A dead car in Lakewood, on the street or in the drive

Lakewood fits 49,027 people into 5.555 square miles of land. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and you sell the whole car as it sits, whether it's on the street or in the drive. Free pickup anywhere in the US covers Lakewood.

The street: two days from check to tow

Here is the order the city's parking page lays out:

1. A resident complains about a car on the street.
2. An officer checks it.
3. If it hasn't moved in a day, the officer issues a citation and a tow notice.
4. A day after the citation, the car is towed.

The same page sets a 24-hour limit on street parking unless signs say otherwise. And under Section 351.16, the curb isn't a work bay: parking there chiefly to wash, grease or fix the car is banned, emergencies aside.

The driveway: what Section 1783.13 calls junk

Lakewood's junk section reaches past the curb. Any vehicle that won't run, is partly taken apart, or is wrecked lands in its definition of junk. Then it goes one step further: any vehicle of a type that needs a license is deemed junk if it doesn't display a current, valid one.

No one may leave junk on private property, or let it stay there. A violation is a first-degree misdemeanor, and every day it continues is another offense. Enforcement sits with two directors, Public Works and Public Safety.

The certified-letter route

Section 303.10 is aimed at a junk car the landowner lets sit out in the weather past three days. The zoning authority, the Chief of Police or Council may send it by certified mail with a return receipt. Delivery starts a ten-day count, and at the end of it the car must be "housed in a garage or other suitable structure" or gone.

Penalties step up with each repeat. One offense is a minor misdemeanor; two makes it fourth-degree; three or more, third-degree. Past the 10 days, another offense accrues every 30 days.

Section 303.09 covers cars left behind. A vehicle may not sit more than 72 hours in a row on someone else's private property without permission. On a public street the limit is 48 hours unless the Police Chief is told why.

If it has already been towed

Go to the Lakewood Police front counter for a release form, and bring the title or registration. The towing company won't hand the car over without it. Lakewood's impound lot is Kufner Towing, 3775 Ridge Road in Cleveland, (216) 529-3320.

Police can also remove a wrecked car that can't run from a public street. For a public-safety concern that can't wait, the non-emergency line is (216) 521-6773. The city's online Report a Problem page lists an Exterior Housing Complaint among its choices. It isn't watched around the clock; reports are typically received 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.

Where Lakewood sellers handle the title

There's no title office inside the city. Three Cuyahoga County offices are close, measured as the crow flies from Lakewood's Census center point:

Ohio's county clerks, not the BMV, run title offices, and Lakewood sellers may pick whichever county is handiest. Your signature on the title has to be notarized. When the car leaves, your plates stay behind with you; ORC 4503.12 cancels the registration on transfer and tells the seller to remove them.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or start online with the make, model, mileage, and whether it starts. If the car is on the street and a tow notice is already on it, tell us. Have the Ohio title ready to sign once you accept.