Selling a junk or dead car in Knightdale

Junked, abandoned or a nuisance: Chapter 80's three labels

The town code sorts problem cars into three groups. A junked motor vehicle begins with one that "does not display a current license plate lawfully upon that vehicle." The rest of the test comes from state law, G.S. 160A-303.2. That covers a wrecked or half-stripped car, one that will not run under its own power, and one past its fifth birthday valued under $100 (or $500, if an ordinance picks that higher line).

An abandoned car is one left on a public street against a parking rule, or left there "for longer than seven (7) days." A nuisance vehicle is one the town declares a health or safety hazard.

Seven days of warning, most of the time

Section 80.07 says a car "shall be towed only after notice." Knightdale mails a first class letter about a junked or nuisance car when it can track down the owner. If the car is abandoned or nobody can trace the owner, the notice is taped to the windshield instead. Either way, the date set for removal is "no sooner than seven days after the notice is affixed or mailed," unless you move the car first. You may appeal instead of moving it.

Section 80.08 lets the town skip that warning when there is "a special need for prompt action." The code lists cars that block access to homes or shops, cars left where they endanger traffic, and cars causing damage.

Knightdale may pull a car off private land unasked under Section 80.13 only for a nuisance vehicle or a junked car the Town Manager ordered out. Otherwise it waits for the property's owner, occupant or lessee to ask in writing.

If the town already towed it

Under Section 80.11, you can take the car back at any point, including before the probable cause hearing. Settle the tow and storage bill, or put up a bond "for double the amount of such fees and charges." Driving it off the storage lot before then breaks Section 80.16. When the bill is bigger than the car is worth, read towed or impounded.

Title work from Knightdale

North Carolina titles come from the state, not from Wake County. One office we checked sits at 4121 New Bern Ave. in Raleigh. As the crow flies, it is about 4 miles west of central Knightdale. NCDMV also takes title work by mail.

A notary must watch you sign on the reverse side of the title. Buyer and seller each add their names and addresses, the date of sale, any required odometer figure and the damage disclosure. If the title is lost, sort that out first with selling with no title.

Registration renewal waits on a passing annual safety inspection, and Wake is one of the 19 counties that add an emissions test. A car that cannot pass is stuck on its last sticker.

The plate is yours

The plate leaves with you, not the buyer. Unless it is moving to another car you own, hand it back to NCDMV, at an agency counter or through the mail, while the insurance is still active. Turning it in can bring back a prorated share of the plate fee you already paid. After you sell has the rest.

Getting an offer

For a Knightdale offer, call (877) 421-6008 or use our short form. Pickup can happen in your driveway, at a repair shop or at whatever spot it quit. Raleigh, Garner and Clayton each have a page, and North Carolina covers the statewide rules.