Sanford, NC: selling a junk car under the one-car rule

What counts as junked in Sanford

Section 16-61 defines a junked motor vehicle as "a vehicle that does not display a current license plate lawfully upon that vehicle and that" also meets one of the further tests listed in the code. That definition points to a state statute, and the list of further tests is cut off in the city text we read. The state's own definition in G.S. Under 160A-303, a car can qualify if it is wrecked or partly torn down, or can't move under its own power. Sanford can also treat a car that way when it passes five years old and is valued under $100, or under $500 where a local ordinance sets that line.

Two other labels in the same section matter. A car "Left on a public street or highway for longer than seven days" is abandoned. A nuisance vehicle is one the city declares a health or safety hazard.

Where the one allowed car can sit

The rear yard, as the zoning chapter defines it, under a covering that hides the whole car from the street and the neighbors. Every other junked car "must be kept in a garage or building structure that provides a complete enclosure." Keeping one outdoors in breach of those rules is unlawful for the car's owner and for the owner or tenant of the land.

A building inspector or code enforcement officer can also order a junked car removed, but only "after finding in writing that the aesthetic benefits of removing the vehicle outweigh the burdens imposed on the private property owner." Once that order is made, letting the car stay is a violation in its own right.

The seven-day sticker, and when there is none

Under Section 16-66, the city fixes a notice to the windshield or another visible spot. It names a removal date "no sooner than seven days after the notice is affixed," unless you move the car first. You can appeal instead of moving it.

Under Section 16-67, a car can go with no warning if quick action is needed. Examples are a car that blocks a driveway or a shop entrance, one parked so it endangers traffic, or one doing damage to property. Section 16-72 covers private land. There, the city usually tows only when the owner, occupant or tenant asks in writing. A car that is a nuisance or already ordered off is the exception.

On the street, park parallel and no more than 12 inches from the curb where no lines are marked (Section 36-106). Shuffling a car from one space to another on the same posted block counts as one continuous parking period (Section 36-105).

Getting a towed car back

Under Section 16-70, the owner can get the car back at any point. That means paying for the tow and storage, or giving the city clerk a bond for twice that sum. Section 16-75 makes it unlawful to take a car out of the city's storage lot until those fees are paid or the bond is posted.

North Carolina title and plates

Lee County is not one of the state's 19 emissions counties, so a Sanford car needs only the annual safety inspection to renew. The state issues titles, and a plate agency counter or a letter to NCDMV handles them. In Sanford, a notary has to be there when you sign the back of the title. The damage disclosure goes on that same side. You can junk a title. It gets stamped JUNKED, you sign it over in front of a notary, and the state never prints a new one. If a title can't be registered, the car may only go for parts, scrap or recycling.

Plates stay with you. Unless another car will carry them, return them to NCDMV, at a plate agency counter or through the mail, and keep the insurance until they are in.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or send the form. The form asks what we need to price your Sanford car. Pickup happens where it is parked: behind the house under its cover, inside a shed, or at a garage. The nearest towns we cover, Holly Springs and Apex, are a bit over 20 miles away; North Carolina has the statewide rules.