Selling an Oak Ridge car that won't run

Oak Ridge's own rules

We found no Oak Ridge city code online, so what follows is Tennessee law. Oak Ridge could also limit inoperable or unregistered cars, so check with Oak Ridge before leaning only on state law.

How Tennessee defines an abandoned car

State law counts a car as abandoned in any of these cases:

• past four years old and parked on public property for over 10 days
• clearly run down and left on Oak Ridge public property past 3 days
• left illegally on public property over 48 hours
• on private property without the owner's consent over 48 hours
• kept or abandoned in a lot over 30 days straight

The private-property rule is about consent. This definition doesn't cover a car you allow on your own land. It may still fall under a city rule.

A car someone else left behind

Across Oak Ridge's wide lots, a car can be left by a former tenant or a relative who moved away. Private people can't use Tennessee's abandoned-vehicle sale process. The person who finds the car must check ownership with the Department of Revenue. We can only buy a car from someone who can sign its title. See car abandoned on your property.

Which county clerk handles the title

Tennessee titles come from a county clerk's office, which asks for proof of identity and residency. Because Oak Ridge spans Anderson and Roane counties, check which county your address sits in before you go. The Department of Revenue's Vehicle Services Division sets the statewide rules.

When you sell in Oak Ridge, sign and print in the assignment area the same way the front lists you. Tennessee titles skip the notary. With "and" between two owners, each signs. With "or," just one does. An Oak Ridge owner pays $14 plus any county fees for a new title and must prove the liens are paid off.

Plates and the test that ended

Hold on to your plates. You keep your Oak Ridge plate, and it's $1 to put it on your next car. There is no sale notice or release for Oak Ridge sellers to send, going by the Revenue Department's titling pages.

After years of sitting, a car might have skipped an emissions test too. Tennessee no longer has emissions testing anywhere, so that is not something to fix before selling. See sitting for years.

Nearby towns

From Oak Ridge, Farragut is 8.8 miles away on a map, Knoxville 19.1 miles and Maryville 23.0 miles. Statewide rules are on the Tennessee page.

Getting an offer

Selling in Oak Ridge? Call (877) 421-6008 or send the short form. In Oak Ridge we load from a gravel drive on the edge of town or a carport near the Chapel-on-the-Hill.