Selling a junk car in Bristol, Rhode Island

Section 13-41 and the sticker test

The rule covers owners, operators and occupants alike. None of them may "keep, park, store or leave any inoperative wrecked, junked or dismantled motor vehicle of any kind, or parts thereof, on any premises" in town, "except in connection with a legally operated enterprise." Loose parts count too.

Rhode Island inspects cars of 8,500 pounds or less for emissions and safety every two years, so the sticker is the date to watch. If your car keeps failing, our failed inspection guide lays out the choices.

Storing one outside takes a license

Section 16-232 goes further for cars kept in the open. No one may store a "dismantled, unserviceable, junked or abandoned vehicle, or one legally or physically incapable of being operated" outside, on public or private property, "unless a license for such storage has first been obtained." The zoning code's definition of a junkyard includes land where "inoperative or unregistered vehicles" are kept, which is why a yard full of dead cars draws attention.

Getting a removed car back costs by the day

Once the town removes a car under these rules, Section 16-235 gives the owner two months from the town's receipt to reclaim it. You pay the reasonable costs of removal plus "$75.00 per day or any portion thereof" for storage. That charge is set by the code, and it runs every day the car sits.

Two other routes to the tow lot:

• Three tickets. Section 16-46 lets police tow and impound a car right away once its owner has three parking citations that went unpaid or without a court date. It stays impounded until fines, court costs, towing and storage are paid. See tickets or registration hold.
• Snow emergency. When the town administrator declares one, cars on the designated streets must be moved "forthwith." Police may call an approved tow service for any car left behind, and the fine is $5.00 per offense. You can also arrange your own private tow.

Prudence Ferry parking has its own rule: a car without a permit in a reserved space on the ferry dock can be towed on the harbormaster's call.

Rhode Island title and plates

Titles are issued by the state Division of Motor Vehicles, not by Bristol County. For a car from 2001 or later, assign the title to the buyer using the space on the certificate. You sign the back as seller, the buyer signs, and you enter the mileage. Cars older than 2001 are not titled unless a sale or a lien requires it. Put the VIN, color, year, make, model and price on the bill of sale, then add your address and signature. A missing title means a duplicate from the Cranston DMV, which can take up to 90 days.

Plates go home with you, not with the car. Cancel the registration online and keep the confirmation email. Once it arrives, the plates can be destroyed or recycled. More on the last steps is in after you sell.

Getting an offer

Use the form or ring (877) 421-6008. Tell us its model year, make and model, its mileage, if it fires up, and which title papers you have. The truck can meet the car off Hope Street, in a driveway near the town common, or at a shop in Warwick. For statewide rules, see Rhode Island.