Menomonee Falls: a dead car, the village code and selling it

Three tests for a car kept at home

Read Section 71-114 as a checklist. A car that is unlicensed or will not run has to be:

1. Out of sight of the street and of the neighbors' property.
2. On pavement, not gravel, grass or dirt.
3. Secure.

The code says "unlicensed or inoperable." Either one is enough.

Snow emergencies at three inches

Section 106-154 declares an emergency "whenever snow falls to a depth of three inches or more." It runs "for a period of 48 hours or until such earlier time as snowplowing operations have been declared completed by the village manager or designee," and it takes effect once the announcement goes out on at least two radio or television stations. During one, parking and standing on village streets is sharply limited. A traffic officer who finds a car in violation "may move such vehicle, or cause to be moved such vehicle."

On ordinary nights, Section 106-153 sets alternate-side parking for cars parked on the street under its rules: "on the even-numbered side of the street on those nights bearing an even calendar date," and the reverse on odd dates. A dead battery makes that nightly switch impossible.

State law on abandoned cars

Wisconsin makes it unlawful to leave any vehicle so that it looks abandoned. How long one may sit unattended before becoming an abandoned nuisance is up to the local governing body, except in first-class cities, and any municipality may write removal rules of its own. Impounded cars stay put until an owner claims them or they are disposed of; if keeping it would cost more than it is worth, the law allows it to be junked or sold ahead of time. The owner pays the impound and disposal costs. We did not find a separate village impound section for vehicles, so ask the village if your car has been towed.

Wisconsin title and plates

Titles are issued by the state's Division of Motor Vehicles. Sellers complete the reverse side: signature and date, odometer reading, brand disclosure, selling price, plus the buyer's name and street address. If a lender appears on the title, pass the buyer a lien release with it. If the car is going for scrap, Junk written across the title ends its road life for good, and no replacement title is needed when the original is lost.

Plates belong to the seller in Wisconsin. They stay only on heavy trucks, mopeds and trailers; on a car or light truck, unbolt them. Unexpired plates can be saved for a comparable vehicle in the household's name, meaning yours, a spouse's or a domestic partner's; otherwise destroy them. Selling privately to a person? Report it to WisDOT inside 30 days.

Waukesha County is one of the seven where emission tests apply.

Neighbors

Straight-line distances from the village: Germantown 5.2 miles, Mequon 6.4, Brookfield 6.6. The Wisconsin page has the statewide rules, and sitting for years covers cars parked a long time.

Getting an offer

Start online or call (877) 421-6008. Tell us what it is and its model year, the mileage give or take, if the motor catches, and where the paperwork stands. Pickup can be from a garage, a paved pad behind the house, or a shop near Main Street.