Selling a junk or dead car in Lancaster

Lancaster's junked-vehicle test

A self-propelled car with neither a current plate nor a current inspection falls under Lancaster's junked-vehicle article. Lancaster has a further test. Lancaster counts a wrecked, stripped or discarded car. A car that won't run counts too once it stays put more than 72 hours on public land or 10 days on private land.

A Lancaster car that people on a street or other public spot can see in any season is a public nuisance. In Lancaster it is an offense to keep it where the public can see it, on private or public land. Each day is its own offense with a fine up to $200, and if convicted you also get a court order to abate and remove it.

What escapes the rule is narrow. Section 14.10.063 exempts a car "completely enclosed within a building in a lawful manner where it is not visible from the street or other public or private property," legal inventory at a dealer or junkyard, and an antique or special-interest car that a collector keeps tidy and screened on his own land. A car under a fitted cover in the driveway is still in view.

How Section 14.10.063 runs

• Notice. Lancaster delivers it by hand, certified mail with five-day return, or mail with signature confirmation. Lancaster sends it to the last registered owner, every lienholder, and the person who owns or occupies the property. If the owner's address is unknown, the city can "post written notice on the junked vehicle."
• Ten days. The car "must be abated and removed not later than the 10th day after the date on which the notice was personally delivered or mailed." A hearing request must be in writing within those ten days.
• Day 11 at the earliest. The case goes to a municipal court judge, who treats the car as inoperable unless the owner shows otherwise.
• No notice at all. The city can also write a citation for a junked-vehicle offense without sending the abatement notice first.

After a Lancaster removal order is done, no one may rebuild the car or make it run, and the state public safety department gets word "not later than the fifth day after the date of removal." The title is then cancelled.

Code Compliance is at 700 E. Main St., 972-218-1200. Its notice-of-violation process gives 10 days from the notice as the standard fix time, then an inspector comes back. The city allows only one notice a year for the same violation; a repeat that calendar year is abated by the city and billed to the owner of record.

Streets, tows and storage

A vehicle cannot stand unattended on a Lancaster street longer than 24 continuous hours. Two days is the line for abandonment: a car left illegally on public land, unattended on a city street or alley, or on someone's lot without consent for more than 48 hours qualifies.

Once police tow an abandoned car, they must mail the owner a certified letter within ten days. For 20 days after the letter, the owner or a lienholder may reclaim it by paying for towing, preservation and storage. If not, they can give up all rights to it. Storage fees may run up to ten days before notice is sent, and then for each day until they are paid. Under Section 14.10.033 an unclaimed car is auctioned and the buyer "takes title to the motor vehicle free and clear of all liens"; any money left after the city's costs is held for 90 days. Police non-emergency dispatch: 972-218-2711. Is your car on a tow lot now? Read towed or impounded.

Dallas County paperwork

We checked the Dallas County tax office where the buyer applies for the new title: 500 Elm Street, Suite 1200, downtown Dallas, (214) 653-7811. It sits roughly 13 miles north of central Lancaster, measured straight across.

A Lancaster seller signs the title and fills in both the sale date and the odometer miles. Then you sign Form 130-U with the price filled in. Texas skips the notary. Send a Vehicle Transfer Notification to report the sale within 30 days. Ownership does not change with the notice. Filed on time, though, it keeps the buyer's parking tickets and tolls off your back. The plates may come off with you and go on your next car, while the sticker cannot. TxDMV lists 17 counties still doing emissions tests, and Dallas County is one. A car parked for a long stretch has its own checklist in car sitting for years.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or write online. Tell us about the car you want gone from Lancaster. Pickup works in Lancaster and nearby, like DeSoto at 5.2 miles or Red Oak at 6.0. Texas has the statewide rules.