Selling a junk car in Long Branch

What the 48-hour rule covers, and what it doesn't

The rule reaches any property in the city, and Section 322-3 adds the street: no one may leave such a vehicle "on a street or highway within the city." There are three exceptions:

• a car inside an enclosed building;
• a car on the premises of a lawful business, when the business needs it and it is housed or completely screened from view;
• a car held in a city storage lot.

A separate section, 332-1, says no car "not capable of being used or operated" may be stored on any land in the city unless it is garaged. Licensed motor vehicle junk businesses are exempt.

Fixing it yourself at home

Long Branch lets residents do their own repairs, under tight terms in Chapter 332:

• The car has a current New Jersey registration in the name of the property owner or tenant. A classic or collectible car may use ownership papers instead.
• It sits in a driveway, parking area, garage, carport or rear yard.
• "All repairs must be completed within a twelve-hour period."
• A car that doesn't run may never stay on a city street longer than 48 hours.

A repair that runs past 12 hours falls outside these terms.

If the city tows it

Long Branch's police chief, or an officer acting for him, sends the registered and legal owner a letter explaining that the car was taken, the reason, and its location. That letter comes by hand or certified mail. To get the car back, you pay for the tow and "a garage charge of $15 for each day" it is held. The charge keeps climbing until you deal with it.

Street limits worth knowing

When snow covers the road, no vehicle may park on the streets in Schedule I. Separately, Chapter 325 keeps heavy trucks, campers, trailers and similar vehicles above its weight limit off every street from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. This comes up when the dead vehicle is a van or pickup built on a heavy frame.

Title and plates: the Freehold office

Title work for a Long Branch car means a trip west to an MVC counter; the state does not take transfers by mail. We looked up the Freehold Vehicle Center at 811 Okerson Rd. In a straight line it is about 14 miles west of the city center. Monmouth may have other offices.

Sign as seller on the reverse of the title. Long Branch buyers also get a bill of sale showing their name and street address, when the sale happened, the miles and the price. Take the plates before the truck leaves. In Long Branch the seller holds on to them. Long Branch sellers drop them at an agency or put them on another car of theirs. Lost the title? It is a $60 duplicate, by Vehicle Center appointment, on form OS/SS-UTA.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or use the form to share the kind of car and its year, the miles, if the engine cranks, and where things stand with the title. A truck can haul it out of a back yard, a driveway, or a repair bay. The towns we cover nearest by page, Sayreville and Perth Amboy, are about 21 miles away in a straight line, but pickup works the same here. Statewide rules are on the New Jersey page, and after you sell covers the plates and insurance.