Selling a junk or dead car in Springfield, Ohio

Or sell it. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, you sell the whole car as it sits, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.

What counts as inoperable

Section 351.16 calls a car inoperable when it cannot legally be driven on public streets for at least one of these reasons:

• major components are missing
• required safety equipment is missing
• it is unlicensed, or its license expired more than 30 days ago
• it looks unsafe or hazardous to people inside or outside it
• it is damaged beyond economic repair

The rule applies when the car is visible to the public. A separate line in the city FAQ reaches further on plates: a car with an expired, unlawful or missing plate may be parked neither on a city street nor on private property in open view.

Which rule applies when

Springfield's code has several overlapping rules. Here is how they line up by situation.

Section 351.16. The code says no property holder "shall permit an inoperable motor vehicle to remain parked in the open on such property for more than seventy-two hours." Before an impound, the Chief of Police sends notice, in person or by certified mail, giving ten days to repair the car, put it inside a structure, or remove it. The ten days run from the date of personal service or of mailing. Letting the violation continue past that warning is a minor misdemeanor.

Section 357.01. Here the certified notice can come from the police chief or the Director of Development. It requires that within ten days the car "either shall be covered by being housed in a garage or other suitable structure, or shall be removed from the property." Each 30 days beyond that is one more offense.

Section 357.04. This is the abandoned junk car: "Three years old, or older," "Extensively damaged, such damage including but not limited to any of the following: a broken window or windshield, missing wheels, tires, motor or transmission," apparently inoperable, valued at $1,500 or less, and parked past 72 hours on someone else's land without consent or 48 hours on a public street. The chief has it photographed and "shall thereupon immediately dispose of the abandoned junk motor vehicle to a junkyard or scrap metal processing facility." Wrecked cars worth more than that figure fall under Section 357.07 instead.

Tow notices and getting a car back

A parking tow notice is red or orange and reads "Police Tow" in large letters. It gives time to fix the problem. To ask for more, email parking@springfieldohio.gov or call the parking division at 937-324-7717, option 3.

A car impounded for a parking infraction goes to Maine's Towing and Recovery, 1717 E. Pleasant St., 937-322-4618, according to the city FAQ. For a car towed under Section 357.02 after sitting on someone else's property, the owner pays the removal and storage charges and shows proof of ownership, such as the title. If it stays unclaimed for 30 days, further disposal steps follow.

Police non-emergency: 937-324-7685. Code Compliance: 76 E. High St., 2nd floor, 937-324-7385, during City Hall hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Renewing instead of selling

Renewing the registration is on the city's list of fixes, but old fees can stand in the way. Under ORC 4503.10, the clerk won't register a car when "All registration and transfer fees for the motor vehicle, for the preceding year or the preceding period of the current registration year, have not been paid." The same section exempts any earlier year in which the vehicle "was not taxable."

Clark County title offices

Clark County runs three title offices. The distances are measured in a straight line from the middle of Springfield.

On the title itself, your signature goes down in front of a notary. Your buyer has a 30-day deadline, counted from the assignment, to get a title of their own, and the sales tax is settled at the title office when they do. The plates are not part of the deal; they stay with you.

Getting an offer

Online or at (877) 421-6008: name the make and model, give a rough odometer figure, say if it runs, and tell us where the title stands. Mention a Police Tow notice if there is one. The truck comes to the car, behind the fence or at the curb.