Selling a disabled car in Avon, Ohio

Two Avon rules, two timelines

Junk yards and genuine commercial uses fall outside Section 660.07, and so do collector vehicles. Penalties under 660.07 escalate: minor misdemeanor the first time, fourth-degree the second, third-degree for the third and every one after. Neither section names a notice period.

For zoning questions, the Building Department's Zoning Enforcement Officer is at contactzoning@cityofavon.com or 440-937-7810.

On the street

• 48 hours. Two days at an Avon curb and no reason offered to the police chief: the car can then be ordered into storage. An abandoned junk car dumped on another person's land for over 72 hours without consent is a separate violation.
• Three tickets. Section 454.02 reaches a car “involved in three or more parking infractions, in which judgments or default judgments have been filed,” whether or not it is illegally parked when officers find it. Getting it back takes the title, plus payment or a bond.
• Snow. When snow reaches 2 inches within any 24-hour period, Avon is under a snow emergency. An hour or more after the first announcement, streets and rights-of-way must be clear of parked cars (a three-minute loading stop excepted) until the Director of Public Safety declares plowing complete.

After a tow

After a removal (abandoned junk cars aside), Avon police let the registered owner know the reason and the storage location. Reclaiming the car means a trip to the Police Division with ID and ownership papers, then the fines or a court-set bond, and last the towing and storage charges, paid to the pound operator, who releases it on the release form. Non-emergency line: 440-934-1234.

Titles: North Olmsted, Elyria or Lorain

Avon is a Lorain County city, but the nearest title office belongs to Cuyahoga County: 26642 Brookpark Rd. Extension, North Olmsted, about 5 miles east as the crow flies. Ohio title offices serve sellers from any county. Lorain County's own are in Elyria at 226 Middle Avenue, roughly 8 miles southwest, and in Lorain on Broadway Ave., roughly 9 miles west.

Your signature on the assignment must be notarized; Ohio insists on it. Keep the plates: when an Ohio car is sold, the registration expires and the old owner pulls them immediately. Lorain County is inside Ohio EPA's E-Check area, which matters for a disabled car with old tags, since a vehicle due for testing can't be re-registered without a pass or one of the waiver, exemption or extension certificates. Missing the title? Start with selling with no title.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or begin online. Describe what you have: which model and year, how far it has been driven, how it behaves at the key, and where the title is kept. Pickup can happen at the garage, in the driveway, or at the pound once the car is released. More nearby: Elyria and Lorain.