Selling a junk or dead car in Allentown

What Section 615-103 calls abandoned

The section opens plainly: "No person shall abandon a vehicle within the City on either public or private property." It then lists the cases. A car is abandoned in Allentown when:

• it is "physically inoperable" and nobody attends it on a street or city property for over two days
• it stays illegally on public ground past 48 hours
• it stays more than 48 hours on someone else's Allentown property without their OK
• it has a flat or missing tire, no current tags, or is wrecked or junked, and stays that way for 48 hours

There are three ways out. The article does not apply to a car "in an enclosed building," to one on business premises when the business needs it there, or to one in "an appropriate storage place or depository." A dead sedan under a tarp in the side yard fits none of those.

How a tow happens in Allentown

Two agencies can move the car: the Bureau of Police and designated Allentown Parking Authority staff. Section 615-104 sets the pace. Normally they act "after five days' written notice to the registered owner." If the car is a safety hazard, they may take it at once and must send a written notice within 12 hours explaining why it was taken and how to get it back.

Private lots work a little differently. Under Section 615-105, a car can be towed from a parking lot only if the lot is posted with its parking rules and what happens when they are broken. If your car is already at a tow yard, see towed or impounded.

The curb rules in Section 615-53

Allentown streets are no place to store a dead car. The code bars leaving "any mechanically inoperable vehicles or vehicles without current registration plates" on streets, highways or city property. The inspection rule is stricter still. A car without a current sticker may not be parked on the street unless it sits at or near an official Pennsylvania inspection station, with a work order showing it "will be performed within 24 hours." So once a failed car's sticker lapses, the curb outside your house is off limits. Our failed inspection guide covers what to do next.

Inspection and emissions in Lehigh County

Allentown cars, like all in Pennsylvania, get a safety inspection once a year. Lehigh County also sits in PennDOT's South Central emissions region, alongside Northampton, Berks and Dauphin. That region is still listed as pending certification in PennDOT's publication. A car that fails can need repairs worth more than the car itself.

Signing the title over

You will not find a county title office in Lehigh County, because Pennsylvania has none. The state issues titles. You do the transfer in person with a notary, tag service or dealer PennDOT has authorized. There, with the agent watching, the seller signs, prints their name by hand and records the mileage. A title held in two names needs both signatures. PennDOT's fact sheet says the transfer is done once the seller's block (Section A) and the buyer's (Section D) are both signed and notarized.

Allentown sellers skip the notary only when the title goes to a scrap metal processor or vehicle salvage dealer. Lost the title? Form MV-38O orders a duplicate, and the fee is $72.00. Junk car with no title explains the options.

Your plates after the sale

Unscrew the plate before the car leaves. In Pennsylvania it is yours, not the car's. Mail it to the Return Tag Unit at PennDOT's Bureau of Motor Vehicles, or have it moved onto another vehicle; that transfer is $11.00. According to PennDOT's selling steps, there is no separate seller's notice to file afterward. The Pennsylvania page covers the rest of the state's rules.

Towns around Allentown

As the crow flies, Bethlehem sits 6.2 miles off and Easton 15.0. Pottstown is 25.2 miles out, Reading 29.4. Pickup covers all four.

Getting an offer

Selling an Allentown car? Reach us at (877) 421-6008 or through the form. We offer free pickup anywhere in the US, so the tow can reach the parking pad behind your row house, a space on your block, or the shop lot where you got the bad news.