Selling a dead or junk car in Mandan

The Mandan nuisance rule

Section 16-3-9 makes it a nuisance to keep "junked, wrecked, partially dismantled, inoperative, discarded or abandoned vehicles" on private property in the city. It also reaches past the lot line, to "the one half of any street or alley lying next to the property" and to the sidewalks, boulevards and berms beside it.

Besides the 30-day parts test, the code defines inoperable as "junked, wrecked, wholly or partially, dismantled, discarded, abandoned or unable to perform the functions or purposes for which a vehicle was originally constructed." Business vehicles get no pass if they are junked or lack "a legally sufficient current registration tab or plate," unless they sit in a junk or salvage yard that complies with city zoning.

Five days, then the city acts

Under Section 16-3-10 the chief of police can reach you in person, by phone, by letter or "other means." The notice must allow "a minimum of five days to abate or remove the nuisance." If the car stays, the chief can pay for its removal, and those costs are "certified by the chief to the city finance director for assessment against the property." In other words, the bill follows the lot.

Street limits and towing

Section 24-7-18 sets two clocks for public streets: 48 hours in a row in residential districts, mobile home parks and trailer courts, and 24 hours in commercial or industrial districts. A car left longer "shall be considered abandoned."

Section 24-7-1 lets officers remove a wrecked, partially dismantled or junked vehicle left on a street, highway or municipal parking lot. The registered owner is served notice, and a written demand filed in municipal court "within 48 hours, exclusive of weekends and holidays" gets you a hearing. Otherwise the car is held until removal and storage are paid.

Three inches of snow

Mandan does not wait for an announcement on snow routes. Once snow or ice reaches three inches or more, Mandan's Section 24-3-5 keeps cars off a route during the daytime and evening hours set in the code. A car parked on a posted route during a snow emergency can be removed under 24-7-1.

Title and plates

A Mandan seller holding the title enters the buyer and the price, signs, and passes it along inside 30 days, with no notary involved. A seller without one notarizes SFN 2888 and explains the missing title there. State forms give the NDDOT Motor Vehicle address as 608 E Boulevard Ave, Bismarck, and that city lies 5.7 miles from Mandan as the crow flies. Unscrew the plates before the car goes. What is left of the registration year turns into credit for one replacement vehicle, minus a $5 credit transfer fee.

Getting an offer

Reach us by form or at (877) 421-6008. Reach out about your Mandan car through the form. Our truck can load it from your lot, a garage bay, or a curb spot with a notice taped on. See Bismarck next door, or the North Dakota page for state rules.