Selling a dead or junk car in Blacksburg

When the town calls a car inoperable

Section 14-107 rests on the power Virginia Code § 15.2-904 gives localities, and it covers land zoned residential, commercial or agricultural. Under it, a car is inoperable if it is "not in operating condition," if it has spent 60 days or more "partially or totally disassembled by the removal of tires and wheels, the engine, or other essential parts," or if it shows "neither a valid license plate nor a valid state inspection decal."

That car belongs inside a fully enclosed building, or screened so it is "not visible by someone standing at ground level from outside of the property." Two exceptions soften the rule:

• A real restoration. An owner who can show they are "actively restoring or repairing" the car may leave it out under "a durable vehicle cover" at all times. The code spells out that this means steps toward getting it running, "not simply storing the vehicle on the property."
• Paperwork only. A car missing nothing but a current plate and inspection needs no cover.

If the landowner does nothing "after reasonable notice," the town manager can have the car hauled off, then dispose of it after one more notice to the car's owner. The section does not put a day count on that first notice.

Snow, tickets and tow lots

When town streets get an inch or more of snow, Blacksburg makes Main Street from College Avenue to Airport Road a snow emergency route. No parking is allowed there while it snows and for 24 hours afterward, or until plows clear it. On other streets the chief of police can restrict parking and tow cars that block plows, but only after posting at least two signs giving the time and date of clearing (section 12-406). A dead car parked at the curb through a storm is exactly what gets towed.

Three or more unpaid town parking tickets let police tow or boot a car under section 12-416. You win it back by paying the tickets plus the costs of towing, storage and tracking you down. After 40 days in storage, with notice to your last known address and notice of the sale, the town manager may auction it. If three disinterested dealers or garage men put its value under $150, it can be sold privately or junked instead.

Under section 12-701, Blacksburg's chief of police has 15 days after taking an abandoned car to write the owner and any lienholder by registered or certified mail. The letter gives three weeks from its date to reclaim the car after paying towing, preservation and storage charges. You can also ask for an informal hearing with the town manager or a designee, "with the burden of proof being on the town." Under 12-703, if the chief decides a seized car can't feasibly be restored, it can go right to a demolisher.

The DMV office over in Christiansburg

The Virginia DMV office we checked for Montgomery County sits at 385 Arbor Drive in Christiansburg, phone 540-381-7150. It is roughly 5 miles south of central Blacksburg in a straight line. There could be other offices in the county, so check the DMV's list of locations before heading out.

Signing over a Virginia title

A Blacksburg seller completes Section A, printed on the title's face. The buyer's name and address go on its top line. Next you write the true odometer reading, not a guess, plus the sale date and the price. Every owner prints a name and signs. Blacksburg sellers will find the DMV's seller steps list no notary. The price you write there also serves as the bill of sale; in some cases the DMV wants a separate form too.

Next, tell the DMV the car is sold; the web, a phone call or a counter visit all work. This step matters more than it looks: if your insurer later drops the car and the DMV never heard about the sale, it sees a registered car with no insurance and may suspend your license and registration.

Take the plates off before the tow truck leaves your Blacksburg street. They can move to a replacement car, or you can turn them in or inactivate them before calling your insurer. If six months or more remain, a refund may be possible: form FMS-210 goes in with the plates.

A lost title costs $15 to replace with form VSA 67, online or at a center. A demolisher crushing a car doesn't need to retitle it first. A Blacksburg car that's 10 or more model years old can go to the crusher with no title, once the yard runs a DMV record search. Selling with no title covers the details.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or send the request. Use the form for your Blacksburg car. We collect from apartment lots, driveways off Main Street or a repair shop's back row. Christiansburg is 6.4 miles away, and the Virginia page has the statewide rules.