Selling a junk car in Collierville

Ten days, then the police can take it

Section 93.26 sets the deadline. If the violation "has not been remedied within the ten day period of compliance," or a requested hearing confirms it, "the Chief of Police or his or her designee shall have the right to take possession of the junked motor vehicle and remove it."

You can ask for a hearing instead of complying, as long as the request is filed on time. The code also makes it unlawful "to interfere with, hinder or refuse to allow" the people sent to remove a car from entering private property.

Two places a junked car may stay

Section 93.03 names only two exceptions:

1. a junked car "in a completely enclosed building"
2. one in a storage place maintained "in an officially designated place and manner by the Town of Collierville"

A car under a cover in the side yard, behind a fence or on a vacant lot fits neither one.

Who pays when the town hauls it

The bill can fall on someone other than the car's owner. Under Section 93.21 in Collierville, the car owner and the owner or resident of the land must remove it, "either or all of them," after notice and a chance to request a hearing. If the town does the removal, "the owner or occupant of the private property where same is located shall be liable for the expenses incurred." For a landlord with a tenant's dead car on the lot, or a family holding a relative's car, that line matters.

Getting a seized car back

A car the town has seized under this chapter can still be redeemed. Section 93.31 allows it "at any time after its removal but prior to the sale or destruction thereof," with proof of ownership and payment of removal, storage and any sale-advertising costs.

Cars towed from a street are a separate matter. Under Section 70.53, Collierville police can impound an unattended vehicle "parked so as to constitute an obstruction or hazard to normal traffic." They keep it until the owner proves it's theirs and pays every fee, or until it's lawfully disposed of some other way.

Shelby County title and plates

Collierville owners title through the Shelby County clerk. On a Tennessee title, no notary is needed. Collierville sellers sign the assignment spot and print a name that matches the front. With two names linked by "and", both must sign.

Among the papers the Sevier County clerk accepts is a Vehicle Bill of Sale with a notarized seller signature. We found no release or notice-of-sale form for Collierville sellers on the Revenue Department's titling pages. Take the plates off, since Tennessee plates follow the owner, and move them to another car for $1. Lost the title? A duplicate Collierville title costs $14 plus any county fees.

Nearby towns

Germantown is 5.3 miles away, Bartlett 14.6 miles and Memphis 15.9 miles, as the crow flies. See Tennessee for statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or use the form. In Collierville we pick up from a garage near the town square, a side yard, or a lot that just got a notice.