South Burlington: clearing out a dead or junk car

Winter and the plow

The city's parking section, 36-304, lists places where no one may stop or park a motor vehicle. Two of its lines hit a non-starting car hardest:

• "So as to interfere with the plowing or removal of snow"
• "On any public road or highway, or portion thereof, the city council designates by resolution as a place where parking is prohibited and indicated as such by 'no parking' signs"

The section also bans double parking, "on the roadway side of any motor vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street." A car that will not start and sits at the curb can end up in the way of the plow, which is the thing this rule forbids.

No city junk-car section found

None of the city code sections in our research deal with junk vehicles. So state law sets the test, though South Burlington could keep a local rule outside those sections. Under Vermont law a "junk motor vehicle" is a "discarded, dismantled, wrecked, scrapped or ruined motor vehicle or parts," or one "allowed to remain unregistered or uninspected for 90 days from discovery." Three months with an expired sticker can be enough. If you got a letter about a car, our notice to remove a car page explains the usual steps.

A different state rule covers cars left where they do not belong. After more than 48 hours on someone's land or along a highway without consent, a car counts as abandoned. If the VIN is gone or the plate is not valid, there is no waiting period at all. If the DMV can tell who owns a South Burlington car, a certified letter goes to the last registered owner within three business days.

Selling: title, plates, registration

Start with the model year:

1. Built for model year 2009 or earlier and registered in Vermont under your name: no title changes hands. A South Burlington buyer gets the registration certificate from you, plus a signed bill of sale listing make, year, VIN, price, mileage and the date.
2. Titled cars: all owners listed sign the title over, and every lien must be released.
3. 2011 or newer: include an Odometer Disclosure Statement.

Lost the title? Form VT-004 replaces it for $42.00, with a lien release if you paid off a loan; see junk car with no title. The DMV also suggests getting a title when the buyer will register the car outside Vermont.

The plates are yours, not the buyer's. Remove them at once. A South Burlington seller may shift the plates to an unregistered vehicle they own. If no transfer is filed, the plates go back to the Commissioner after five days from the sale. Also send the registration certificate to the Commissioner without delay, with the new owner's name and the transfer date written on the back. After you sell covers refunds and the rest.

Getting an offer

For a South Burlington offer, call (877) 421-6008 or fill in the form online. We drive to the car, in a garage near Dorset Street or in the lot where it died. Statewide rules live on the Vermont page, and Burlington lies 4.8 miles off.