Selling a junk car in Cookeville

The public-view rule

Section 15-706 makes it unlawful for a car "that is junked, burned or otherwise in an obvious state of disrepair to be parked or stored on any public or private property" in city limits "in view of the public at large for longer than ten (10) days." The one exception is property the city has designated as a junk or salvage yard.

Sections 13-201 and 13-202 back this up. They call a pile-up of abandoned, wrecked or partly dismantled cars a public nuisance and put the duty on the landowner to move it to lawful storage. These cars are exempt:

• a car inside a building, not visible from neighboring property or the right-of-way
• a car at a business run in strict compliance with state rules, where the business needs it
• a car kept at a storage site the city approved

Twenty-four hours at the curb

Section 15-618 is stricter on the street. Parking any vehicle on or next to a street, or in a city lot, for 24 hours or longer is a violation. The exception is a car parked close to the owner's home, or a guest's car. A car left in one spot for three days in a row after being marked with a warning "shall be deemed abandoned" and can be towed. A junked vehicle on or next to a street, or in a city lot, can be towed at any time.

If the wrecker comes

Under Section 15-704, the impound fee and the storage fee both match what the scheduled wrecker service charges. Section 15-810 adds some rules that work in your favor:

• Get there and move the car before it is hooked up, and you owe nothing.
• Get there after it is connected, and the wrecker still cannot tow it. You pay a reasonable fee in lieu of towing.
• Picking the car up after hours costs no more than $50 extra.
• Once a car has been on the lot two hours, each part of a day is billed as a whole storage day.

See towed or impounded.

Title and plates in Putnam County

The Putnam County clerk handles Tennessee titles for Cookeville. No notary is required. In the assignment area, sign and print your name the same way it's written on the front. Then take the plates off, because they stay with you, and moving them to another car costs $1. We found no state form to report the sale afterward.

Nearby

Lebanon is 46.5 miles away as the crow flies, Murfreesboro 54.7 and Gallatin 55.6. The Tennessee page has the statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or send the form. Mention any notice on your Cookeville car so we can work within your 10 days. Cookeville cars get loaded from driveways, curbs, or wrecker lots.