statutes. Bedford may set extra rules, and Town Hall can confirm.
Does my car still need a New Hampshire inspection sticker?
Not at the moment. Stations are barred from issuing stickers under a February 13, 2026 DMV notice that paused the program with no end date. The state says that can change, and any car on the road must still be safe.
A shop is storing my dead car. How long until it can dispose of it?
It depends on the car. RSA 262 gives a storage company 15 days for a low-value or salvage-only car, 20 days for one more than 5 model years old, and 30 days for a newer one, each with notice to the owner.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.

  1. U.S. Census Bureau city and town population estimates, 2020-2025 www2.census.gov
  2. U.S. Census Bureau 2025 Gazetteer, county subdivisions www2.census.gov
  3. NH RSA chapter 236, motor vehicle junk yards gc.nh.gov
  4. NH RSA chapter 262, storage company disposal of vehicles gc.nh.gov
  5. NH DMV: Inspections and emissions (archive copy) web.archive.org
  6. NH DMV: Title frequently asked questions (archive copy) web.archive.org
  7. NH DMV: Purchasing or selling a titled vehicle (archive copy) web.archive.org
  8. NH DMV: Vehicle registrations (archive copy) web.archive.org
  9. NH RSA 261:3, vehicles exempt from title gc.nh.gov
  10. NH RSA 261:66, registration on transfer of ownership gc.nh.gov
  11. NH RSA chapter 261, duplicate title fee gc.nh.gov