Selling a junk car in Converse

Three ways a car becomes junked here

Section 18-97 lists them. First, anything meeting the state test: wrecked, dismantled or discarded, or has not run in over 72 hours while on public property, or in over 30 days while on private land. Second, the expired-plate car above. Third, any car that, wherever it sits, invites vandalism, endangers people walking by, is a fire hazard or attractive nuisance, or produces urban blight.

Looks matter too. Section 18-99 puts first in line any car that looks done for when seen from the right-of-way: wheels blocked up, broken windows, flat tires, grass and weeds grown up around them. Those "shall be abated by appropriate and timely repair or removed regardless of whether it has an unexpired license plate or a valid motor vehicle inspection certificate."

Section 18-101 has one exception: a car lawfully kept indoors, where the street and the neighbors cannot see it. There is no car-cover exception.

How the notice works

Section 18-105 starts with a notice of violation from the abatement officer. The car must be fixed or removed "no later than the 10 th calendar day from the date the notice was mailed, emailed, or personally delivered." The notice warns that civil penalties may be charged against the car's owner, the property owner or occupier, "and against the vehicle."

Recipients can be the registered owner, the occupants, or the property owner listed by the Bexar County Appraisal District. Lacking an address, Converse may tape it to the car and post it on its website. If nobody responds within the ten days, the officer may go ahead as if you had received it.

A code door hanger is a different thing. The city's page says it "is not a citation," and that you may ask the Code Officer for a reasonable extension. Depending on the violation, the page says, compliance time runs from 48 hours to 15 days, sometimes 30.

The order and the money

When the time runs out and the car is still there, Section 18-106 lets the officer issue an "Administrative Order of Junked Vehicle Determination," and a separate one for each day. The civil penalty can reach "$1,000.00 per day." If the officer finds the car junked but not a nuisance, the order may allow up to 15 calendar days to show proof of compliance.

An order can be appealed to the municipal court within 31 calendar days, with a filing fee. The appeal does not stop enforcement unless you first post a bond for removal and storage. If an order is ignored, the court can issue an abatement warrant to enter and remove the car, or an enforcement order that may put liens on property.

Section 18-110 lets the city hire a vendor to tow. Then the owner "and the vehicle itself" owe all storage fees. Converse sends the car to a scrapyard, a demolisher or a demolition site, and within five business days the officer tells the state agency to cancel the title. Code Enforcement: (210) 566-1515 or codecomp@conversetx.net.

Bexar County title steps

Converse sits wholly in Bexar County. Its tax office, (210) 335-2251, is at 233 N Pecos La Trinidad, over in San Antonio, roughly 13 miles southwest of Converse as the crow flies. Your buyer handles the title application at that office.

Your side: sign the title, note the mileage and the date you sold it, and put your name on Form 130-U beside the price. Texas wants no notary. The Vehicle Transfer Notification can be filed at TxDMV.gov/VTN or mailed as Form VTR-346; get it in within 30 days. Filed on time, though, it keeps whatever tolls or parking tickets come next from landing on you. Pull the plates and sticker before the truck leaves.

Get your offer

Use the form or call (877) 421-6008. Tell us whether it runs, whether the tags are current, and whether it is in the driveway, the yard or a garage. The truck comes to it. Pickup is free in Universal City, Schertz and across Texas.