Selling a dead car in Germantown

The 10-day rule, and the 10 days after it

Section 10.06 covers motor vehicles, truck bodies, tractors and trailers. The only exceptions are an automotive sales, repair or storage business in a properly zoned area and a junkyard licensed under Section 12.17. Those businesses get 30 days for a car kept in the open.

For everyone else, the order runs like this:

1. Police find the car and notify the owner of the property it sits on.
2. If it "is not removed within 10 days," the code says a citation goes to "the property owner or the occupant of the property."

That second step means a tenant, not only a landlord, can end up holding the ticket.

On the street: 24 hours

Code 7.07 deems a vehicle abandoned once it has been "left unattended for more than 24 hours on any public street or grounds." The same applies on private property where parking is prohibited or restricted, if the owner did not give permission. A car on private land, out of public view and with the owner's permission, is not abandoned under this section.

Abandoning a car costs more than the tow. Besides impound and disposal costs, a conviction brings a forfeiture of $75 to $200 "plus the cost of prosecution."

Once a car is impounded, the officer notifies the owner and lienholders by certified mail within 10 days. If the Chief of Police finds that the tow plus 14 days in storage would run higher than the car's worth, it may be junked or sold before the impound period ends.

When it quits on the road

A registered car that breaks down where you cannot move it has a 12-hour clock. Within 12 hours, the code says you must "notify the Police Department of the location of the vehicle." It also offers a way out. "When so requested by the owner," the code lets the Chief have it "removed and junked directly from the scene" by the Village's towing contractor.

Overnight and snow parking

Code 7.05 bans parking on any Village street or lot for more than 30 minutes between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., every day except January 1. Where the alternate-side rule applies, the date decides the curb: even dates mean the even-numbered side. Once signs or barriers go up for snow removal, a car has to be gone within one hour. A dead car on the street breaks all three rules.

Title and plates

Germantown sellers get titles through the state, at WisDOT's Division of Motor Vehicles. The checklist:

• On the reverse of the title: sign, date, record the miles, mark any brand, write the price, and print the buyer's name and street address.
• Scrapping it? Mark "Junk" across the title. A title that has gone missing does not have to be replaced before a car is junked.
• Unbolt the plates. Unexpired ones can ride on another similar vehicle titled to you or your spouse or partner; spent ones get destroyed.
• Submit WisDOT's online seller notice within 30 days of a sale to a private person.

Washington County is an emission-test county. A car past its test date that you plan to let go can be sold as it is; see car doesn't run.

Nearby

In a straight line from Germantown: Menomonee Falls 5.2 miles, Mequon 5.7, Brookfield 11.8, and West Bend 13.0. Statewide rules are on the Wisconsin page.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or send the form. Germantown sellers can share the details on our short form. Pickup can happen from your driveway, a tow lot, or the garage where the repair estimate came back too high.