Selling a dead or junk car in Lexington

The one car you may keep, and where

The single junked car Lexington allows has to be "in its entirety" and in the rear yard, as the zoning ordinance defines it. It must be "entirely concealed from public view from a public street and from abutting premises by an acceptable covering." Any other junked car "must be kept in a garage or building structure that provides a complete enclosure." The director of building and zoning may still order a car removed after "finding in writing that the aesthetic benefits of removing the vehicle outweigh the burdens" on the owner.

What counts as junked or abandoned

Section 9-112 calls a car junked when it "does not display a current license plate lawfully upon the vehicle" and also meets a listed condition, such as being "partially dismantled or wrecked." So an expired or missing tag on a wrecked car is enough to start the process.

A car on a public street is abandoned if it is "left on any public street or highway for longer than seven (7) days," or if police decide it is a hazard to traffic. Some streets have a shorter limit: Schedule 116 caps parking at two hours from 6 a.m. to midnight, except Sundays and holidays, on stretches such as the east side of North State Street from West Center Street to West 1st Street.

Who enforces it

Section 8-81 divides the work. The chief of police handles abandoned cars on public streets and city property. In Lexington, abandoned, nuisance and junked cars sitting on private property fall to the director of business and community development. Private towing firms can be hired on yearly contracts to haul, hold and get rid of those cars.

The towing notice and getting a car back

Lexington's Section 9-116 says a junked or nuisance car is towed "only after notice." If the owner can be located, the city mails it first class. When it can't, the notice is taped to the windshield. The removal date is "no sooner than seven (7) days after the notice is affixed or mailed," and moving the car first stops it. Section 9-122 adds that, short of a nuisance car or one already under a removal order, nothing leaves private property unless someone asks the city in writing.

If the car was towed, Section 9-120 releases it when the tow operator is paid for the tow and storage, or given a bond of twice those costs. See impounded car for what comes next.

Title offices and North Carolina rules

North Carolina titles are a state matter: you deal with a plate agency or send the papers to NCDMV. We checked three offices for Davidson County; the county may have others:

• 5533 W. Market St., Greensboro: about 29 miles northeast of Lexington, as the crow flies
• 145 Bethania St., Rural Hall: about 31 miles north
• Concord (929 Concord Parkway S., Suite D): some 34 miles off to the southwest

In Lexington, sign the title in front of the notary, then add the buyer's name and address, the date, your printed name and the mileage if the form asks. Lexington sellers must also report known damage on Form MVR-181 under state law. A Lexington car counts as salvage when road repairs would top 75% of its fair retail value, whether or not an insurer totaled it.

Davidson County is an emissions county, and a car needs its yearly safety inspection before the tag can be renewed. When you sell, take the plates off. Reuse them on a different car or turn them in while coverage is still active, and you may see a prorated refund of the yearly plate fee. After you sell has the rest.

Getting an offer

Give us the year, make, model, mileage and whether it starts, online or at (877) 421-6008. Pickup works from a back lot, a garage, or a spot near the Square. Thomasville is about 12 miles away, and North Carolina has the statewide rules.