Got a dead car in Mequon?

What Mequon means by unenclosed

The definitions in Code 58-8 do the work. Unenclosed means being "within reasonable view of surrounding properties due to lack of adequate screening or enclosure." Outdoor storage starts once a vehicle stays in the same unenclosed place "for more than 24 hours." A car behind a solid screen is a different case from one in an open driveway the neighbors can see.

Code 82-150 fills in the rest. A "nuisance motor vehicle" includes any vehicle that is "inoperable, unlicense, unroadworthy, disassembled or wrecked." A car with a license applied for counts as licensed, but only if proof of the application is "prominently displayed on the front windshield."

Two cars, and the 180-day line

Mequon also limits cars that are licensed and run but never move. The code bars "the unenclosed parking or storage of more than one licensed but non-operated vehicles" for longer than 180 consecutive days. After that the cars "must either be enclosed in a garage or removed from the site." One such car parked outside is allowed; a second one starts that clock.

Owning several dead cars carries another risk. Under 58-8 a junkyard includes any lot used for storing "two or more unregistered, inoperable motor vehicles." That is the zoning code's word for the property, not just for the cars on it. Selling them together is covered in several junk cars.

Snow emergencies

Under Code 70-3, a snowfall that piles up "to a depth of three inches or more during any 24-hour period or less" lets the director of public works, or the city administrator when the director is away, declare a snow emergency. That is a bad day to own a street-parked car with a dead battery.

Title and plates for an Ozaukee County car

Mequon titles come from the state, issued by WisDOT's Division of Motor Vehicles. Before any sale, the title has to list you as owner. Sign and date the back of the Mequon title. Next, fill in the mileage on the Mequon title, note any title brand, put down what the car sold for, and add who bought it and where they live. A title listing a loan also needs the lender's release.

Headed for scrap? The DMV wants "Junk" written across the title, and a lost one needn't be replaced first. After that, Wisconsin will never retitle or license that car.

Plates are yours to keep, not the buyer's. Unexpired plates may move to a comparable vehicle under your name, your spouse's or your partner's; otherwise destroy them. Unused registration is not refunded. Report a sale to a private buyer through WisDOT's online form inside 30 days. Ozaukee is one of the seven emission-test counties, and WisDOT notifies owners when a test is due.

Close by

In a straight line, Germantown is 5.7 miles from Mequon, Menomonee Falls 6.4, Wauwatosa 10.3 and Milwaukee 10.5. The Wisconsin page has the statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Selling a car in Mequon? Call (877) 421-6008 or use the offer form. Side yards, rural driveways and shop lots work.