Selling a dead or junk car in Harrisburg

Section 7-327.15, in a residential block

The section's stated purpose is "to prevent the character of residential areas from being harmed by nuisances, hazards and visual blight and to prevent the establishment of junkyards in residential districts." The rules:

• Residential districts. You cannot park or keep a "junk vehicle" anywhere a public street or a neighboring home can see it. A car with registration and inspection lapsed 90 days or longer falls under that ban as well.
• Nonresidential districts. A maximum of one "junk vehicle" may be parked or stored where it can be seen from a street or a dwelling.

The test is visibility. A garage or a spot fully screened from the street and the neighbors' windows is a different case from the curb out front.

On the street: registration and the 96-hour clock

Harrisburg streets are stricter still. Under Section 3-131.6, no vehicle may stand or park on a street "unless the same bears a license evidencing that it is currently registered." There is no 90-day window there.

Section 3-131.9 opens with "No person shall abandon a motor vehicle in the City." On top of the state definition, it adds "a motor vehicle that is inoperable and is left unattended on public property for more than 96 hours." Construction and utility equipment parked out of traffic is exempt.

Vacant lots are covered as well. Section 6-305.1 requires every vacant lot to be kept free of "junk, abandoned vehicles, discarded property, and similar materials."

If the car is already gone

For a car removed under the city's towing chapter, other than an abandoned one, Section 3-135.5 has the Bureau of Police send notice to the owner of record "within 12 hours from the time of removal," saying where it was taken from and why. Notice for an abandoned car follows the Vehicle Code instead. See towed or impounded for what to do next.

Dauphin County inspection and emissions

Dauphin County is in PennDOT's South Central emissions region with Cumberland, Lancaster and York, a group the publication still lists as pending certification. Safety inspection comes every year regardless. A registration runs out on the last day of the month printed on the card. The 90-day count in Section 7-327.15 begins on that date.

Selling: title and plates

No Pennsylvania county, Dauphin included, runs a title office. Titles come from the state, and PennDOT-authorized notaries, tag services and dealers handle the paperwork. In front of one of them you sign, print your name and set down the mileage, and every co-owner does the same. PennDOT's fact sheet says the transfer is complete when the seller's Section A and the buyer's Section D have both been signed and notarized. Harrisburg sellers can skip the notary when a scrap processor or salvage dealer buys the car. Harrisburg owners who lost the title get a new one with Form MV-38O and $72.00.

Keep your plate. In Harrisburg, mail the plate to the Return Tag Unit, or spend $11.00 to put it on a different car. Nothing in PennDOT's selling steps calls for a release-of-liability form. The Pennsylvania page covers the rest.

Nearby

Straight-line miles from Harrisburg: Carlisle 17.6, York 23.0, Lebanon 24.8, Gettysburg 35.9.

Getting an offer

Harrisburg sellers can call (877) 421-6008 or fill out our form. We offer free pickup anywhere in the US, from behind a rowhouse, a screened side yard, or a repair garage.