Sell a Junk Car in Jackson, MS: Free Tow, Cash Handed Over at Pickup
1-800-We-Junk-Cars buys junk vehicles across Jackson and the rest of Hinds County by phone, then sends a tow truck to wherever the vehicle is sitting. There is no yard on Highway 80 to drive to and no counter to stand at. You call 1-800-935-8652, describe the vehicle honestly, get a number, and the driver pays that number when the car goes on the truck. The reason this page exists is that Jackson has its own rule about vehicles that sit too long. Under Chapter 54, Article II of the city code, a vehicle that stays inoperable for more than 120 continuous days in public view is a junked vehicle and a public nuisance, and the city can order it removed on ten days’ notice. Selling it before that letter arrives is cheaper than paying towing and storage to get it back from impound.
Call 1-800-935-8652 for a free offer on your vehicle in Jackson. Free towing, cash on pickup.
How to sell a junk car in Jackson
Start with the call. Give the year, make, model and the honest condition: whether it starts, whether it rolls and steers, whether the catalytic converter is still bolted on, and what has already been pulled off it. The quote is built from that description, so a vehicle described as complete that turns out to be missing its transmission gets requoted at the curb. Then describe where it sits, because Jackson access varies more than people expect. Belhaven and Fondren lots often put the dead car behind the house on a narrow gravel drive, and a rollback needs a straight shot to winch. Older streets in West Jackson and around Farish Street have alleys the truck cannot enter, so the vehicle may need to be rolled to the street first. Apartment complexes off County Line Road and along Ellis Avenue usually require the office to release a vehicle from a reserved space. Tell us if it is on a hill, in a garage, or on flat tires. The driver checks the VIN against your paperwork, confirms the vehicle matches the description, pays you, and leaves with it. Nothing is paid before the truck arrives.
What is a junk car worth in Jackson?
A typical junk vehicle in Jackson brings $150 to $700, with the number driven by three things. Weight comes first: scrap is bought by the ton, so a full-size pickup or a body-on-frame SUV with its engine and transmission still in it is worth more than a compact sedan before anyone looks at anything else. Parts come second. A vehicle that still runs, or a common model with a good drivetrain, front clip and wheels, is worth more than its scrap weight to a dismantler than to a shredder. The catalytic converter is third, and it is the single part that moves a quote the most; a car with the converter already cut off is priced as if it were sold separately, because it was. Central Mississippi works in your favor on rust. Hinds County roads are not salted for a season the way northern roads are, so frame rails, rocker panels and suspension bolts on a Jackson car are usually solid, and that keeps mechanical parts worth pulling. Pearl River flooding is the local drag. A car that took water above the floor is scrap weight only, and it helps to say so up front rather than at pickup.
Title and paperwork rules in Mississippi
Mississippi titles are issued by the state Department of Revenue, not by Hinds County, and that matters when the title is missing. The replacement is Form 78-006, Application for Replacement Certificate of Title. The fee printed on the form is $9.00, payable by personal check, cashier’s check or certified funds, and the completed form is mailed to the Mississippi Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Services, P.O. Box 1383, Jackson, MS 39215-1383. The form takes owner signatures but has no notary block. If the title was issued to two people joined by “and,” both must sign. If a lien shows in the DOR system, the replacement is mailed to the lienholder unless a completed lien release is attached, and the form states that obtaining a release stays the owner’s responsibility even when the lender has closed or changed names. If you need it faster, the Fast Track version is Form 78-026 at $39.00 total, processed within 72 hours of arrival at the central office, and it can be hand-delivered to the Title Bureau at 500 Clinton Center Drive in Clinton, a short drive west on I-20. Mailing time is not counted in the 72 hours, and only regular U.S. Mail is accepted for Fast Track applications.
