Selling a dead or junk car in Midlothian

Two definitions in Section 8.02.031

The first one covers a "junked and, or inoperable motor vehicle." That includes a car without an unexpired plate or without a current inspection certificate, a car that is wrecked, stripped or discarded, and a car that has sat dead for over 45 straight days.

The second is far tighter. It reaches a car that "remains inoperable for 48 consecutive hours if the vehicle is on public property; or for 48 hours if the vehicle is on private property." The code does not say which one governs a given case, so plan around the shorter.

Section 8.02.033 then makes it unlawful for an owner, occupant or anyone in control of a lot "to suffer or permit any junked, inoperative or abandoned vehicle to remain upon said property." Once it can be seen from a road or other public place, the car is a public nuisance.

Midlothian exempts a car shut inside a building where the street and neighbors can't see it, dealer and junkyard stock, and a racing vehicle or antique on a licensed trailer or kept clear of weeds, animals and any attractive nuisance. The code says nothing about car covers or tarps.

Notice, court, or neither

Most often the city sends a notice giving at least ten days. Midlothian delivers the notice by hand, or sends it certified within five days, return receipt requested. Copies go to the land's owner or occupant, each lienholder on record, and the car's last known owner. When the letter is returned as undeliverable, the city holds off for no less than 11 days before it acts. A hearing before the city's corporation court is available if the owner or occupant asks within ten days of service, before the car is removed.

The shortcut: when a junked car violates Transportation Code chapter 683, subchapter E, the city may skip all of that and file a complaint against the owner or the person responsible. A salaried city employee who enforces the division may also enter private property to look at a vehicle and find out whose it is.

The junked-car division names no fine of its own. The code-wide penalty caps fines at $500 for most offenses and $2,000 for fire safety, zoning, or public health and sanitation, each day a separate offense, without saying which cap applies here.

A car the city has hauled away may never be rebuilt or put back on the road. It goes for scrap or salvage, and within five days the state hears of it and cancels the title. Sale money covers removal costs, "with the surplus funds, if any, to be deposited into the city general fund."

Code Enforcement sits in Community Services at 1111 George W. Raffield, Jr. Way, (469) 672-0970, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and takes complaints through the MyGov Requests portal. Its Common Violations page files Ordinance 2006-12 under "Junk / Debris & Inoperable Vehicles." Police non-emergency is 972-775-3333.

Abandoned after 48 hours

In Midlothian, a car is also abandoned after more than 48 hours inoperable on public property, more than 48 hours parked illegally there, or more than 48 hours on private land without the owner's consent. Leaving it unattended that long on a city right-of-way counts too.

Ellis County title and plates

We looked up the Ellis County tax assessor-collector office. It sits at 302 N Monroe St in Waxahachie, (972) 825-5150, around 10 miles southeast of central Midlothian in a straight line. The buyer makes that trip, not you. A Midlothian buyer gets 30 days after the sale to put the car in their name.

You give the buyer two things. Selling in Midlothian begins with the title: write in the sale date and mileage, then sign it. The second is Form 130-U, with your signature and the price filled in. No notary is needed. File the Vehicle Transfer Notification at TxDMV.gov/VTN or on Form VTR-346 within 30 days. This keeps the buyer's tolls and parking tickets from landing on you. Pull the plates if you like; they can go on a replacement car of the same class, but the sticker does not move with them. Ellis is one of the 17 Texas counties that still require emissions testing. The last steps are in after you sell.

Getting an offer

To get an offer, go online or call (877) 421-6008. Send us a few lines about the car you're selling in Midlothian. Pickup works in Midlothian and its neighbors: Cedar Hill is 8.2 miles off and Waxahachie 9.7. The Texas page covers the statewide rules.