Junk Car Removal in Gulfport, MS: What It Pays and How Pickup Works on the Coast
On the Mississippi Gulf Coast a dead car is on a clock the moment it loses its tag. Gulfport’s zoning ordinance says a vehicle without a current license plate cannot be parked or stored on residentially zoned property anywhere except inside a completely enclosed building, and a junked automobile left on the vacant part of a lot in a residential or business district becomes a violation after 24 hours. 1-800-We-Junk-Cars is the fast way out. Call 1-800-935-8652, describe the vehicle, and we dispatch a tow to your address in Gulfport or anywhere in Harrison County. The driver pays cash at pickup, there is no lot to drive to, and the tow is free. This page covers what Gulfport vehicles are worth, how the state title rules work when the paperwork is missing or a lender is still on it, and exactly which sections of the city code apply.
Call 1-800-935-8652 for a free offer on your vehicle in Gulfport. Free towing, cash on pickup.
How to sell a junk car in Gulfport
The sale is a call, a truck and a signature. On the call we ask what the vehicle is, whether it runs or rolls, whether the catalytic converter is present, and what has been removed. Then we ask where it is, because the beach side is a different job from north of I-10. South of the tracks, in Mississippi City, Handsboro and the older blocks near downtown, lots are compact and the car is often tucked beside a raised house where a rollback needs the neighbor’s driveway to angle in. In Bayou View and along Pass Road the vehicle is usually in a paved driveway and the pickup is simple. North of I-10 in Orange Grove, Lyman and along Highway 49, driveways are long, some are shell or dirt, and a vehicle sunk into soft ground after a wet month needs a winch pull, not a lift. At the truck the driver matches the VIN to your title or to the no-title statement you sign, confirms the condition, and pays. If a lender is still listed on the vehicle, say so on the call, because Mississippi law does not let a scrap buyer take a car with an open lien.
What is a junk car worth in Gulfport?
Junk vehicles in Gulfport typically bring $150 to $700. The base is scrap weight, so a Silverado, F-150 or Expedition with the engine and transmission in it is worth more than any compact before condition enters the picture. Above the base, the value is in parts a dismantler can resell and in the catalytic converter, which is priced separately and is missing from more cars on the Coast than owners expect. Say honestly whether it is there. The local factors cut both ways. Salt air along Beach Boulevard and the bayous corrodes brake lines, exhaust hangers and wheel bearings faster than inland Mississippi, so a car that spent a decade within a mile of the beach usually has fewer resellable underbody parts than the same car from Hattiesburg. Flooding is the bigger issue. Katrina’s surge reached at least 19 feet in Gulfport in 2005, and storms since have put water in cars from Long Beach to Biloxi. A vehicle with water above the floor is priced on weight alone because the electrical system is not reusable. Distance helps: with the Port of Gulfport and heavy industry along the coast, scrap does not travel far, which keeps tow costs low and offers steady.
Title and paperwork rules in Mississippi
Start with the lien, because on the Coast that stalls more sales than a lost title. Mississippi Code 63-21-39 prohibits a scrap metal processor or used parts dealer from purchasing or receiving a vehicle for scrapping if a lien exists on it. A paid-off loan that was never released therefore needs a lien release from the lender first, and the Department of Revenue form language is blunt that this stays the owner’s responsibility even if the lender has gone out of business or changed names. Once the lien is clear, a missing title is manageable. If the vehicle is at least ten model years old, the statute lets you sign a statement to the buyer that it is at least ten model years old and free of any security interest or lien; the buyer sends that to DOR within three business days and keeps a copy of your driver’s license for two years. For a newer vehicle, request a replacement with Form 78-006, Application for Replacement Certificate of Title, $9.00 by check or certified funds, mailed to DOR Motor Vehicle Services at Post Office Box 1383, Jackson, MS 39215-1383. There is no notary on the form. Harrison County’s tax collector offices handle tags and transfers, not replacement titles.
