Selling a junk or dead car in Rockwall

Rockwall streets and downtown blocks

Under Section 26-510 the police chief, or an officer he names, can send a car on a Rockwall street, alley or public place to a private garage or a city-designated lot. Parked in front of property the car's owner owns or rents? Then the owner gets written notice once the 24 hours pass, plus 24 more before removal. Breaking the section is a misdemeanor.

Downtown, Section 26-506 caps parking at two consecutive hours on listed blocks, including parts of San Jacinto, Rusk, Fannin and Kaufman. Neighborhood Improvement Services also lists separate rules for cars parked for sale, trucks and trailers stored in residential zones, and boats and trailers on public streets.

Section 26-76: what Rockwall calls junked

Rockwall's definition starts with a "self-propelled" vehicle. The city's summary adds a missing current plate and a missing valid inspection certificate. Then comes damage ("wrecked, dismantled or partially dismantled, or discarded") or breakdown time: more than 72 hours on public property, 30 days on private. How those parts combine is for the city to say, so check with Neighborhood Improvement Services. Section 26-129 makes a junked car or part a public nuisance where it is "visible at any time of the year" to people on a public way.

The same definitions section covers abandoned cars: inoperable, over five years old, and left unattended on Rockwall public property beyond 48 hours.

Rockwall's police run the notice

Rockwall hands abatement to its police department. Section 26-131 calls for "a notice of not less than ten days" that states the nuisance, gives ten days to abate it, and warns that any hearing has to be requested within that period. Certified mail, five-day return requested, carries it to the property's owner or occupant (or, for a right-of-way car, the neighboring property), the last registered owner, and each lienholder of record.

A requested hearing comes before the municipal judge on day 11 after service or later, and the burden of showing the car runs is yours. A nuisance finding produces an order listing the car's description, VIN and plate, where they can be read. A car shut away entirely inside a building escapes the procedure.

Keeping the nuisance is a misdemeanor in Rockwall, fine capped at $200, and conviction brings a removal order. Anyone the city manager authorizes may enter private land to look the car over and take it. It can never again be rebuilt into a running car. Disposal can be at a scrapyard, by a demolisher, or at a city salvage site, and the police notify the state motor vehicle department within five days.

Rockwall police can also impound any abandoned vehicle, whether it sits on public land or private. Rockwall police must send certified notice to the last registered owner and all lienholders within ten days of custody. Reclaiming the car is possible through day 20 after notice, once towing, preservation and storage are paid.

A tax office about a mile away

The Rockwall County tax assessor-collector, 1101 E Yellowjacket, Suite 110, is about a mile southwest of central Rockwall, as the crow flies; (972) 204-6130. Your buyer files the new title there.

Your part: sign the title with the date and mileage, no notary required, and give the buyer a 130-U, your signature on it, sale price entered. Within 30 days, file the transfer notification online or on VTR-346. It shields you from the buyer's tolls and tickets, though ownership moves only when the buyer titles the car. Pull your plates if you want them. Rockwall County is on the emissions-test list.

Getting an offer

Online or at (877) 421-6008, describe the car: year, make, model, how far it has gone, whether it turns over, and the title. Pickup can be at your house, a lot near the county courthouse, or a shop. Close by: Fate, Rowlett, Royse City. Statewide: Texas.