Jackson abandoned and inoperable vehicle rules
Jackson’s junked-vehicle law is Chapter 54, Article II of the Code of Ordinances, sections 54-46 through 54-53, adopted as Ordinance 1994-25. Section 54-46 defines a junked vehicle two ways: one that is inoperative, lacks both an unexpired license plate and a valid inspection certificate, and is wrecked, dismantled or abandoned; or one that simply remains inoperable for a continuous period of more than 120 days. The inspection-certificate language is a holdover from 1994; Mississippi repealed its safety inspection law on July 1, 2015 (House Bill 982), so in practice the first test turns on the expired plate. Section 54-49 declares any junked vehicle on any lot in the city a public nuisance. Three exceptions apply: a vehicle completely enclosed in a building and out of view; vehicles held by a licensed dealer or automobile junkyard; and unlicensed inoperable vehicles on private property that are screened from ordinary public view and are not a health hazard. The chief of police or the building official administers the article. Section 54-50 requires not less than ten days’ notice by certified or registered mail, and a hearing before the city council must be requested inside that ten-day window. Section 54-48 makes a violation a misdemeanor: up to $500, up to 90 days in the city jail, or both, each day a separate offense. Under section 54-52 an impounded vehicle is held 90 days and redeemed only by paying towing, storage and administrative costs. Complaints go to Code Services, Community Improvement division, 219 S. President Street, (601) 960-0794, or 311.
Can You Sell a Junk Car in Jackson Today?
Yes — most Jackson sales close within the hour. Call 1-800-935-8652, describe the vehicle’s year, make and model, and the price we quote is set by current scrap-steel weight and any parts still worth pulling, not by a trip to a yard on Highway 80. We tow anywhere in Hinds County and pay cash the moment the car goes on the truck. Jackson also runs its own clock on this: City Code Sec. 54-46 marks a vehicle junked once it has sat inoperable for more than 120 days, and the notice that follows gives you only ten days to act, so selling now beats paying towing and storage later.
| Where Jackson tag and title paperwork gets filed | Hinds County Tax Collector, 316 S. President St. in Jackson, handles tags; the Second District office is in Raymond. source |
|---|---|
| Jackson's junked-vehicle ordinance | City Code Sec. 54-46 calls a car junked once it sits inoperable in public view for more than 120 days. source |
| Notice before the city tows it | Sec. 54-50 requires ten days' certified or registered mail notice before removal; a council hearing must be requested inside that window. source |
| Penalty for letting it sit | Sec. 54-48 makes it a misdemeanor: up to $500 or 90 days in jail, each day counted as a separate offense. source |
| Who to call before a notice shows up | Community Improvement / Code Enforcement, 219 S. President St., (601) 960-0794, or 311 inside city limits. source |
| Why state law doesn't cover your own yard | State law gives five days on public property and forty at a wrecker, but sets no clock for a private Jackson lot. source |
| The local condition that hurts resale value | Pearl River flood pulses have hit downtown Jackson repeatedly; a car that took water above the floor sells for scrap weight only. source |
Areas of Jackson we tow from
We run pickups across the whole city. Central Jackson means Belhaven, Fondren, Midtown, Downtown and the Farish Street district along North State Street and Woodrow Wilson Avenue. North of Northside Drive we work Eastover, Broadmoor, LeFleur East off Lakeland Drive, Northeast Jackson up to County Line Road, and Presidential Hills on the northwest side near I-220. West Jackson pickups run along US 80, Ellis Avenue and Medgar Evers Boulevard, including Georgetown. South Jackson is covered from the Battlefield Park area south of I-20 down Terry Road and Highway 18 to the Byram line. I-55, I-20 and I-220 are the spine for dispatch, so trucks reach Ridgeland, Madison, Clinton, Pearl, Flowood, Brandon, Byram, Raymond and Terry on the same call. Tell us the nearest cross street and whether the vehicle is in front or behind the house.
- Fondren
- Belhaven
- Downtown Jackson
- Midtown
- Farish Street Historic District
- Eastover
- Northeast Jackson
- Presidential Hills
- Georgetown
- Battlefield Park
- Broadmoor
- South Jackson
Official Mississippi sources
- City of Jackson – Community Improvement / Code Enforcement
- Hinds County Tax Collector
- Jackson Code of Ordinances, Chapter 54, Article II – Junked and Abandoned Vehicles
- Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District
- 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 Jackson city sources. Fees change.
