Selling a dead or junk car in Tooele

When a parked car counts as abandoned

Our search found no Tooele municipal code online, so the rules below are Utah's, and Tooele could add its own. On a highway, a car becomes abandoned once it has gone more than 48 hours unattended. Off the road, the statute uses "a period in excess of seven days without express or implied consent of the owner or person in control of the property." A dead car left at a friend's place or a Tooele repair shop without their say-so can meet that test. That counts as an infraction, and police holding reasonable grounds may order the car hauled away.

If it gets towed

Impounded cars at least eight model years old run on a 30-day fuse. When neither owner nor lienholder reclaims one inside that window after the first notice, or the owner can't be located, Utah's Motor Vehicle Division hands a certificate of sale to whoever towed it. Age starts counting on impound day, with the VIN settling the model year.

Scrapping it yourself takes permits

Taking a car apart in Utah starts with paperwork. The title has to be sent in for cancellation, and an application for a dismantling permit goes with it. There is one shortcut: a State Tax Commission employee may issue a junk permit for an inoperable car nobody will rebuild, and with it the car may be dismantled and shredded. Junkyard or scrap yard explains the difference.

Paperwork at the Main Street office

• Sign the title; Utah wants no notary. Where two owners' names are linked by AND, each one signs.
• The buyer must have the title within 48 hours; give the registration certificate too.
• Your plates leave with you; the exception is a sale that includes them.
• Let the DMV know by calling 1-800-DMV-UTAH, writing in, or using the Motor Vehicle Portal.
• Under 20 years old? Then Odometer Disclosure Statement TC-891 needs your signature and the buyer's.
• Title missing: Form TC-123 handles it, or order a $6.00 duplicate. See junk car with no title.

Getting an offer

Ring (877) 421-6008 or use the form and send the VIN or the year and badge, an odometer guess, a word on whether the motor turns over, and any snag with the Tooele title. The nearest towns we cover, Herriman and Magna, are 15.5 and 16.6 miles away, and pickup is free anywhere in the US, Tooele included. Utah has the statewide rules.