Selling a dead or junk car in Altoona

What Chapter 711 calls a vehicle nuisance

Altoona's definition is broad. A motor vehicle nuisance "shall include any vehicle which is unable to move under its own power and/or has any physical defects." A car that won't start counts. So does one with a smashed quarter panel.

The rules change with the zone:

• Residential districts. No unregistered or uninspected vehicle may be parked on the property at all. Any car there must never be in "major disassembly, disrepair" or "in the process of being stripped or dismantled."
• Business, commercial and industrial zones. Up to two unregistered or uninspected vehicles are allowed per property. The same ban on disassembly and stripping applies.
• Someone else's land. It is unlawful for an owner to put a car on "any open private grounds not his or her own" in a way that makes it a nuisance.

The stripping ban matters if your plan was to pull parts at home first. Our part it out or sell it whole guide weighs the two.

Where a car may sit, running or not

Two other rules in the chapter reach every vehicle, "whether or not vehicle is licensed and/or inspected." Yards are one: a car in a front, side or rear yard must be "located on an approved parking surface," and the code points to Chapter 300, Driveways. Sidewalks are the other, and no car may be stored on one. A dead sedan rolled onto the lawn breaks the yard rule even before the registration ban comes into it.

When the chapter does not apply

Chapter 711 exempts three cases: a vehicle "in an enclosed building," one a lawful business needs on its premises, and one in a properly secured storage place.

Inspection, emissions and an expired registration

Every car in the state gets a safety inspection each year. Blair County appears on PennDOT's Northern emissions region list, which the publication describes as pending certification. Registration lapses at the close of the month shown on the card, and from the next day an Altoona car parked on a residential lot is in breach of Section 711-2. If the car has sat a long time, see car sitting for years.

Handing over the title in Blair County

Blair County runs no title office; in Pennsylvania the state issues every title, and the hand-off happens with a PennDOT-authorized notary, tag service or dealer. In front of that agent you sign, print your name and write in the miles. Then the buyer signs too. Pennsylvania law says an Altoona title assignment must be "sworn to before a notary public or other officer empowered to administer oaths." Altoona sellers skip the notary only when a scrap processor or salvage dealer is buying. A missing title means filing Form MV-38O first, at $72.00.

Plates stay with you

When the car leaves, the plate stays in your hands. Altoona owners mail the plate back to PennDOT's Return Tag Unit, or move it to a different car for $11.00. PennDOT's steps for sellers mention no release-of-liability form. After you sell and the Pennsylvania page cover what is left.

Nearby

As the crow flies, Johnstown lies 30.0 miles off, State College 34.6 and Chambersburg 56.0.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or go online to tell us about your Altoona car. With free pickup anywhere in the US, the tow can come to a garage you want emptied, a curb on a hilly side street, or the shop that diagnosed it.