Selling a junk or dead car in High Point

Ten days on the windshield

Under Section 9-2-165, the city is presumed not to have made reasonable efforts unless a tow notice "was posted on the windshield or some other conspicuous place at least 10 days before the towing actually occurred." The exception is a car that blocked traffic or endangered the public. After a tow, the city must notify the owner within 24 hours if the car has a North Carolina plate or registration, and within 72 hours if it does not.

A junked car on private property stays put unless the owner, tenant or occupant asks in writing, or a city officer "finds in writing that the aesthetic benefits of removing the vehicle outweigh the burdens" on the property. Anyone asking the city to haul one may have to cover its costs. Within 15 days of disposing of a junked car, the city tells NCDMV.

Streets and city lots

Section 10-1-54 sets two street clocks: 48 hours "within the fire limits of the city, or on property owned or operated by the city," and three days anywhere else. Past that, officers may impound the car or have a contract wrecker take it. Section 9-2-162 separately labels a car abandoned when it stays on a public street or highway "for longer than seven (7) days." Cars towed from a city parking facility are held until the legal owner claims them, and the owner pays the impound and storage charges.

A city in four counties

High Point reaches into Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford and Randolph counties. NCDMV puts every one of the four on its list of 19 emissions counties. Wherever your address falls inside the city, renewing means passing the OBD check and the yearly safety inspection. A car 20 years old or older skips the OBD part. See car sitting for years.

Title and plates

The state handles titles. High Point sellers can drop the papers at a plate agency or send them to NCDMV by mail. We looked up two agencies: 5533 W. Market St. in Greensboro, some 8 miles northeast of central High Point, and 145 Bethania St. in Rural Hall, some 24 miles northwest. Both figures are measured in a straight line, and there are other offices besides these two.

Your signature on the reverse needs a notary beside you. The same side records the buyer and their address, when the sale happened, mileage if the car's age requires it, and the damage statement. Missing the title? Start with a notarized Form MVR-4 and expect a 15-day wait; see selling with no title. Remove the plates, and unless they are moving to another car, hand them in before the insurance stops.

Getting an offer

High Point car to sell? Call (877) 421-6008 or send the short form. In High Point our truck can collect it from a backyard, a rental's parking pad or a repair shop. Thomasville is 9.1 miles away, Kernersville 9.4 and Greensboro 11.9. The state's rules are on North Carolina.