Selling a junk car in Spring Hill

The three kinds of non-compliant vehicle

Section 15-706 groups three problems under one word, "non-compliant":

• Inoperable: it does not run.
• Unlicensed: no current registration. Even a car in good running order counts if its tag is out of date.
• Abandoned: "left on either public or private property with no owner or operator in close proximity to the vehicle and a reasonable search of public records cannot establish ownership."

Subsection (A) says storing any of them "on any real property, alley, street or highway within the corporate limits of the city is prohibited."

48 hours at the curb, 14 days in the yard

• (B) The owner may not leave a non-compliant vehicle "on any public alley, street or highway for a period longer than 48 hours."
• (C) The occupant or owner of the property next to that street is also liable if the car is theirs or under their control.
• (D) On any real property, the limit is 14 days.
• (F) A car "wholly concealed from public view as in a garage, barn or other permanent building" is exempt from (A) through (D).

A carport or cover over the car in the driveway is not named as an exception. The text says wholly concealed and permanent building.

Impound on Spring Hill streets

Section 15-704 lets police tow a car that is illegally parked, abandoned, blocking traffic, or belongs to an arrested driver. If a car sits on a street or alley "for more than 72 consecutive hours" without the police chief's okay, and a reasonable search turns up no owner, it is presumed abandoned. That overlaps with the 48-hour rule for non-compliant cars, so a dead car gets the shorter clock.

The code sets the impound fee at $5 plus $1 a day for storage. The car stays put until the owner shows evidence of ownership and pays the fines and costs.

Title in Maury or Williamson County

Spring Hill straddles Maury and Williamson counties. In Tennessee, titles are the county clerk's job. Skip the notary. Spring Hill sellers sign and print on the title's back exactly as the front spells their name. Spring Hill owners replace a missing title for $14 plus any county fees on the "Multi-purpose, Noting of Lien, and Duplicate Title Application." Our selling with no title page covers other paths.

Williamson County dropped emissions tests in January 2022. No statewide test exists in Tennessee.

An expired tag is what makes many cars "unlicensed" here. State rule: renew a staggered registration 91 or more days late and the new year starts on the issue date. Renew within 90 days and the old date stays. No back fees were found. If you plan to sell, there is no reason to renew first. See tickets or registration hold.

Plates come off before pickup. Tennessee plates go with you. Switching one to a new car is $1.

Towns around Spring Hill

Columbia is 11.0 miles away, Franklin 12.1, Brentwood 18.9 and Smyrna 26.6. See Tennessee for statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or send the form. In Spring Hill, a phone call or our form gets things going. You sell the whole car as it sits. The truck can load it from a subdivision driveway, a barn or a shop lot.