Selling a junk or dead car in Monroeville

What Section 221-34 reaches

The rule is not limited to driveways. It covers anyone "owning or occupying any property" in the municipality who lets "junk, scrapped or wrecked motor vehicles and/or trailers" or "stored vehicles without a current inspection sticker and current license" pile up "on any street, lane, alley, private or public property." The code declares that a nuisance.

One group is excused: a wrecked or stored car "maintained pursuant to the dealer's business operation." A private owner with a car that quit in the garage is not in that group.

The plate and the 15-day count

Here is the catch for Monroeville sellers. Sellers in Pennsylvania hold on to their plates, so yours is coming off anyway. The trouble is timing: a plateless car begins the 15-day count under 221-34. Remove it as the truck loads the car, not a month early with the car still parked outside.

Parting it out at home

Monroeville's zoning definitions describe a junkyard as "the dismantling or wrecking of used motor vehicles" or "the storage, sale or dumping of dismantled or partially dismantled, obsolete or wrecked vehicles or their parts." Stripping a car in the driveway starts to look like that use. Selling it in one piece avoids the question; see part it out or sell it whole.

Emissions in Allegheny County

PennDOT puts Allegheny County in its Pittsburgh emissions region. Lots of Monroeville cars lose their sticker when they flunk emissions and the repair costs more than they're worth. Failed emissions covers what you can do with it.

Pennsylvania title rules

Pennsylvania counties do not issue titles. The state does, and a PennDOT agent (a dealer, tag service or notary) witnesses your signature, printed name and mileage entry before the buyer signs. If the car has joint owners, every one signs. A scrap processor or salvage dealer can accept your title unnotarized; processors forward it to PennDOT stamped nonrepairable. If the title is lost, a copy costs $72.00 with Form MV-38O.

Then a Monroeville seller sends the plate back to PennDOT, or puts it on another car for $11.00.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or send the online form about your Monroeville car. We can collect it at your home, an apartment lot or a repair bay. Penn Hills is 5.1 miles away as the crow flies, Plum 5.3 and Murrysville 5.5. The Pennsylvania page has the statewide rules.