Junk and dead cars in North Richland Hills

A narrow meaning of inoperable

City code defines inoperable as a car that cannot, right now, be legally driven on public streets. That covers more than a dead engine. Texas law makes driving on lapsed registration an offense once the fifth working day after expiration has passed, so a car that runs but lapsed long ago may fit the city's word too. You can renew online as late as 12 months past the expiration date, provided no ticket for it has been written.

Junked is a narrower word. It means a self-propelled car carrying an expired plate or lacking one, which is also wrecked, dismantled or discarded. A car also qualifies if inoperable on public land for over 72 hours at a stretch, or on private land for over 30 days at a stretch.

Tarps, fences and the yard

North Richland Hills names a junked car a public nuisance whenever it sits within view of a public spot or right-of-way, and says a tarp changes nothing. A car shut inside a building, where neither the street nor other property can see it, is outside the junked-vehicle rules.

Yards carry their own rule. Parking or storing a car in a yard is a nuisance unless it sits on a hard concrete or asphalt pad of at least 9 by 18 feet. A six-foot solid fence works instead in side and rear yards.

Notice, hearing and penalty

Before abating a junked car, the city mails written notice at least ten days ahead by certified mail. It reaches the car's owner and each lienholder, as well as the property owner or occupant, and gives ten days from mailing to move the car. A hearing request must arrive inside that window. If one is made, the hearing date can be no sooner than day 11, and the car is assumed inoperable unless the owner can prove otherwise.

Keeping the nuisance is a misdemeanor punished by a fine for each day, and the court may order removal. The city's general cap is $500 per violation, rising to $2,000 for fire safety rules, zoning rules, and public health and sanitation rules. After a removal order, the car may never be rebuilt or run again. The city must also notify the state department of transportation no later than five days after removal.

Tow lots and city contacts

A police-ordered tow off a city street ends at a contract tow lot, which must post a sign showing when the public can claim cars. The tow contract has to list the public fees, and those may not go up without the city's written approval.

Call the police department at 817-427-7000, or 9-1-1 in an emergency. Code Compliance is on the first floor of 4301 City Point Drive, 817-427-6663. Non-emergency requests also go through the NRHTX app or the Report a Concern page, and staff look at them by the next business day.

The Tarrant County tax office

North Richland Hills lies entirely inside Tarrant County. The county's tax assessor-collector at 100 E Weatherford St, Fort Worth, about 10 miles southwest as the crow flies, answers at (817) 884-1100. It is the buyer, not you, who files the title application there.

Before the car leaves

No notary signs off on a Texas title. Fill in the date and the odometer, sign, and hand over a 130-U that you have signed, showing the sale price. Send your Vehicle Transfer Notification inside 30 days. Keep the plates if you wish; the sticker stays put. And an old car with no title is not stuck: a Texas parts recycler may buy a car with no title once it has reached 13 years of age and gone unregistered for at least seven years. After you sell has the final steps.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or fill in the online form with year, model, miles, whether it starts, and the title picture. The truck rolls up to the car where it sits, behind the fence or on the pad. Nearby pages: Watauga, Hurst, Haltom City, Colleyville, and state rules on Texas.