Selling a junk car in Caledonia

The 10-5-8 timeline

Section 10-5-8 bars storing a disassembled, inoperable, unlicensed, junked or wrecked vehicle "unenclosed outside a building upon private property" for more than ten days. Unlicensed means it lacks "lawful current license plates," so a running car with lapsed plates counts too. The rule also reaches truck bodies, tractors, trailers, farm machinery and appliances.

What follows is a three-step countdown:

1. 10 days outside, and the car is in violation.
2. 5 days to remove it, or a citation goes to the property owner or tenant.
3. 20 days after that citation, and the car is removed, impounded and disposed of under Sections 10-5-3 through 10-5-6.

The rule does not apply inside an enclosed building or on a business lot that is lawfully run in the right zone.

When a car counts as abandoned

Under Caledonia's Section 10-5-1, a vehicle left alone "more than twenty-four (24) hours" on a street, public ground, or private land without the owner's consent is abandoned. A ticket left on the windshield for 24 hours is proof enough that nobody has been back. On a highway, parking lot or ramp, Section 10-1-18 gives 24 hours after an officer tags a wrecked or nonoperable car.

An unclaimed car can be sold at auction or by sealed bid after a published notice. The owner owes "all costs of impounding and disposing of the vehicle," and Section 10-5-6 lets Caledonia sue for any amount the sale does not cover.

Snow and lawn parking

A snow emergency starts when 3 inches or more fall within 24 hours and lasts 48 hours or until plowing is declared finished. Once it is announced on radio or television, no vehicle may be left on a public street, highway or alley.

Off the street, Section 16-12-3 limits residential parking to a garage or an improved surface such as asphalt, concrete or compacted gravel, set back 5 feet from the rear and side lines. A dead car on the grass breaks that rule as well.

Wisconsin title and plates

The state issues titles through WisDOT's Division of Motor Vehicles. On the title's back, add your signature and the date, then write the mileage, the brand disclosure, the sale price, and the buyer's name plus home address. If there is a lien, hand over the lender's release too. To junk a car with a lost title, no replacement is needed.

Plates come off autos and light trucks. Move them to a similar vehicle you own, or destroy them. For a private sale to an individual, report it to WisDOT within 30 days. Racine County is one of seven Wisconsin counties with emission testing.

Getting an offer

Selling a Caledonia car? Selling a car in Caledonia? Call (877) 421-6008 or use the offer form. Highway 32, pole barns and back fields work. Pickup is free anywhere in the US. Nearby pages: Oak Creek, 5.7 miles away, and Racine, 5.9, both as the crow flies. See also Wisconsin and car sitting for years.