Selling a junk or dead car in Roswell

What Section 16-36 covers

The code calls such a vehicle, or its loose parts, "a public nuisance" both on private land and on the city right-of-way. Parts rebuilt or converted to practical use are left out. So are three kinds of cars:

• one kept "within an enclosed area and out of public view on private property"
• a car kept by a business with a Roswell license, in a zone where that's permitted
• one being restored under a city restoration permit, during or after the work

A tarp in the driveway is not on that list. A closed garage is.

The notice and the 30 days

Enforcement starts with a notice. Under Section 16-40, the code enforcement officer hands it to the property's owner or occupant "at least 30 days before the time of compliance," with the deadline printed on the notice. Notice is given when one copy goes up "in a conspicuous place" on the property and copies are sent certified to the owner or occupant at the last known address.

Section 16-39 then spreads the duty. Roswell first gives notice and a chance at a hearing. For Roswell, the car's owner and the land's owner or occupant, "either or all of them, shall be responsible for its removal." A city tow also falls on them under the section's title. When a renter leaves a dead car, the landlord can end up dealing with it. Our page on a notice to remove a car covers the next steps.

If someone else left the car on your land, the state route is different: an Abandoned Vehicle Lien, generally after at least 30 days, and a certified-mail notice on MVD-10058 that gives the owner 10 days to pay.

The MVD office on Wilshire

One office we checked is at 200 E. Wilshire Blvd, roughly 4 miles north of downtown in a straight line. Chaves County may have others, and private MVD partners and municipal offices also handle transactions. The number listed, 1-888-683-4636, is MVD's statewide line.

Lost the title? For $5 you can get a duplicate with form MVD-10901. From Roswell, you can drop it at a field office in person, or post it to Santa Fe's Vehicle Services Bureau. If a lien shows, bring the release or the duplicate goes to the lender. See junk car with no title.

Signing it over under New Mexico rules

The seller assigns the title on the back and writes the odometer reading. When there is no room, the Bill of Sale, MVD-10009, finishes the transfer. Roswell sellers don't need a notary for the basic MVD steps. A notary only matters for a power of attorney or a lender's lien release on letterhead.

Then the plate. New Mexico is a "Vehicle Plate to Owner" state, so the plate comes off and, within 30 days, goes to MVD to be destroyed or moved to another vehicle of the same class. File the Notice of Vehicle Sold, MVD-10048, with the Sold Unit in Santa Fe. A false statement on it is a fourth degree felony. Chaves County is not Bernalillo County, so no emissions test stands in the way. After you sell has the checklist.

Towns around Roswell

Measured in straight lines, Carlsbad is 69.3 miles off, Alamogordo 89.6, Hobbs 90.9 and Clovis 106.2. Statewide rules are on the New Mexico page.

Getting an offer

Selling in Roswell? Call (877) 421-6008 or send the form. We tow from driveways, side streets off Main and shop lots on the edge of town.