Selling a dead car in Franklin

When a parked car becomes a nuisance

Section 15-704 starts with a broad line. Any car parked "upon any public street, alley, properly designated fire lane situated on either public or private land, or sidewalk of the city" in a way, place or length of time the code forbids is, if unattended, "an obstruction in such way and a public nuisance."

Fire lanes count even on private land, so a car that breaks down in a shopping center fire lane falls under the same rule as one on Main Street.

The impound timeline

1. Fees by the day. The owner pays an impoundment fee from the city's fee schedule "for each day, or fraction thereof," before the car is released.
2. 48 hours. If no one claims it, the chief "shall make a diligent effort to identify and locate the owner."
3. 30 days. Still unclaimed, it goes up for public sale for cash.
4. Notice of sale. Posted "at least ten days and not more than 15 days before the date of the sale" in at least three public places, one of them where the car will be sold.
5. Up to the sale. The identified owner can still recover the car by paying the impoundment fee and storage.
6. After the sale. Proceeds, minus fees and storage, go to the owner if known, unless there is a recorded lien.

Daily fees mean the bill grows while you decide. See towed or impounded for how to weigh it.

City garages and residential streets

Section 15-615 limits any vehicle to 24 hours in a city-owned garage, after which it may be impounded under the same chapter. City lots and garages also require head-in parking.

Section 15-617 bars commercial vehicles from staying more than 15 days in a residential zone, on the street or on a lot under five acres, unless kept in a screened rear yard. Trailers are not allowed in front yards or on residential streets, though trailers up to 18 feet may sit behind the front of the house on an approved pad.

A car in the driveway

The Franklin sections above cover streets, fire lanes, sidewalks and garages. Those sections say nothing about a dead car in your own driveway. Another part of Franklin's code might, so ask before you count on leaving it there. Under state law, a Franklin car is abandoned at the latest once it spends over 48 hours on private property that its owner never said it could use. If a stranger's car is sitting on your land, see car abandoned on your property.

Williamson County paperwork

County clerks issue titles in Tennessee, and Franklin's is the Williamson County clerk. You do not need a notary. On a Franklin title, sign and print in the assignment block using the spelling on the front. Replacing a lost title is $14 plus any county fees.

Emissions testing in Williamson County stopped in January 2022. Tennessee plates belong to you, so you keep them, and moving one to another car is $1.

Nearby towns

Brentwood is 7.2 miles away and Spring Hill 12.1. La Vergne is 18.0, and Columbia 22.7. See the Tennessee page for the state rules in one place.

Getting an offer

Got a Franklin car to sell? Call (877) 421-6008 or reach us online. You sell the whole car as it sits. Pickup can be from a home garage, a subdivision driveway or a shop lot.