Selling an unlicensed or dead car in Sheboygan

What the city ordinance covers

The ordinance text we read explains why the change was made. Before it, a vehicle's being unlicensed was one way it could count as abandoned "under the Abandoned Vehicle Ordinance." The amendment speaks to unlicensed vehicles on public property directly, and subsection (f) sets out when a vehicle counts as "unlicensed." Our copy of that subsection is cut off, so read the city's own text for the exact test.

What we did not find in that document is a rule for cars kept on private land. Sheboygan may well have one. Wisconsin law lets any municipality or county pass its own ordinances on removing abandoned vehicles, so check with the city before deciding a dead car in the driveway is safe.

State law on abandoned cars

Chapter 342 of the Wisconsin Statutes sets the floor that every city builds on:

• Leaving a vehicle so it "reasonably appears abandoned" is prohibited. Outside the state's first-class cities, the local government sets how long it can sit before it is treated as abandoned and a public nuisance.
• Under the statute, a car kept out of ordinary public view does not count as abandoned.
• A vehicle Sheboygan takes for a violation stays held until it is claimed or disposed of. When tow and storage charges top its value, it may be junked or sold ahead of time.
• Substantially complete vehicles more than 19 model years old follow their own disposal path.
• The officer who orders a tow has 24 hours to tell the towing company who the registered owner and any lienholders are.
• The owner pays for the abandonment, the impound and the disposal.

Emissions and back fees

Sheboygan County is one of seven counties where WisDOT requires emission tests. The rule covers gasoline, natural gas and hybrid vehicles from model years 1996 to 2006 under 8,501 pounds GVWR, and 2007 and newer models up to 14,000 pounds. WisDOT sends a notice when a test is due. A car that keeps failing is one reason plates lapse in the first place; failed emissions covers it.

Letting a car sit unregistered does not make the fees go away. Chapter 341 charges an owner who reapplies for every period since the last registration ended. Two exceptions apply: the car changed owners in between, or 12 or more months have passed and the owner files a statement that it was not driven in that time.

Junking, salvage and the title

The state issues Wisconsin titles, by way of the WisDOT Division of Motor Vehicles. Selling whole works the same as any private sale. On the title's back side, a Sheboygan seller signs, dates, records the odometer and any brand, and writes in the sale price plus the buyer's name and address. Missing title? WisDOT says junking the car doesn't call for a new one. If you would rather sell it with a fresh title, a replacement costs $20.

Two state rules make junking permanent. A junked vehicle "can never be titled or licensed again," even after repairs. And the statute gives anyone owning a junk vehicle 10 days to notify the department and return the title.

If an insurer paid a claim over 70 percent of the car's fair market value, it is a salvage vehicle, and the insurer must notify WisDOT within 30 days. See salvage title.

Plates and the seller report

Never leave plates on an auto or light truck you sell or junk. Sheboygan plates not yet expired can be moved to a like vehicle titled to you or to your spouse or domestic partner. Or cut them up. WisDOT does not take them back and does not refund unused time. Plates left on the car get canceled with form MV2514. After a private sale to a person, send in the seller notification within 30 days, listing the VIN, buyer, price and date.

Getting an offer

Got a Sheboygan car to sell? Call (877) 421-6008 or send the form. Our truck can load it at a riverfront driveway, a rented garage, or a repair shop lot. Pickup is free anywhere in the US. Our closest other towns are a bit of a drive from here. In a straight line, Manitowoc sits 25.0 miles off and West Bend 31.6. Statewide rules are on the Wisconsin page.