Gulfport abandoned and inoperable vehicle rules
Gulfport’s junked-vehicle rules sit in three parts of the Code of Ordinances. First, Appendix A, the Zoning Ordinance, Section I defines an abandoned or junked vehicle as any vehicle without a current license tag and/or which is wrecked, dismantled, partially dismantled or inoperative, and defines storage as being on the premises for 30 days or more. Section IV(A)(3) bars inoperable vehicles from any city street and bars vehicles or trailers without a current license plate from any residentially zoned property other than in completely enclosed buildings; a carport does not count. Second, Section 4-145 makes it unlawful to place or permit any junked automobile or automobile parts on the vacant part of a lot in R-1, R-2, R-0, R-B, B-1, B-2 or B-3 districts for more than 24 hours. Third, Sections 3-244 and 3-245 adopt the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code with local amendments: the Director of Urban Development is the code official, failing to comply with a notice of violation is a misdemeanor or civil infraction, the civil fine is $250 per violation, each day after notice is a separate offense, and appeals go to the City Clerk at 1410 24th Avenue within seven days. There is no fixed day count; the notice sets the deadline. Code Enforcement answers at (228) 868-5718, 311 inside the city, or 311@gulfport-ms.gov, with an officer typically on site within 24 hours.
Can You Sell a Junk Car in Gulfport Without a Title?
Yes, in most cases — Mississippi lets you sign a statement that the car is at least ten model years old and lien-free instead of producing a title, and 1-800-We-Junk-Cars accepts that statement for pickups anywhere in Gulfport or Harrison County. Call 1-800-935-8652 and tell the dispatcher the model year and whether a lender is still listed; that fact decides more Coast sales than any paperwork does. It matters here specifically because Gulfport’s own zoning code treats an untagged car left on a vacant residential or business lot as a violation after just 24 hours.
| Where Gulfport tag and title paperwork gets filed | Harrison County Tax Collector, 1801 23rd Ave. in Gulfport, handles tags; branch offices also sit in Biloxi and Orange Grove. source |
|---|---|
| Gulfport's 24-hour vacant-lot rule | Sec. 4-145 bans a junked car on the vacant part of a residential or business lot for more than 24 hours. source |
| Penalty for the vacant-lot violation itself | Sec. 4-146 makes a first violation a misdemeanor: up to $1,000 or 90 days, court discretion to suspend part of the fine. source |
| A second, separate penalty track | Sec. 3-245's property-maintenance fine is $250 per violation, civil rather than criminal, on top of the 4-146 misdemeanor track. source |
| Who to call before a notice shows up | Code Enforcement answers at (228) 868-5700 or 311, mailed to P.O. Box 1780, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. source |
| Why state law alone doesn't reach a Gulfport yard | State law gives five days on public property and forty at a wrecker; Gulfport's own 24-hour zoning rule is far stricter. source |
| The local condition that hurts resale value | Coastal storm surge reached 17 to 22 feet from Gulfport to Pascagoula in 2005; flood-soaked cars sell for scrap weight only. source |
Areas of Gulfport we tow from
Pickups follow the three east-west lines that organize Gulfport: Highway 90 along the beach, Pass Road through the middle, and I-10 to the north, with Highway 49 and Highway 605 running north-south to connect them. Along the beach and downtown we cover Mississippi City, Handsboro, Downtown Gulfport and the blocks around the Naval Construction Battalion Center gate, where sailors under orders sell cars on short notice. Between Pass Road and I-10 we work Bayou View, West Gulfport, Gaston Point, Soria City and Forest Heights. North of I-10 the routes run up Highway 49 to Orange Grove, Lyman, Turkey Creek and North Gulfport. Long Beach, Biloxi, D’Iberville, Pass Christian, Saucier and Diamondhead are on the same dispatch board, so a call from any of them is handled the same day as a Gulfport address.
- Downtown Gulfport
- Bayou View
- Mississippi City
- Handsboro
- Orange Grove
- Lyman
- Turkey Creek
- North Gulfport
- West Gulfport
- Gaston Point
- Soria City
- Forest Heights
Official Mississippi sources
- City of Gulfport – Code Enforcement
- Harrison County Tax Collector
- Gulfport Code of Ordinances, Sec. 4-145 – Unsightly Accumulations on Vacant Lots
- NOAA National Hurricane Center – Hurricane Katrina Tropical Cyclone Report
- Mississippi Legislature – House Bill 1217 (abandoned-vehicle statute text, Miss. Code 63-23-1 and 63-23-3)
Last reviewed 2026-10-06 against Mississippi state and Gulfport city sources. Fees change.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep a car with an expired tag in my driveway in Gulfport?
