Getting rid of a dead car in Lufkin

The cover rule, word for word

Section 8.04.126 says an inoperable vehicle declared a nuisance "may be covered by a contour-fitting cover for a maximum period of six months from receipt of notice." Two conditions come with it: "The vehicle must be totally covered and the cover must remain in new or like-new condition during this probationary period." When the six months run out, the owner has to comply anyway, even if the car was covered before.

Lufkin's code enforcement page repeats this and adds its own line: tarps are not an option.

What makes a Lufkin car "junked"

Under section 8.04.121, Lufkin's junked label fits any self-propelled vehicle that has been wrecked, partly taken apart or thrown away. A car also earns it once it has failed to run for over 72 straight hours on public ground, or over 30 straight days on private ground. The rule reaches a motor vehicle with a lapsed plate or none. Lufkin calls it a public nuisance when the car, or a piece of it, can be seen from public ground or the right-of-way.

Only four walls fully protect it. Lufkin leaves alone a car shut inside a lawful building, hidden from the road and from next door.

The ten-day clock

Lufkin's notice gives at least 10 days. The city hands it over or sends it certified, addressed to the owner on Lufkin's records, each lienholder and the lot's occupant. It names the 10th day after delivery or mailing as Lufkin's removal date. If you want a hearing, ask before the 10 days end. Lufkin holds it on day 11 at the soonest, and the car is assumed dead unless you prove it runs.

In Lufkin, keeping that nuisance is a misdemeanor; Lufkin's fine for it can reach $200, and the judge orders it hauled off. Another part of the same article allows fines to $500, counting each day separately. After removal it stays dead for good, since Lufkin bars rebuilding it, and Lufkin ships it off for scrap, to a demolisher, or to a lot the city or Angelina County runs.

The city says its officer explains the fixes after an inspection and sets a deadline. If nothing changes, Lufkin may do the work and bill you, or file in municipal court.

On the street, and at the impound lot

A Lufkin car counts as abandoned after two days, more precisely 48 hours, in three cases: dead, older than five years and parked on public property; parked on public property illegally; or left on someone's private lot without consent. Police may take it.

After a tow, Lufkin police mail the owner a notice. You have until the 20th day after it to reclaim the car, paying towing, preservation and storage first. Miss that and your rights are gone; the car can go to public auction. Where a street has posted time limits, they run from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sundays and legal holidays excepted.

Report a violation to Lufkin code enforcement at 936-633-0298; reports are anonymous. The police non-emergency line is (936) 633-0356.

Title and plates through Angelina County

Angelina County's tax office is at 211 E Shepherd Ave., phone (936) 634-8376, roughly 1 mile north of central Lufkin as the crow flies. Your buyer applies there for the new title, and until that happens the state record still names you.

So a Lufkin seller files the Vehicle Transfer Notification, on the TxDMV site or Form VTR-346, before 30 days go by. On the title itself, write the sale date and mileage as you sign. You can unscrew the plates; Angelina County moves them to your next vehicle free and hands you a fresh sticker. If the title is missing, Angelina County sellers can file Form VTR-34 with TxDMV; a certified copy runs $5.45 if you go in person.

Selling it

Call (877) 421-6008 or ask online; tell us what the Lufkin car is, its odometer reading and where the title stands. Our truck comes to the Lufkin car, whether it is behind a house, under a fitted cover or in a repair shop's lot. Nacogdoches is the nearest town we cover, 20.5 miles off; for statewide rules, see Texas.