Selling a dead or junk car in Philadelphia

Off the street: the property code

PM-302 has one way out for a project car. Major overhaul, "including body work," is allowed only if the work "is performed inside a structure or similarly enclosed area designed and approved for such purposes." A tarp in the yard does not count. When the city sends a notice of violation and it is ignored, the same section lets city employees or contractors enter the property to fix the problem, with costs billed to the owner.

On the street: abandoned cars

Section 12-1120 sets the timeline for a car left on a city street:

• 10 days. Police, or an authorized salvor at police direction, may remove the car "if the vehicle is not moved after ten days' written notice for removal has been sent to the last registered owner."
• Right away if the car is a safety hazard.
• 60 days. If police have not removed it within 60 days of the notice, they must ask an authorized salvor in writing to take it. They can make that request sooner if they expect to miss the 60 days.

The salvor's towing and storage fees are set by a separate section of the city code.

Boots, tows and the notice that follows

Section 12-2405 covers parked cars more broadly. A car can be towed to the nearest Official Towing Station, or booted "for up to seventy-two (72) hours" and then towed if no one reclaims it. One trigger is a car on a public street with three or more delinquent parking tickets or red-light or speed camera notices, after notice to the owner. A car whose owner's address the city cannot find can be booted or towed 30 days after its third ticket.

Before any tow, police check whether the car was reported stolen. After it, the owner of record must get notice within 30 days. The notice gives the car's location, the reason it was taken, and the fees. It also warns that an unclaimed car may be sold at public auction. If 15 days pass after the car is listed as available, lienholders are notified too. For an old car with a pile of tickets, see tickets or registration hold and towed or impounded.

The towing paperwork in the city

Philadelphia regulates the tow itself. Section 9-605 says no one may tow a disabled vehicle from or to a place in the city "unless a towing agreement, in triplicate, has been signed" by the owner or the owner's representative, the tow operator, and a police officer if one is there. Police-run rotation tows are the exception. A tow company based outside the city may be asked to show the tow is consensual, with paper or electronic documents for where it started and where it is going. Expect to sign that agreement when a car leaves your curb. Junk car removal explains the rest of a pickup.

Where junk cars end up

The zoning code holds Philadelphia's junk and salvage yards to strict standards. One rule: "All fluids must be drained from junk and salvage motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts within seven days after those vehicles or parts are brought onto the site." Yards also keep buildings and salvage material at least 20 feet back from any public street.

Inspection in Philadelphia County

Pennsylvania requires an annual safety inspection. Philadelphia County is one of the five counties in PennDOT's Philadelphia emissions region, with Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery. A car that will need both tests before it can be sold to a driver is a common reason owners give up on it.

Title and plates for a Philadelphia seller

Pennsylvania issues titles from the state, not the county. Philadelphians close the sale at an authorized PennDOT agent's office, which is usually a notary or tag service and occasionally a dealer. There you sign, hand-letter your name and record the odometer reading, alongside any co-owner. The buyer has 20 days from then to apply for a new title.

Scrap metal processors and salvage dealers are exempt from the notary requirement. If the title has gone missing, Form MV-38O and $72.00 get you a duplicate.

Philadelphia plates leave with the seller, too: send yours to the Return Tag Unit, or transfer it for $11.00.

Getting an offer

For a Philadelphia car, the offer form covers what we need to price it. Reach us online or at (877) 421-6008. Pickup is free anywhere in the US, whether the car is on a city block, in a driveway or behind a shop. In a straight line, Norristown lies 13.4 miles off and Chester 17.0. The Pennsylvania page covers the statewide rules.