Selling a junk or dead car in Friendswood

When Friendswood calls it junk

Friendswood's article reaches any self-propelled vehicle in one of two states: wrecked, dismantled or discarded; or inoperable beyond a set period. It applies to a motor vehicle that "displays an expired license plate or does not display a license plate." Friendswood allows 72 consecutive hours on public property; private land gets 30 consecutive days. The city's Common Violations page repeats them.

Section 26-153 makes a junk vehicle, or any part of one, a public nuisance whenever passersby on a street or sidewalk can see it. Section 26-72 adds a separate offense: keeping abandoned vehicles among rubbish for ten days or more, unless they are stored indoors where the street cannot see them.

For a typical Friendswood homeowner, Section 26-161 allows one exception: indoors, out of view. Screening with a fence, trees or shrubs is for dealers, junkyards and collectors only. The section is silent on car covers.

Notice and the council hearing

On private property, the administrator must give "not less than ten days' notice." It explains that the nuisance "must be removed and abated within ten days following service," or "a hearing will be held by the city council or its designee." Section 26-155 has it go out certified, five-day return receipt asked. Mail goes to three parties: the last known registered owner, any lienholder of record, and the premises' owner or occupant. Cars sitting on public property, or on a public right-of-way, get the same ten days under Section 26-156. There, the occupant beside the right-of-way gets a copy too.

At the Friendswood hearing the car is presumed inoperable until its owner proves otherwise. A letter returned undelivered delays things only to the 11th day after its return. If no one knows the owner's address, the notice can be posted on the car.

Friendswood may use administrative abatement, municipal court prosecution, or both. Conviction is a misdemeanor, followed by a removal order. A car taken under the article can't be put back on the road or rebuilt. Within five days the city sends notice to the state department of transportation.

Report a car to Code Enforcement at 281-996-3205, or in person at City Hall, 910 S Friendswood Drive. Email, mail, or fax to 281-996-3260 also work.

Towed cars

After a nonconsent tow, the chief of police keeps records so an owner can ask the police department where the car went. Council resolution caps what a towing company may charge, and the caps are printed in Appendix D of the code. Police non-emergency: 281-996-3300.

Harris or Galveston County title office

Friendswood lies in both Harris and Galveston counties. About 20 miles northwest of the middle of Friendswood as the crow flies, is the Harris County tax office at 1001 Preston, Houston; phone (713) 274-8000. Galveston County's office at 722 21st St, (409) 766-2284, is about 28 miles southeast as the crow flies. Title applications go through those county offices, not a state DMV counter, and filing them is the buyer's task.

As the seller, put your signature on the title after filling in the date of sale and the odometer, then pass along Form 130-U, signed, stating the price. Nothing needs a notary. Then, inside 30 days, send TxDMV a Vehicle Transfer Notification. That form leaves ownership where it is; filed promptly, it stops the buyer's parking tickets and tolls from becoming your problem. Harris and Galveston both appear on the state emissions list. Anyone registering the car afterward needs a passing emissions record on file, so hand over your latest Vehicle Inspection Report if you have it. See after you sell for the plates.

Getting an offer

Online or at (877) 421-6008, describe the car: year, make, model, rough mileage. Say if the engine still fires, and if that Friendswood title is in your drawer. A Friendswood pickup can be from a driveway, a garage or the shop holding the car. Neighbors include League City, Alvin and Pearland, and the Texas page has state rules.