Junk Vehicles

If you have a junk vehicle on your property, as a landowner you can initiate a process for its removal. Through an inspection by your local law enforcement agency, you can get documentation that the vehicle is junk, and then have the vehicle removed by a scrap hauler.

To qualify as a junk vehicle, a vehicle must meet three of the following conditions:

• Must be at least three years old
• Must be extensively damaged
• Must be apparently inoperable
• Must have a fair market value equal only to the approximate value of the scrap in it

To begin the process, download the Junk Vehicle Verification, Notification and Affidavit form. Once you’ve printed the form, contact your local law enforcement agency and request a vehicle inspection. Be prepared to provide the license plate or VIN for the vehicle(s) you’d like inspected. A law enforcement officer will make an appointment to inspect the vehicle and complete section one of the affidavit. Once the inspection confirms that the vehicle is junk, the you as the landowner notify the registered owner and legal owner by mailing a copy of the affidavit to the address provided by law enforcement. If the owner doesn’t respond within 15 days, have the affidavit notarized. You then can dispose of the vehicle.

A Junk Vehicle Affidavit should not be used as a substitute to replace a lost title. If you purchased or were given the vehicle you want to get rid of, you need to provide a title to dispose of it. If you’ve lost the title you can submit an affidavit of loss. If you’ve never had the title to a vehicle you bought or received, you will need to get a release of interest from the previous owner. You begin the process for either of these by downloading the Affidavit of Loss / Release of Interest form.

If the vehicle does not meet the junk requirements, it falls into the category of abandoned vehicle. Abandoned vehicles require a different process for removal. Go to Ask the Traffic Guy for information on how to remove an abandoned vehicle.