Getting rid of a broken or junk car in Clarksville

What Clarksville counts as inoperable

The definition in Section 4-602 is wide. An inoperable motor vehicle is "one which cannot be driven upon the public streets for reasons including but not limited to being unlicensed, wrecked, abandoned, in a state of disrepair, or incapable of being moved under its own power."

So a car can run perfectly and still count, just because its registration ran out. Section 4-603 then makes it "unlawful for the owner or occupant of a residential/nonresidential building, structure, or premises to utilize the property for open storage of any inoperable motor vehicle." The same sentence lumps in old iceboxes, stoves and building rubbish.

The code's list of nuisances names abandoned motor vehicles too, alongside open wells and unsound fences, as things that "may prove a hazard for inquisitive minors."

Where a car may sit at all

Section 4-603 has two more rules that apply to any car, running or not:

• "Vehicles to be parked/stored on approved surfaces." A dead car sunk into the side yard grass is a problem on this rule alone.
• In residential zones, all vehicle parking together cannot cover more than 10 percent of the lot, or the zoning minimum if that is larger.

And under the zoning ordinance, Section 5.2, "All storage of three (3) or more unlicensed abandoned vehicles and salvaged vehicles must be in an approved and licensed salvage yard."

The 90-day limit at repair shops

Commercial property, "to include Automotive Repair Facilities," cannot keep inoperable vehicles on the lot for more than 90 days. Cars nobody claims can get more time with paperwork from the state. The shop must keep a register of each car's owner, arrival and departure dates, and year, make and VIN. The lot also has to be screened behind a building or a wall or fence at least six feet high.

If your car went into a Clarksville shop and the repair quote came back higher than the car is worth, that clock is running on the shop's side. Our guide to a car stuck at a repair shop walks through the choices.

On the street

The city's parking violations list includes "Parking on any city street with a missing or expired registration decal or without a license plate." Because Tennessee plates follow the owner, a car you have pulled the plates from cannot wait at the curb for a buyer.

Under Section 9-215, police may tow an unattended, illegally parked car that "constitutes a definite hazard or obstruction to the normal movement of traffic." When the registration points to the owner, the officer has to write and explain why it was taken and where. Clarksville officers file a report once three days pass and nobody has come forward to claim the car. See towed or impounded.

Montgomery County title and plates

Tennessee titles come from the county clerk, so a Clarksville sale goes through the Montgomery County clerk. The steps for the seller are short:

1. Your signature and printed name go in the assignment spot, matching the front. No notary is needed.
2. Two names linked by "and" on the title means both must sign. Linked by "or", just one is fine.
3. Take your plates. They stay with you and can move to another vehicle for $1.

We found no notice-of-sale form to file afterward. When an insurer totals a Clarksville car, Tennessee asks if repairs run past 75% of retail value. Cars under 10 years old get a Salvage Certificate. An older one gets a Non-repairable Certificate. You can't register either. See salvage title.

Nearby

Springfield is 26.7 miles from Clarksville as the crow flies, Hendersonville 45.1 and Gallatin 50.4. The Tennessee page has the statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Use the form or call (877) 421-6008. Give us the basics on your Clarksville car and its title. If that's someone else, read car not in your name first. We pick up from a gravel pad out back, a repair shop lot, or a garage.