Sell your dead or junk car in Odessa, Texas

The two-part test

Odessa's junked-vehicle article defines the car as self-propelled and showing an expired plate, no plate, or no valid registration sticker. On top of that it must be:

• wrecked, dismantled or discarded, or
• left inoperable on private land beyond 30 straight days, or
• left inoperable on public land beyond 72 straight hours.

If the public can see that car "at any time of the year," from anywhere public or a right-of-way, it is declared a public nuisance, and keeping one is a misdemeanor. Keep the car indoors, out of sight of the street and the surrounding lots, and the article does not apply. Covers get no mention.

From the letter to the judge

At least ten days' notice is required, handed over or sent certified to three parties: the registered owner, each lienholder, and the premises' owner or occupant. It says to fix the problem within ten days and that a hearing request goes to the municipal court clerk before those ten days end. Should the letter come back unclaimed, nothing happens before day 11 following its return. If nobody knows the owner's address, the notice can go on the car itself.

The hearing belongs to a municipal court judge, not a city board. In that courtroom, the car is taken as inoperable unless its owner convinces the judge otherwise. After a finding, the court orders the car abated or removed within ten days of the hearing. If that does not happen, the judge may order the city to remove and dispose of it.

On the criminal side, the fine runs up to $200. Each day after ten days from the order counts as a separate offense.

There is a shortcut. If the owner gives the director written permission within ten days of the notice, the city may accept it and remove the car without a hearing. Disposal options are a city site, a scrap yard or a demolisher. It may never be rebuilt, and the state transportation department is told within five days and cancels the title.

Front yards and the impound lot

Odessa's zoning rules make it unlawful, in most residential zones, to park any vehicle or boat on an unpaved surface in the front yard. Rear and side yards may stay unpaved. So a dead car pushed onto the grass out front can break a second rule while it waits.

For a car impounded for illegal parking, the owner pays a $5.00 administration fee, the removal and storage costs and any parking fines owed, or posts a bond. If it is not redeemed within 20 days of notice to the owner and lienholders, it is declared abandoned and sold at public auction after at least 21 days. For cars towed under Section 12-1-8, such as one blocking a driveway or creating a traffic hazard, the owner pays towing and storage and the city holds a lien for those costs.

Code Enforcement is at 307 N. Lee St., phone 432-335-4680, and takes reports through the Team Odessa app and webpage. Its page links separate ordinance pages for Junk Vehicles, Front Yard Parking, and Accumulation of Junk and Debris. The police contact box lists 432-335-4961 or 432-333-3641, with 911 for emergencies.

Ector County or Midland County

Census records place Odessa in both Ector and Midland counties. Texas titles go through a county tax assessor-collector:

• Ector County: 1010 E 8th St, Room 100, (432) 498-4055. That puts it some 2 miles southwest of central Odessa, as the crow flies.
• Midland County: 2110 N. A St, #111, over in Midland, (432) 688-4810, roughly 18 miles northeast as the crow flies.

Ector and Midland are not among the 17 counties TxDMV names for emissions testing.

Texas title and plate rules for the seller

You do not need a notary for any of it. TxDMV's seller list:

1. Assign the title to the buyer, noting the sale date and what the odometer reads.
2. Complete Form 130-U, enter the price, sign, and give it to the buyer.
3. Within 30 days, send TxDMV the transfer notice through TxDMV.gov/VTN or by paper VTR-346. The notice is not a title transfer. What it does is keep the buyer's future toll bills and parking fines off your record.
4. Keep a record of the buyer's contact details, the date and the VIN.

The plates and registration sticker are yours to remove. Move the plates to a later car of matching type, store them, or ruin them before tossing them. The sticker never transfers.

Texas brands a car nonrepairable when the damage means its only value is in parts or scrap, and after that it is limited to parts or scrap use. If yours has one, see salvage title.

Nearby

Midland is the nearest, 16.9 straight-line miles off, and Big Spring is 56.1. Statewide rules are on the Texas page.

Getting an offer

Use the offer link above or call (877) 421-6008. Mention the make and year, the miles, whether it will start, and whether the title is with you. The pickup happens at the spot the car stopped: a gravel side yard, a work yard, or a mechanic's bay it never left.