Selling a junk car in Clemmons

Clemmons code: what we found and what is missing

No Clemmons ordinance turned up in our search. What follows is North Carolina law, and a local ordinance could add limits of its own, so confirm with local officials before relying on a time limit.

State law lets a city pass an ordinance against abandoned cars "on public streets or on public or private property" and remove junked or abandoned ones. A county can do the same in its area, and both must offer the owner a hearing.

How North Carolina defines a junked car

Under G.S. 160A-303, Clemmons treats an abandoned car as a "junked motor vehicle" if any of these is true:

• it is partially dismantled or wrecked
• it cannot be self-propelled
• in Clemmons, it is older than five years and worth under $100 (or $500 if the ordinance says so)
• it has no current plate

The dollar figures are a legal test, not a price. Under the same law a car left on private land "without the owner's consent for longer than two hours" counts as abandoned. A city leaves a car on your own lot alone unless you ask in writing or it has been ruled a danger to health or safety.

When the state steps in

State law has its own clocks. An "abandoned vehicle" is one that has been left illegally, on land public or private, past 10 days. A car over 12 years old without a current license, or one missing major parts, counts as a "derelict vehicle." When the state tags one and it is not moved within five days of the tag date, it is removed to be sold, and notice goes to the last registered owner.

The title office and North Carolina paperwork

North Carolina issues titles itself, through license plate agencies or by mail to NCDMV, not through the county. The one office we checked for this area is at 145 Bethania St., Rural Hall, about 15 miles north of Clemmons as the crow flies. There may be others.

Your signature transferring the car goes on the title's reverse, witnessed by a notary. Buyer and seller each write in their names and addresses, the sale date and the odometer reading if required, and you disclose known damage on the damage disclosure statement. A title already stamped JUNKED still gets signed over in front of a notary. The transfer is only on record, and no fresh title comes out. A car whose title cannot be registered can be sold only for parts, scrap or recycling. More in salvage title.

Your plates leave with you. Put them on another car of yours, or return them in person or by mail, before your insurance stops. Should NCDMV records still tie the car to you afterward, the notarized Form MVR-46F asks NCDMV to take it off.

Getting an offer

Send the model year, brand, model, odometer reading and running condition, by form or at (877) 421-6008. The truck can meet it on your street, at a shop, or in a parking lot. Winston-Salem is about 8.5 miles away, and the North Carolina page covers the state rules.