Sell your car in Flagstaff: running, broken down or unregistered
Flagstaff’s winter parking ban keeps cars off most city streets overnight from November 1 to April 1, and City Code 6-07 wants a car that doesn’t run stored in a garage, in a carport or under a cover. A car waiting to be sold has to follow both. The offer is instant and online, and we pick the car up from you.
Prefer a callback? Leave your number ↓
Offers powered by our buying partner — ★ 4.7 Trustpilot (205,000+ reviews) · ★ 4.5 Google (8,900+)
Where we pick up around Flagstaff
Every Flagstaff address is in the pickup area, Doney Park and the east side (86004) included. Out of town, the pickup area takes in Bellemont, Parks and Williams (86046) along I-40, Winona to the east, and Kachina Village, Munds Park and Sedona (86336) to the south. Those are routine pickups, and the elevation doesn’t add anything to your cost.
The MVD office is on Woodlands Village Blvd. In person, your buyer applies for a title at an MVD office or an Authorized Third Party provider. In Flagstaff, the ADOT MVD office is at 1959 S Woodlands Village Blvd, Suite 100A, and it takes appointments (office hours).
Off the street from midnight to 7 a.m.
From November 1 to April 1, parking on Flagstaff’s city streets and alleys is banned from midnight to 7 a.m., and the city enforces the ban whether it’s snowing or not. On a night without snow, a car left at the curb gets a ticket from the Flagstaff Police Department. If it’s snowing, the car is likely to be towed too. On a handful of streets, including parts of Leroux Street, Aspen Avenue and the north side of Route 66, the ban runs from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. instead (the city’s winter parking page lists every exception).
The rule is there so the city’s Streets Section crews can plow and sweepers can pick up the cinders after a storm. It hits hardest on a car you’ve stopped driving. If it sits at the curb while you decide whether to sell, it needs a driveway or a lot every night until April. If it won’t start, you can’t move it off the street at night, so settle where it sits before November 1.
Cash for your car in Flagstaff
Off the street, a different city rule takes over. Inside city limits, Chapter 6-07 of the Flagstaff City Code treats a vehicle as inoperable if it isn’t running, can’t be driven, or isn’t registered. That includes a car that starts fine but isn’t registered. It has to be stored in a garage or carport, or under a vehicle cover if it’s parked in the driveway. Left uncovered in view of the street, it’s a nuisance, and knowingly ignoring the rule carries a civil fine of $25 to $250 (City Code 6-07).
The city also says it may be able to haul an abandoned or inoperable vehicle away from a private residence free of charge, if the vehicle has a notarized title (City of Flagstaff). Selling it is the other way out: the instant offer online takes junk cars in Flagstaff too, and we come to the garage, carport or driveway where the code has it parked. If it’s past fixing, a junk car offer ends the cover-or-carport question for good.
If a blown head gasket or a slipping transmission is what put the car in the carport or under a cover, selling a car with a blown head gasket or other engine trouble and selling a car with a slipping transmission help you decide whether to fix it or sell it as is.
How long side streets wait for the plow
- •The National Weather Service Flagstaff office’s 2024 climate review lists 105.5 inches of snow for Flagstaff that year, 15.4 inches above its 90.1-inch normal (source)
- •City plows clear first-priority streets first: main arterials, major hills, downtown, Mountain Line transit routes and school bus routes. Every other street is second priority. A storm of up to 4 inches (3 inches in January and February) gets only the first-priority streets. Above that, the city’s target for side streets is 12 hours for up to 8 inches, 18 hours for 8 to 12 inches and 36 hours for more than 12 inches (source)
Asked by Flagstaff sellers
Where are the designated online-sale parking spaces in Flagstaff?
At the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and Flagstaff Police Department station, 911 E Sawmill Rd. Two parking spaces there are set aside for internet purchase exchanges. They’re outlined in blue and signed, well lit, available 24/7 and watched by cameras, which makes them a sensible place to meet a buyer from your listing.
I'm an NAU student. What do I tell campus parking after the car is sold?
Tell NAU’s parking office, University Transit Services, that the car is sold. Its FAQ puts that on the registered owner or primary driver, and permit owners answer for citations issued to any vehicle registered to their permit. The car comes off your parking account once your balance is zero: email ask.parking@nau.edu. A citation written on it later can put it back on your account, so send the email the day it leaves.
Snow is forecast for my pickup day. What happens?
If snow has closed the forest road to your place, we agree on a clearer day. Otherwise it’s a normal pickup day. On a side street, the city’s plow targets in the list above show how long a big storm can leave it unplowed.
A buyer asked if my car has been driven on road salt. What's the Flagstaff answer?
The City of Flagstaff says it doesn’t currently use chemical de-icers on its streets. It spreads cinders instead, on major hills, signalized intersections, railroad crossings and shaded spots, and limits them on flat and residential streets. ADOT crews may put de-icer on the state routes through town, including Route 66, Milton and Fort Valley Road, so the honest answer depends on where you drove.
Nothing about signing over an Arizona title changes at 7,000 feet; our Arizona page has those steps.