Not on residentially zoned property, unless it is inside a completely enclosed building. Appendix A, Section IV(A)(3)(a) of the Gulfport Code says vehicles or trailers without a current license plate shall not be parked or stored on any residentially zoned property other than in completely enclosed buildings, and not on the streets either. Section I of the same appendix treats any vehicle without a current tag as a junked vehicle. A driveway, a carport or a tarp does not satisfy the enclosed-building requirement.
How fast does a junk car on a vacant lot become a violation in Gulfport?
Twenty-four hours. Section 4-145 of the Gulfport Code of Ordinances makes it unlawful to place or store, or permit to be placed or stored, any junked automobile or automobile parts on the vacant part of a lot in an R-1, R-2, R-0, R-B, B-1, B-2 or B-3 district and let it remain for over a period of 24 hours. That is far shorter than the 30-day storage definition in the zoning appendix, and it applies to the owner, the occupant or anyone else who put it there.
What does Gulfport fine for a property maintenance violation involving a vehicle?
Under Section 3-245, which amends the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code that Gulfport adopted in Section 3-244, a person who fails to take the remedial measures in a notice of violation within the time it specifies can be assessed a civil fine of $250 for each violation, and each day after notice is a separate offense. The city can also recover attorneys’ fees and costs and place a lien on the real estate. Appeals go to the City Clerk at 1410 24th Avenue within seven days.
My old loan was paid off years ago but never released. Can you still buy the car?
Not until the lien is cleared. Mississippi Code 63-21-39 says that if a lien exists on the vehicle, a scrap metal processor or used parts dealer may not purchase or receive it for scrapping or dismantling. You need a lien release from the lender, and Form 78-006 states that obtaining it remains the owner’s responsibility even if the lienholder has gone out of business or changed names. Once you have the release in hand, call us and the sale proceeds normally.
Do I need a title to sell a junk car in Gulfport?
Not if the vehicle is at least ten model years old and has no lien. Under Mississippi Code 63-21-39 you can sign a statement to a licensed scrap metal processor or used parts dealer certifying that the vehicle is at least ten model years old and not subject to any security interest or lien. The buyer files that statement with the Department of Revenue within three business days and keeps a copy of your driver’s license for two years. Newer vehicles need the title or a $9.00 replacement on Form 78-006.
Is a flooded car from a Coast storm worth anything?
It is worth scrap weight, which still lands in the $150 to $700 range for a heavier vehicle, but not more. Water above the floor ruins the wiring and modules, so no dismantler pays for parts. Tell us on the call that it flooded and how high the water got. Gulfport has seen this since Katrina’s 2005 surge of at least 19 feet, and a flooded vehicle sitting without a tag is also a zoning violation on residential property, so there is no reason to keep it.
Can the truck reach a car on a shell driveway north of I-10?
Yes, but tell us if it has settled. In Orange Grove, Lyman and along Highway 49 the driveways are long and often shell or dirt, and a car that has sat through a wet season can sink to the rims. That changes the job from a lift to a winch pull and the driver brings the right rig if warned. If the vehicle is behind a locked gate or a fence line, someone needs to open it, and a rollback needs a straight approach to line up.
Where is the nearest title office if I do need a replacement?
For a replacement title you do not visit an office at all; Form 78-006 with the $9.00 fee is mailed to the Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Services, Post Office Box 1383 in Jackson. The Harrison County Tax Collector at 1801 23rd Avenue in Gulfport, 228-865-4039, and the Multi-Services Building at 12423 Seaway Road handle tags and ownership transfers, not replacement titles. If you need the replacement in days, the Fast Track option on Form 78-026 costs $39.00 and is processed within 72 hours of reaching the central office.
Ready to get rid of it? Call 1-800-935-8652 and we will quote your car in Gulfport over the phone, tow it free, and pay you cash at pickup.
Cash for junk cars across Mississippi