Junk or dead car in Denton: the one-car limit and selling it

A flat tire is enough

Denton's definitions are wide. Under section 17-2, an inoperable motor vehicle is one that is "wrecked, dismantled, partially dismantled, dilapidated, or has one (1) or more flat tires." No running test is needed; one flat qualifies.

Junked is a narrower label. The car must be missing both a plate and an inspection certificate, and on top of that show wreck damage, be stripped or thrown away, or have stayed dead past the limit (72 hours when on public property, 30 days when on private). A month of not running in a row is the usual trigger. And when the city asks for proof that it runs and you have none, Denton presumes it does not.

No cover counts

Section 17-34 is clear about screening: "In no case shall any cover placed over an inoperable vehicle, inoperable motor vehicle, or junked vehicle constitute adequate screening." It even limits covers on cars that do run: a tarp, or any cover not designed for a vehicle, may not be used on an operable car.

Repair shops get more room. A vehicle repair business may keep up to five unscreened, non-running cars on its lot, as long as none is wrecked, dismantled, dilapidated, or sitting on flat tires.

Notice, hearing and penalties

For a junked car on private property, section 17-35 requires "not less than ten (10) days' notice." The letter goes "by certified mail with a five-day return requested, to the last known registered owner of the junked motor vehicle, any lienholder of record and the owner or occupant of the private premises." Within those 10 days, haul it away or request a hearing. A public hearing before the municipal court comes before any removal. Afterward, the city tells TxDOT within five days, and TxDOT cancels the title.

Break chapter 17 and it is a misdemeanor carrying as much as $500. A chronic offender pays at least $300, and the city attorney may also seek a daily civil fine.

Older police tows have their own path. If Denton police tow a car over 8 years old that has no engine or cannot run at all, it can go to a demolisher with an affidavit, police approval and a TxDOT certificate of authority.

Driveways, yards and the street

Cars must sit on an improved surface in the front, side or rear yard, and no car may be used as living quarters. The city says an operable car in a driveway is fine; dirt, grass, the sidewalk, or a junk car are not. Street cars are a police matter (940-349-8181), and a missing plate or sticker there is a violation. Parking in the right-of-way outside legal street parking is banned. A towed car stays at the pound until you prove ownership and pay towing and storage, refunded if the tow was improper.

Code Enforcement, also called Community Improvement Services, is at 401 N. Elm St., (940) 349-8743.

A short drive to the tax office

Denton County's tax office on E. McKinney (number 1505) is close, about 2 miles east of central Denton as the crow flies; call (940) 349-3500. Title lost? Form VTR-34 needs the signature of each recorded owner, and the copy costs $5.45 at the counter; if you got a copy recently, wait 30 days. No title anywhere? Texas lets a used automotive parts recycler buy a car aged 13 or more, purely to dismantle or scrap, if nobody has registered it in seven years. Our junk car with no title guide covers more, and the Texas page has statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or go online and describe it: what it is, the miles on it, whether it turns over, and where the title is. Pickup is possible behind a backyard fence near the courthouse, in a complex's parking area, or at a mechanic who could not revive it. Read how junk car removal works. Corinth and Lewisville are nearby.