Selling a junk car in Murfreesboro

The words that matter in Section 32-1800

The code keeps its definitions short:

• Inoperable means "unable to be self propelled" in Murfreesboro. A flat battery, a locked-up engine or a missing wheel puts a car in this group.
• Abandoned means a car that "has remained illegally on public property for a period of more than 48 hours."
• The nuisance rule reaches past cars to "recreational vehicle, camper, or sailboat" as well.

A separate line bans leaving any vehicle, running or not, in the Civic Plaza Parking Garage or any city parking lot "for a continuous and uninterrupted period of 48 hours." Exceptions cover sequestered jurors, city and county vehicles, and employees with written permission on the dash.

The sections quoted here deal with streets, city lots and the garage. For a car in a driveway or yard, the city may have its own rules elsewhere in its code, so check before you count on keeping it.

Two-hour zones downtown

Section 32-1312 sets two-hour limits on some downtown streets, including Church Street between Vine and College, Maple Street between College and Vine, West Main from Walnut to the Public Square, and the west side of Walnut between Lytle and West College. A car that dies near the square runs into a much shorter limit than the 24-hour rule.

If the city tows it

Section 32-1802 lets the city, through the police or another department the City Manager names, "take into custody any motor vehicle which is abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperable." It may use its own trucks or hire them. Notice and disposal follow Sections 32-1702 through 32-1707.

Getting it back under Section 32-1705 takes a certificate of title or an application for one, plus the towing cost and every storage charge that has built up. Paying does not erase the violation. If you request a hearing, you can take the car out first, but only after a cash deposit or bond equal to the full impoundment costs. When the bill is close to what the car is worth, towed or impounded walks through the choice.

Rutherford County title and plates

Murfreesboro is in Rutherford County, and Tennessee titles are issued through the county clerk. Tennessee titles don't get notarized. Your Murfreesboro title gets your signature and printed name in the assignment area, matching the front. On a Murfreesboro title with two owners joined by "and", each one signs. If it says "or," one signature does it.

Emissions testing ended in Rutherford County in January 2022, so selling doesn't require passing one.

Your plates stay with you. Tennessee plates follow the owner, and moving one to your next car costs $1. With no notice-of-sale or release form in Tennessee, Murfreesboro sellers should keep their own copy of the signed title.

Neighbors

Smyrna is 10.0 miles away and La Vergne 14.0. Brentwood is 21.8, and Shelbyville 24.4. For statewide rules, see Tennessee.

Getting an offer

Murfreesboro sellers can call (877) 421-6008 or use the form. You sell the whole car as it sits, from a driveway, apartment lot or repair shop. A car that won't start is fine.