Clearing out a dead or junk car in Mount Lebanon

How you hear about a tow

The code spells out the notice. The Mt. Lebanon Police Department "shall notify the appropriate towing and storage agent to tow and store the vehicle." The department then gives notice "by the most expeditious means and by first class mail" to the owner and any lienholder, with proof of the tow, the storage and the car's location, as long as their names and addresses are known or can be found. If a letter like that is already on the counter, towed or impounded explains the next steps.

A car that cannot move, in a town built on parking rules

Mt. Lebanon packs 32,552 people into 6.078 square miles, and much of its vehicle chapter is about parking. Streets can become Permit Parking Zones, and the Parking Enforcement Supervisor weighs nearby public parking, among other factors, before recommending one. In lots, "No person shall Park any Vehicle in any Off-Street Parking Facility" past the time on the meter or the posted limit. At a metered space the payment goes in "immediately upon entering the space."

A car with a dead battery cannot be moved when time runs out.

On your own driveway

The sections we have for Mt. Lebanon deal with towing and parking, not a car kept on private land. For that, Pennsylvania law is the floor, and the municipality may add its own rules. Under state law, a car that will not run is presumed abandoned once it sits on public property alone for two full days. A landowner can have someone else's car taken away after a day, once the local police have a report.

Title and plates

The county does not issue titles. The state does, so you sign in front of a PennDOT agent, which is usually a tag service and now and then a dealer or notary. The seller signs and prints, writes the odometer figure, and the buyer follows. Co-owners all sign. Going to a salvage dealer or scrap processor? No notary needed. For a missing title, file Form MV-38O and pay $72.00.

Your plate stays behind with you, not the car. Mail your Mount Lebanon plate to the Return Tag Unit, or pay $11.00 to put it on another car of yours. After you sell lists the rest.

Inspection

PennDOT puts Allegheny County in its Pittsburgh region for emissions testing. Cars on the road here need the annual safety inspection plus an emissions test.

Getting an offer

Phone (877) 421-6008 or use the online form. A loose sketch is fine. Share a few details about the Mount Lebanon car and its title. A truck can come to a sloped driveway, a garage out back, or the repair shop. In a straight line, Bethel Park sits 3.7 miles off, Baldwin 5.5 and Pittsburgh 5.8. See Pennsylvania for statewide rules.