Janesville's 10-day rule for junk and dead cars, and how to sell yours

The ten-day rule, word by word

Section 38-416 defines the terms the rule turns on:

• A nonoperable motor vehicle is one "incapable of being operated," or any substantial part of one.
• An unlicensed motor vehicle is one that "does not have affixed thereto a current motor vehicle license."

So a car that runs fine still counts if it lacks "a current motor vehicle license" on it, and a licensed car counts if it cannot move. Section 38-417 says letting either sit past ten days "is a public nuisance and may be abated or removed and penalties imposed." The same section also bars anyone from letting a car they own or keep "become an abandoned motor vehicle."

Street, alley and public lot limits

Janesville's code treats public space more strictly than a driveway:

• 48 hours. Under 38-416, a car that "remains in one location on public property for more than 48 hours" is abandoned.
• One hour. Park on another person's land without the occupant's okay and the car is abandoned once an hour passes.
• 24 hours. Section 38-344 says no one may use a street, public alley or public parking lot "for storage of vehicles," and leaving a vehicle standing longer than 24 consecutive hours counts as storage.
• Two hours for a large vehicle more than 20 feet long on a street beside residentially zoned property, under 38-345. A dead box truck runs out of room fast.

A car with no current registration on a public road can be booted or towed under Section 38-4. An officer who has a car towed must, within one day, give the tow company the names and last-known addresses of the registered owner and any lienholders. Once certified mail notice "has been sent" to the owner and lienholders, the impounded car waits in storage no less than ten days. The code lets the city move sooner when the towing, storage and disposal tab would outrun the car's value.

One more rule: don't burn it

Section 12-392 bans burning "auto bodies, tires, upholstery or any other parts of junked automobiles" where it breaks the city's burning standards or creates "an offensive smell or nuisance." Stripping a car in the yard and burning what is left is not a way out.

Title and plates in Rock County

Janesville titles are issued by the state through the WisDOT Division of Motor Vehicles. Rock County sits outside the seven-county emissions area, so a Janesville car needs no test before it changes hands.

The seller completes these on the title's reverse side:

1. signature and date
2. the odometer statement
3. the brand disclosure
4. the selling price
5. the buyer's name and address

Check the word joining the co-owners' names. With AND, all owners sign. With OR, one signature works. A loan on the title means the lender has to release its lien, and the buyer gets that release too. And only a car already titled to you can be sold by you.

For a car going to scrap, WisDOT has the seller mark the title Junk. Lost it? The state skips the replacement for a junk sale. From then on, Wisconsin will never title or register that car again. Our junk car with no title guide covers the paperwork gaps.

Plates come off before the car goes. Bolt them onto another car of the same kind in your name, or in your spouse's or domestic partner's, or destroy them. WisDOT does not take them back and gives no refund for unused time.

If your car has sat a long time, know this: chapter 341 makes an owner who re-registers pay for the whole gap since the last registration expired. The rule is waived if someone else owned the car in the meantime, or if 12 months or more went by and the owner signs a statement that it sat unused.

Towns nearby

In a direct line, Beloit lies 11.1 miles away. Fitchburg is 29.5 miles, Madison 34.9 and Sun Prairie 36.2. For the statewide picture, open Wisconsin.

Getting an offer

Janesville sellers can ring (877) 421-6008 or send our quick form. If the city's ten days have already started, mention the date on the notice. Our driver comes out to it, in a side yard, a rented garage or the back row of a repair shop.