Frequently asked questions
Does Jackson count a car as junked if it still has a tag on it?
It can. Section 54-46 of the city code has two definitions. The first requires the vehicle to be inoperative, missing an unexpired plate and a valid inspection certificate, and wrecked or dismantled. Mississippi stopped issuing inspection certificates in 2015, so that part of the test comes down to the plate. The second is simpler: any motor vehicle that remains inoperable for a continuous period of more than 120 days is a junked vehicle regardless of the tag. So a car with current plates that has not run since spring can still draw a notice under Article II. Screening it from public view is the exception that protects it.
How long do I have after the city sends a notice about a junked vehicle in Jackson?
Section 54-50 requires not less than ten days’ notice, sent by certified or registered mail, telling you the vehicle must be removed or abated within ten days. If you want a hearing before the city council, you must request it before that ten-day period runs out. Once the deadline passes without action, the city can remove the vehicle and impound it. Under section 54-52 the impound lasts 90 days and getting the vehicle back means paying towing, storage and administrative costs.
What is the fine for keeping a junked vehicle on my property in Jackson?
Section 54-48 of the Jackson Code of Ordinances makes it a misdemeanor. On conviction the fine is up to $500, or up to 90 days in the city jail, or both. The clause that matters most is that each day the violation continues is treated as a separate offense, so a car that sits through a month after the notice deadline is not one violation. A free tow that pays you is the cheaper outcome by a wide margin.
Can I sell a junk car in Jackson without the title?
Often, yes. Mississippi Code 63-21-39 lets an owner transfer a vehicle to a licensed scrap metal processor or used parts dealer without a title by signing a statement that the vehicle is at least ten model years old and not subject to any security interest or lien. The buyer sends that statement to the Department of Revenue within three business days and keeps a copy of your driver’s license on file for two years. If a lien exists, the processor may not take the vehicle at all. Newer vehicles need the title or a replacement.
Where do I get a replacement title in Hinds County?
Not at the county tax collector. Mississippi replacement titles come from the state Department of Revenue. You complete Form 78-006, Application for Replacement Certificate of Title, and mail it with the $9.00 fee to Motor Vehicle Services, P.O. Box 1383, Jackson, MS 39215-1383. The Fast Track version, Form 78-026, costs $39.00, is processed within 72 hours of arrival, and can be hand-delivered to the Title Bureau at 500 Clinton Center Drive in Clinton. Only regular U.S. Mail is accepted for Fast Track applications.
What is a junk car worth in Jackson right now?
The usual range in Jackson is $150 to $700. Heavier vehicles with the engine and transmission in place sit at the top, and a stripped compact sits near the bottom. The catalytic converter is the part that moves the number most, so tell us if it is missing. Jackson cars usually have solid frames because Hinds County roads are not salted for a season, which keeps suspension and drivetrain parts worth pulling. Flood damage from the Pearl River does the opposite. Call with the year, make, model and condition for an actual figure.
Can the tow truck get a car out from behind my house in Belhaven or Fondren?
Usually, if there is a straight path to winch it. Many older lots there put the vehicle at the end of a narrow gravel drive beside the house. A rollback needs to line up with the car and pull it forward, so low branches, fences and a parked second car in the drive all matter. Say what the driveway looks like when you call. If the vehicle has four flat tires or is nosed into a carport, mention that too so the right equipment comes.
Do you pick up in Ridgeland, Clinton or Pearl, or only inside Jackson city limits?
Both. Dispatch runs off I-55, I-20 and I-220, so Ridgeland, Madison, Clinton, Pearl, Flowood, Brandon, Byram, Raymond and Terry are all covered on the same call as a Jackson pickup. Keep in mind that the ordinance on this page is Jackson’s; Clinton, Pearl and the other suburbs enforce their own codes. The state title rules, the $9.00 Form 78-006 and the ten-model-year no-title statement apply everywhere in Mississippi.
Ready to get rid of it? Call 1-800-935-8652 and we will quote your car in Jackson over the phone, tow it free, and pay you cash at pickup.
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