Rowlett's junk car rules, and selling a dead car there

Two Rowlett rules, not one

Code Enforcement works from the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code, which Rowlett amends in Section 78-121, and that is where the flat ban lives. The same section limits repairs: overhauls and body work belong inside a structure or enclosed area built and approved for them, and painting requires an approved spray booth.

The second rule is the junked-vehicle article, starting at Section 22-81. It applies just to a car whose plate has expired or is missing. A car like that turns junked when wrecked, dismantled or discarded, or after it has been dead for more than 72 hours without a break on public property, or more than 30 days without a break on private property. Inoperable means the car cannot be used or operated because of a legal or mechanical problem.

Tarps, notice and the hearing

Rowlett treats any junked car that can be seen from a street, another public place or any right-of-way as a public nuisance. Rowlett does not accept a tarp, car blanket or anything like it as screening; a car shut fully inside a building, out of sight, is the one way out of the procedure.

A citation can arrive with no notice whatsoever. To remove a car, the city either hand-delivers notice or sends it certified (five-day return) to the registered owner and every lienholder, plus the property's owner or occupant. The car then has ten days to leave the lot, with any hearing request due before day ten. Section 22-86 sets that hearing in municipal court "not earlier than the 11th day after the date of the service of notice," where the car "is presumed to be inoperable unless demonstrated otherwise by the owner."

A car removed as a nuisance cannot be rebuilt. Section 22-84 sends notice to the state within five days of removal, and the state "will cancel the certificate of title issued for the vehicle." Each day the nuisance stays is punished under the general penalty: up to $500, or $2,000 when the rule broken concerns fire safety, zoning, public health or sanitation.

Driveways and the curb

Parking on anything other than a driveway or minimum improved parking surface is an offense, fined up to $500 a day. A single-family or duplex lot may not have more than five vehicles in its yards and street for over 24 hours.

At the curb, Section 66-101 makes it unlawful to leave an unattended car "in a public street, alley, or other public place" for "longer than 48 hours." Section 66-110 lets a peace officer remove a car believed abandoned that long, or a disabled car if the owner designates no tow or storage company, and the owner repays the city for removal and storage. For an abandoned car in custody, claiming it means paying towing, preservation and storage charges by the 20th day after notice; otherwise it is auctioned.

Rowlett police are at 4401 Rowlett Rd., 972-412-6200. Code Enforcement takes concerns through an online request and keeps an office at 5702 Rowlett Road, open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays. The Municipal Center in the photo, 4000 Main Street, is the city's main office: 972-412-6100.

Rockwall is the nearer tax office

Rowlett lies in Dallas and Rockwall counties. Rockwall County's tax office, Suite 110 of 1101 E Yellowjacket, is only about 6 miles east as the crow flies; call (972) 204-6130. Dallas County's downtown office is roughly 18 miles southwest. TxDMV lists both counties for emissions testing, so when your buyer registers the car they may need a passing inspection on record.

Signing over the title

Texas needs no notary on the title. As seller, date it, write in the mileage, sign, and include Form 130-U, signed, listing the price. The buyer gets 30 days to retitle, and running late can mean delinquent transfer penalties on their end. File your own Vehicle Transfer Notification within 30 days regardless, and take the plates off if you want them.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or start online. Tell us the car's year and model, the mileage, if the engine fires, and what the title says, and the truck heads to wherever the car is parked. Nearby pages: Sachse, Garland, Rockwall, Wylie, and state rules on Texas.