Selling a junk or dead car in Leland

What Leland means by junked

Section 34-86 defines a junked motor vehicle as one that "does not display a current license plate lawfully upon that vehicle" and meets a further condition. State law spells those out: wrecked or partly stripped, unable to self-propel, or past five years of age with a value below $100 (an ordinance may lift that to $500). A nuisance vehicle is one declared "a health or safety hazard, a public nuisance, and unlawful."

One car under a cover, and the town decides the cover

Section 34-89 allows "one junked motor vehicle, in its entirety" in the rear yard, "entirely concealed from public view from a public street and from abutting premises by an acceptable covering." Who judges that? "The town manager or his designee has the authority to determine whether any junked motor vehicle is adequately concealed." A torn tarp may not pass. A second junked car has to be shut away in a fully enclosed garage or building.

Leland's town manager or a designee can also direct removal of a junked car once satisfied that "the aesthetic benefits of removing the vehicle outweigh the burdens imposed on the private property owner." Keeping it after the order is unlawful.

The removal date and the exceptions

The notice states a removal date "no sooner than seven days after the notice is affixed or mailed." If the owner is a mystery, or the car counts as abandoned, Leland posts the notice on the windshield instead. If a car with no valid plate or registration is towed, the town checks the VIN to find the last registered owner and notify them.

Section 34-91 drops the advance notice when there is "a special need for prompt action." Examples include cars blocking entrances to homes or businesses, cars parked as a traffic hazard, and cars damaging property. Section 34-95 bars the town from towing off private land without a request. The exceptions are nuisance vehicles and junked cars with a removal order.

Section 34-93 returns a removed car at any stage once its tow and storage bill is paid, or a bond of twice that amount is posted.

Street parking

Section 54-19 makes it unlawful to leave a car "in any designated street parking space or other approved parking area in a public right-of-way for more than a 24-hour continuous period of time." A dead car pushed to the curb can break that rule in a day.

Title offices from Leland

We checked three offices, none inside Leland. These are measured straight across from the center of Leland:

• 2390 Carolina Beach Rd., Suite 108, Wilmington, about 6 miles east
• Hope Mills, 3333 N. Main St., Suite 140, roughly 74 miles to the northwest
• 3175A U.S. Highway 301 S., Smithfield, about 89 miles north

NCDMV also handles titles by mail.

North Carolina law is strict about the signature. The owner signs the title's reverse-side assignment "in the presence of a person authorized to administer oaths," and no title passes until that is done and the car is delivered. If the title is unregisterable, the car's only legal futures are parts, scrap or recycling. Missing parts covers cars already partly stripped.

The plate

The plate comes off at the sale and stays with you. If you have no other car for it, give it back to NCDMV at any agency, or mail it to the Renewal, Title and Plate Unit at 3148 Mail Service Center in Raleigh. Keep the liability policy running until that is done. Brunswick sits outside the 19 emissions counties, but the annual safety inspection still applies at renewal.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or reach us online. Send the form for an offer. Our truck can collect from a Leland driveway, back yard or garage bay. Wilmington and Jacksonville have their own pages, and North Carolina has the state rules.