Westlake: ten days after notice, and indoors only

If yours is one of those, we buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, and pickup is free anywhere in the US, Westlake too.

Ten days under Section 353.06

The storage section covers three kinds of car: dismantled, inoperative and unlicensed. A car is inoperative when a mechanical failure, whether engine, transmission or some other part, leaves it unable to carry people.

The Police Department serves written notice on the owner or whoever is in possession of the lot. The ten days begin the day after that. When they run out, only two outcomes satisfy the code: the car has left, or it is "kept or stored in a completely enclosed, authorized and permitted building or garage." Not removing it after notice is itself unlawful. Only districts where the Zoning Code says outright that cars may be stored or repaired are outside the rule.

Indoors only under Section 353.07

The second rule is broader. No one may store or leave auto parts, or motor vehicles unfit for use, on private or public property unless they are kept within a building. It doesn't matter whether the condition is temporary or permanent. Trucks, boats, motorcycles and other inoperative or unsafe vehicles are covered the same way.

Vehicle repair firms get a narrow allowance: up to seven vehicles outside a building, for up to seven days.

A junk car on the street

Section 353.01 sets Westlake's own test for a junk motor vehicle, and a car must pass every part: at least three years old, apparently inoperable, seriously damaged, and a fair market value under $1,000. Qualifying damage includes absent wheels or tires, no motor or transmission, heavy rust, or broken windows. A current registration doesn't take a car out of that definition.

Under Section 353.02, a junk vehicle may stand on a street, alley or public grounds a day at most. On private property without the owner's consent, the limit is 72 hours. Once a day on the street has passed, the car is treated as abandoned, and any member of the police can have it impounded and towed. A law enforcement officer photographs it before removal. Once it has spent ten days or more in the impound, a salvage sale is allowed.

Section 353.05 then settles the money:

1. Sale proceeds pay the towing charges first.
2. If they fall short, the owner pays the difference.
3. Any amount that still can't be collected is waived by the towing company.

Police can also tow a damaged or wrecked car that can't run. Getting one back means showing ID and ownership papers at the Police Department, settling fines or posting bond, and then covering the tow and storage at the pound. The police non-emergency number is 440.871.3311.

Two inches of snow

Westlake's snow rule turns on depth alone. Once snow is at least two inches deep on the roadway, no car may be parked on a sidewalk or on the traveled part of any street. A violation automatically allows a tow, the owner is presumed responsible for towing and storage, and not knowing the ban was in effect isn't an excuse.

Title office about two miles south

Cuyahoga County's North Olmsted title office, 26642 Brookpark Rd. Extension, is about 2.2 miles south of the city's middle, as the crow flies. The Parma office is about 8.8 miles east. Lorain County's Elyria office, about 10.8 miles southwest, works too, since Ohio accepts any county's office.

An Ohio seller signs the title in front of a notary. For an electronic title, the BMV's form 3770, the casual-sale assignment, does the same job. When the sale closes, remove your plates; Ohio law keeps them with the seller.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008, or go online. We'll ask for the odometer reading, model year, make and model. Tell us what failed, what parts are in the car or with it, and whether it's inside, outside or already at a shop. If police have served notice, tell us the date.