Selling a junked car in Aberdeen

What Aberdeen's code calls junked

Under the full definition in 52-364, a vehicle counts if it is "substantially wrecked, dismantled, inoperative, unlicensed" or meets that repair mark, or if it is just "discarded." Unlicensed is its own item on the list, so the car doesn't have to be broken to count. The code's idea of a motor vehicle is broad too: it names campers, trailers, tractors, golf carts and go-carts next to cars and trucks.

Section 52-365 goes on to call a junked or abandoned vehicle, "or parts thereof," a public nuisance on private or public property. It cites the state law that lets a city recover what it spends on abating a nuisance through a special assessment against the land.

Ten days on your own lot

Section 52-373 is the clock that matters at home. No owner, tenant or occupant "shall allow any abandoned or junked motor vehicle of any kind or the parts thereof to remain on such property longer than ten days." Renters are named as plainly as owners, and a pile of parts counts like a whole car.

On the street: 48 hours, then a tow

A car left unattended on a public street, alley, public place or parking lot "for a longer period than 48 hours" without telling the police department is abandoned under 52-364. Under 52-367, an officer who finds a junked vehicle on public property may send it "to a garage or place of safety," and a car that blocks traffic can be moved at any time. The owner then owes a fee from the city's fee schedule on top of towing and storage.

If nobody claims it, 52-370 calls for a notice of sale giving the year, make, model, serial number, color and plate. The sale date "shall not be sooner than one week following" the notice's last run.

Snow zones and street crews

Winter gives the city more reasons to move a parked car. Section 46-380 bars parking on any street or alley in snow removal Zone 1 or Zone 3 until it has been "cleared of snow from curb to curb." Public lots in Zone 1 stay closed to parking until fully cleared, and Zone 2 has separate rules for north-south and east-west streets.

Outside a declared snow emergency, 52-237 lets public works move even a lawfully parked car to plow, clean or repair a street. That move costs the owner nothing. If it ends up beyond the distance the section sets, public works must tell the owner within 24 hours, or tell the police chief if the owner can't be reached.

Brown County title and plates

South Dakota titles go through the county treasurer, so in Aberdeen that means the Brown County treasurer's office. When you sell, state law gives you two jobs. The Aberdeen buyer gets a free 45-day seller's permit from you. You can print it online through my605drive or at the treasurer's kiosk. An Aberdeen sale needs a report of sale naming the buyer and their address. Skipping either is a Class 2 misdemeanor. The Department of Revenue's seller steps list no notary.

Take the plates off. Under SDCL 32-5-2.7 they stay with you, with credit for the unexpired months when they go on your next vehicle. An Aberdeen seller who leaves them on commits a Class 2 misdemeanor and loses the credit too. The treasurer's office replaces a lost title for $10. For the rest, see junk car with no title.

Getting an offer

Ring (877) 421-6008 or fill in the form above. Start your Aberdeen car on the offer form. We get to backyards, alley garages and unplowed streets. Measured straight, Watertown sits 74.5 miles from Aberdeen. Statewide rules live on the South Dakota page.