Selling a dead or junk car in Alamogordo

The 60-day permit

No dismantled, partly dismantled or inoperable vehicle, or its parts, may be kept on a city lot or street under the code, unless it is "in an enclosed building" or on property "enclosed with a fence or wall". A car left out in the open is "a public nuisance" in the code's words.

There is one way to buy time. An owner or tenant may keep such a car on the premises "for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days upon receipt of a permit from the city clerk". The catch is in the last clause: the permit applies only "if such motor vehicle is registered in his name". A car still titled to a parent, an ex or a former roommate does not fit those words.

The definition of a motor vehicle here is wide. Golf carts, go-carts, trailers, motorcycles and recreational vehicles all count, so the dead camper beside the garage is covered too.

When the city can tow

The clock to towing starts at whichever comes later: the end of your permit or the day you are told of a violation. Then the department of public safety may order the vehicle towed. Before it does, the code requires "written notice to both the person responsible for the property and the vehicle's last known owner". If you rent, that means both you and your landlord may hear about it.

Someone else's car on your lot

Section 24-12-12-19 covers the reverse problem. A property owner can hand an abandoned car to a licensed dismantler after telling a law enforcement agency and getting a written clearance. That route fits a car that is "totally wrecked", one that is "at least eight (8) years of age or older", or one left unclaimed in a storage yard for 30 days. In Alamogordo, a newer car, or one you plan to keep or sell to anyone but a dismantler, needs the lien process before it gets a new title. Our abandoned car guide walks through it.

The MVD office and the paperwork

New Mexico titles go through the Motor Vehicle Division. One field office we checked sits at 263C Robert H. Bradley Drive, roughly 3 miles north of central town in a straight line. Call MVD info at 1-888-683-4636. Otero County may have other offices, and private MVD partners can handle title work as well.

To sell, sign the title over on the back and write in the odometer reading. If that space is full or the assignment is incomplete, the Bill of Sale, form MVD-10009, completes the transfer. The MVD seller steps list no notary. Next, from Alamogordo, send form MVD-10048, the "Notice of Vehicle Sold", by mail to the Santa Fe Sold Unit.

Keep the plate. An Alamogordo seller has 30 days to bring the plate to MVD for destruction or put it on a different vehicle in the same class. No title? Form MVD-10901 gets a duplicate for $5. See junk car with no title.

Getting an offer

Selling a car in Alamogordo? Call (877) 421-6008 or send us the form. We tow from a fenced side yard or a carport on the hill. Las Cruces is 61.6 miles away; see Las Cruces, or New Mexico for statewide rules.