Junk or dead car in La Marque? How selling it works

What counts as a junk vehicle here

Section 44-114 reaches further than cars. It covers any vehicle of a type that gets registered, trailers and boats included. To qualify, it must have no unexpired plate or valid inspection certificate. On top of that, La Marque wants the car wrecked, stripped or thrown away. A La Marque car that won't run qualifies too. The clock is 72 nonstop hours on public land or 30 nonstop days on private land.

Under 44-116, no one may "cause, permit or allow" one on their premises or on public property. Section 44-115 also makes a vehicle a public nuisance if any public place or right-of-way can see it, at any time of year. The exemption is narrow: a vehicle "completely enclosed in a building in a lawful manner and is not visible from the street or other public or private property." Fence screening counts only for licensed dealers, junkyards and collectors.

One more line matters if there is more than one dead car on the lot. The junkyard chapter, 38-19, includes "any lot or other area where two or more inoperable or junk motor vehicles are kept, maintained or stored for more than 45 days."

The fire chief's ten-day clock

La Marque owners get "not less than 10 days notice" under Section 44-118. La Marque delivers the notice by hand or by certified mail. It goes to the lot's owner or occupant, each lienholder, and the car's last registered owner. The car must be removed "not later than the tenth day after the date on which the notice was personally delivered or mailed." After those ten days, "the administrator shall inspect the premises."

When that inspection finds the car still in place and no hearing was requested, the city's towing contractor takes it for disposal or to a scrapyard, demolisher or government site. A notice identifying the vehicle goes to the state transportation department no later than day five after removal.

A hearing happens before the municipal judge only if someone asks for one, and "not earlier than the eleventh day" after notice. The judge presumes the car is "inoperable" unless the owner shows otherwise, then writes a determination. If the car is found to be junk and is still there 30 days after that decision is mailed, the administrator orders it towed. And the person who asked for the hearing pays the city's costs.

Article IV names no fine of its own. Chapter 44 points to the general penalty in section 1-7: up to $2,000 for fire, safety, zoning, public health or sanitation rules, up to $500 for others, with each day a separate offense.

Street rules and city contacts

Section 62-135 says no one may "stop, park or leave unattended any abandoned or inoperable vehicle" along a public roadway, whether on the pavement, the shoulder or the unpaved strip beside it. A car so disabled that stopping could not be avoided is excepted. Police may tow a car left in violation to a nearby garage or safe place, or to a garage or wrecking yard the police chief picks.

The city says one of Code Compliance's jobs is keeping La Marque streets free of inoperable and unsightly vehicles, and it has committed to rotating district sweeps in every council district. Code Enforcement is at 1130 1st Street, 409-938-9256, open Monday to Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. The police department is at 431 Bayou Road, 409-944-8295.

Galveston County title and Texas plates

Galveston County's tax office, (409) 766-2284, is at 722 21st St. on the island, roughly 13 miles east of La Marque as the crow flies. Texas titles run through county tax assessor-collectors, and filing is the buyer's job. A La Marque seller signs the title with the sale date and mileage filled in, then signs Form 130-U with the price. Nothing gets notarized. Within 30 days, send TxDMV your Vehicle Transfer Notification, online or on mailed Form VTR-346. Write down who bought the car, the day it left, and the VIN.

You are free to remove your plates and sticker when the car goes. Kept plates can later go on another car of the same classification, stay with you, or be defaced before disposal. Galveston is one of TxDMV's 17 emissions counties. After you sell has the remaining steps.

Getting an offer

Fill in the form or call (877) 421-6008 with the year, make and model, mileage, whether it runs, and what paperwork you hold. A tow truck meets the car in your driveway or side yard. Dickinson is 6.8 miles off and Texas City 7.5 miles; for statewide rules, see Texas.