Selling a dead or junk car in Horizon City

We buy whole non-running and junk cars, so there is nothing to strip or fix first. Sell the whole car as it sits. Pickup is free anywhere in the US, including a gravel driveway off Darrington Road.

The rule, in the town's words

The section reads: "No vehicle that is wrecked, dismantled or partially dismantled, abandoned, inoperable or unlicensed may remain on any property (improved or unimproved) (i) such that any portion of it is visible from any street in excess of thirty (30) days, or (ii) is located on a public street in excess of fifteen (15) days." It adds: "For the purposes of this section, a vehicle without current registration will be deemed to be an unlicensed vehicle."

One exemption: a business in a commercial or industrial zone may keep a vehicle there for that business.

Break the parking article and it is a misdemeanor. The ceiling is $500 for each violation, and every day the car stays counts again.

Curb and front yard

On street storage the code is plain: "It shall be unlawful for any person to store or allow the storage of any vehicle upon the public streets, alleys, sidewalks or parkways of the city." Leave a car in roughly one spot on a street past five days and it is stored. Then "such vehicle shall be subject to removal and disposal as an abandoned vehicle in accordance with this article and state law."

Police may tow a stored car, or one found abandoned under the state definition. The owner gets it back by applying for redemption with proof of ownership. Driving it out of the pound without paying the towing and storage fees is unlawful, and disposal follows Transportation Code chapter 683.

Homes in residential zones may not park cars on front or side yard dirt or grass; Section 12.03.010 wants a hard-surfaced driveway or parking pad under them. Fixing a car on a street or city property is barred except in an emergency, and so is offering one for sale there.

Who to call, and where the line is

Code Enforcement takes calls about a notice or a violation at 915-852-1046. The listed hours are Monday to Thursday, 7:00am to 6:00pm, closed for lunch 11:45am to 1:00pm and closed Fridays. Town Hall is at 14999 Darrington Road. The town's phone list gives the police department as 915-852-1047.

City rules stop at the pink line on the zoning map. The FAQ says parcels outside it are in El Paso County's jurisdiction.

Plates, the county office and telling TxDMV

El Paso County's tax assessor-collector, at 301 Manny Martinez Sr. Drive, is about 14 miles northwest of Horizon City's center as the crow flies; the number is (915) 273-3430.

Before the truck leaves, you may unscrew the plates and peel off the registration sticker, though a sticker never moves to another car. Kept plates may later go on another vehicle of that same type, a swap the county office does at no charge while issuing a fresh sticker. Or keep them in a drawer. Plates headed for the trash must be defaced first.

Last step: tell TxDMV. Once it receives a seller's written notice, state law makes it note the transfer on the record. That notice is the Vehicle Transfer Notification, and the deadline is 30 days. After you sell walks through it, and the Texas page has the rest.

Getting an offer

Reach us at (877) 421-6008 or online. We need four things: what the car is, the odometer figure, if it drives at all, and where the title stands today. Socorro is 4.8 miles away and El Paso 18.3 miles.