Selling a junk car in Fair Lawn

Which cars the borough means

Chapter 230 is aimed at a car "not currently used for transportation and not properly registered with a state or federal department of motor vehicles for the current year," kept outdoors on public or private land. Both parts matter: out of use, and registration not current. A car parked on the lawn with last year's sticker fits.

The notice and the tax bill

When the Health Officer or the police find a violation, the notice goes out "by registered mail, return receipt requested" to the owner or tenant. It gives 10 days from issuance to move the car.

If the borough has to haul it away, Chapter 230 sends the bill to the land itself. The cost "shall be charged against the private lands" and added to the next taxes on the property. Fair Lawn's contract tower handles these removals, and Section 223-11 requires it to finish "within 24 hours after request by the borough."

The 90-day exception

Cars kept inside a garage, barn or other building get 90 days instead, under the chapter. So do cars held by repair shops, new or used car dealers, or junkyards lawfully operating in the borough. A Fair Lawn driveway is not one of those places.

Don't leave the pieces at the curb

Some owners try to part a car out to shrink it. Chapter 140 makes it unlawful to dump "vehicle or vehicle parts, rubber tires" along a street or on any property without the owner's written consent. A court may add up to 90 days of community service. If the parts are the plan, read part it out or sell it whole first.

Snow days

When snow covers the street, Chapter 232 declares an emergency and bans parking on its listed streets until they are plowed enough not to block traffic. A car that won't start stays in the plow's way.

Title and plates: the Oakland office

Fair Lawn owners finish the transfer in person; the MVC does not accept it by post. We checked the Oakland Vehicle Center, Suite 24, 350 Ramapo Valley Rd, about 9 miles northwest of Fair Lawn's center as the crow flies. It may not be Bergen's only one.

Fair Lawn sellers put their signature on the back, in the seller line. The Fair Lawn buyer leaves holding the title and a bill of sale with their name and home address, the sale date, mileage and price. Pull the plates last. In New Jersey they remain the seller's, so hand them in at an agency or carry them to your next car. Lost the title? Book a Vehicle Center appointment, file form OS/SS-UTA, and pay $60.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or use the form with a few basics. What car and year is it, how many miles, can it start, and is the title yours? We can load it near Radburn, in a Fair Lawn driveway, or at a shop in Elmwood Park or Paramus. The New Jersey page has the statewide rules.