Selling a junked or dead car in La Crosse

What La Crosse calls a junked automobile

Section 30-2 adopts the state law on storing junked automobiles and defines one as any motor vehicle "which is incapable of operation or use upon a highway or which has been dismantled for parts or scrap."

The nuisance is storing it outdoors: "on the ground, trailers, containers, shelving, racking or in any manner." Unlicensed cars and cars not in good, safe operating condition are named too. Moving it inside counts as a fix, but only into "completely enclosed buildings."

The code puts the duty on almost everyone tied to the lot. The property's owners, tenants, lessees and occupants share the blame with the car's owner, "jointly and severally." So a renter's dead car can land the landlord in trouble too, even if he never touched it. If nobody acts in time, the Fire Chief can abate the nuisance and the cost goes on the property as a special charge.

A car that dies on a La Crosse street

Section 44-179 covers the car that quits in traffic. When a disabled car is stuck on an alley, street, highway or public place, you must tell the Chief of Police its location "within 12 hours." That section also holds a little-known way out. When the owner asks, the Chief of Police can order the car "removed and junked directly from the scene of disablement," by the police or the city's towing contractor.

Unregistered cars and the city tow

Under Section 44-116, a parking enforcer who spots an unregistered car on a public road can clamp a boot on it or send it to impound. No later than 24 hours after the tow call, the enforcer gives the tow company the owner and lienholder names with last-known addresses. The city then keeps the car for ten days or more after mailing certified notice. Where a city representative judges the impound charges to be larger than the car's value, the code says the car "may be junked or sold by the City" ahead of that.

Section 44-115 adds a second route. It covers owners with "five or more citations" for nonmoving traffic violations who have left the forfeitures unpaid on violations more than 60 days old. Any car that owner has can be booted or towed, even one parked legally.

Larger vehicles run into Section 44-106. Trucks, motor homes and other rigs over 18 feet long have a two-hour limit on city streets, and some large vehicles cannot park on residential streets between midnight and 7 a.m. A dead camper or work truck is on a short clock.

A sign on a dead car is a sign

La Crosse's sign code reaches parked cars too. Under Sections 111-1 and 111-93, "any sign attached to or painted on an inoperable or unlicensed vehicle" is treated as a portable sign. So is a sign on any vehicle parked more than seven days in a row where it is plainly visible from a public street. The exception is a vehicle used in the business's normal daily work. Taping a price to the windshield of a car that won't run, facing the road, can bring in the sign rules on top of the junk rules.

Title and plates in La Crosse County

Titles are a state job here, not a county one, handled by the WisDOT Division of Motor Vehicles. La Crosse County is not among the seven counties with emissions tests.

• Your name has to be on the title as owner before a sale.
• Sign and date the back of the La Crosse title, then write in the mileage, check the brand box, and add the price plus the buyer's name and address.
• Owners listed with AND must all sign. Listed with OR, one owner can sign for the rest.
• Any lender named on the title has to supply a lien release for the buyer.
• For scrap, write Junk across the title. Scrapping without the title is allowed, with no replacement ordered first. The car can then never get another Wisconsin title or plates.
• Sold to a private individual? Tell WisDOT online within 30 days.

Plates are yours. Remove them, then reuse unexpired ones on a like vehicle in your, your spouse's or your domestic partner's name, or destroy them. WisDOT refunds nothing and wants none back. Put the deal on paper as well; our bill of sale guide shows what to include.

Nearby towns

In a direct line, Onalaska is only 4.6 miles off. Eau Claire is 69.9 miles and Stevens Point 96.1. Find state rules on the Wisconsin page.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or use the online form to share what car it is, its year and miles, if it runs, and your title situation. If the 14 days are already counting down, or the car is stranded where it broke down, tell us. The truck heads to that spot, curbside or in a backyard by the Mississippi.