Selling a junk car in Parkersburg

Two tests in Section 541.02

The first test, in subsection (a), is the one above: public view plus a car that is unsightly or a draw for children. It "shall not apply to any person lawfully engaged in the operation of a junkyard or automobile wrecking company."

The second, in subsection (b), drops the words "in public view." It forbids keeping any car on a street or on premises you own or occupy when its condition "constitutes an actual or probable habitation or breeding place for rats, flies, mosquitoes or other vermin." So a car tucked behind the house is not outside the rule if mice have moved in. Long-parked cars are covered in sitting for years.

Subsection (c) says who acts. A car kept in violation "may be entered and moved or may be impounded by the Health Officer or by any police officer."

When the police take custody

Section 355.03 says that when the Police Department knows of or finds abandoned or junk motor vehicles, or ones that are a health or safety hazard, it "shall take the same into its custody and possession." It can use its own crews or hire a qualified tower. Taking one from private land requires advance notice first, to the landowner and, if identifiable, the person who owns the car.

Section 303.20, the traffic code's impound rule, adds other grounds: a car blocking traffic or snow removal, illegal or missing plates, or one "damaged or wrecked so as to be inoperable." Recreational vehicles and trailers parked on public ways more than twenty-four hours in any one week can be towed once cited. The department "shall forthwith notify" the registered owner of the tow, the reason and the storage place. To redeem a car, go to the Police Department with "satisfactory evidence of identity and ownership or right to possession."

If nobody claims it

Section 355.05 sends unclaimed cars to public auction or straight to a licensed salvage yard or demolisher. The auction buyer takes the car "free and clear of all liens and claims of ownership" and gets a sales receipt. That receipt is title only for moving the car to a salvage yard or demolisher. The buyer must hand it over "within twenty days," and the yard must demolish, wreck or dismantle it "within six months."

Section 355.06 says the police first repay their own towing, storage, auction and notice costs from the sale. What remains generally goes into the Abandoned and Junked Property Fund, though the leftover from a car's sale is first held for its last registered owner.

Selling it: West Virginia's rules

State law is blunt about plates: the original owner "must retain the plates and immediately notify the commissioner of the transfer on the prescribed form." The prescribed form is DMV-1-S, titled Sold Vehicle or Watercraft Notice. Registration ends with the sale.

If the car goes as scrap or to be dismantled, the 60-day deadline for delivering the title to a buyer does not apply. Within 45 days, the scrap buyer hands in the title or a cancellation statement signed by you.

A 2024 change moved inspection from yearly to every 24 months, with the sticker capped at $19 for both years. Buy a car in West Virginia with no valid sticker and it needs inspecting within three days. If yours will not pass, see failed inspection.

For the title, deal with the state DMV: send it in, visit a Regional Office, or go through one of its authorized private license services. Wood County deals only in personal property tax, which its assessor figures and its sheriff collects.

Nearby towns

As the crow flies, Charleston is 63.2 miles from Parkersburg, Wheeling 72.0 and Huntington 75.9. West Virginia has the statewide rules.

Getting an offer

In Parkersburg, ring (877) 421-6008 or send our short form to get an offer. Pickup in Wood County can be at the front curb or tucked out of public view behind a garage.