Selling a junk car in Durant

The 48-hour rule

In Durant, Section 94.02 bars keeping "a dismantled, unserviceable, inoperable, junked, or abandoned vehicle or any vehicle legally or physically incapable of being operated" in open view on public or private property for "a period exceeding 48 hours" unless it is fully enclosed.

"Legally incapable" matters. A car whose engine starts can still be covered.

Section 94.04 declares even one such vehicle a nuisance. It puts the duty to fix it on the car's owner and also on the owner, tenant or anyone else in control of the land.

The notice and the ten days

After written notice, Section 94.04 gives ten days to "remove the junk or vehicle from such property or have the junk or vehicle housed in a building where it will not be visible from the street or from other private property."

Otherwise, under Section 94.10, the Chief of Police gets an order of abatement. The Chief puts a sale value on the car and has it hauled off and stored. Under Section 94.11, you then have 30 days to apply to the city and pay the removal and storage costs. After that, "it may be sold without further notice." If the sale brings in more than the costs, the rest goes to the former owner, if known.

When the landowner does not own the car, Section 94.08 sends the written notice to the true owner, who must move, screen or dispose of it.

Streets and other people's lots

Under Section 70.096, a car on a Durant street, shoulder or right-of-way can be deemed abandoned once 48 hours pass without evidence an owner intends to retrieve it. Section 72.42 lets a property owner have police impound a car parked on their lot without consent. The car's owner then pays removal, storage and impound fees.

The Bryan County title office we checked

Bryan County's office on our list is at 323 W Beech St, phone (580) 924-0748, under a mile east of central Durant as the crow flies. Bryan County may run others. Service Oklahoma and the tag agencies it licenses do title work too.

To sell, sign the title over before a notary and hand it across when the car leaves. On July 1, 2025, Oklahoma moved to electronic titles. With one of those, the buyer gets a notarized Form 718 bill of sale instead.

Plates and pre-registration

Oklahoma plates are not transferable between owners. Unscrew yours before the car is towed off. Seller or buyer has two business days from the sale to pre-register it with the state. Form 773, at $10, is an extra filing you can skip.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or fill in the form. Send the form for your Durant car. We can reach a lot near Beech Street, a pasture outside town, or a spot where grass has grown up around the tires. The closest page to ours is Ardmore; see the Oklahoma page for state rules.