Sell your car in Rochester: running or not, even if you're moving away
Want to sell your car in Rochester, MN before you move, or just be done with it? Get a firm cash offer online and choose the pickup date. The sale itself takes an afternoon. Below are the city rules that matter while the car waits, and what to do if a ticket follows you to your new address.
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When a Rochester parking ticket finds you after the car is gone
- Fill out the city’s Affidavit of Sale. The parking tickets page asks for proof you sent the state your report of sale, the new owner’s details, and proof of the sale.
- Sign it in front of a notary. Olmsted County’s Vital Records and Licensing counter at 151 4th St SE notarizes for $5 a signature. Bring the form unsigned, plus a driver’s license, state ID or passport.
- Get it to the City Clerk’s Office. Mail it, or bring it to Room 135 at City Hall, 201 4th St SE. Notices keep coming as long as the state still shows the title in your name, and unpaid citations go to collections once they are 45 days past due.
Where we pick up around Rochester
Pickup isn’t limited to the city limits. It reaches the towns around Olmsted and Dodge counties, including Kasson, Byron and Stewartville and smaller stops such as Pine Island, Oronoco and Eyota, with the same free scheduling as in Rochester itself. Pickup usually comes within days of an accepted offer, on a date that fits your calendar. If you have a hard last day, like a lease ending or a flight out, tell us and we’ll work backward from it so the title is signed over before you go.
Which office handles titles? In Rochester, title work goes through a deputy registrar office. The county’s own counter at the Government Center, 151 4th St SE, lists driver’s license renewals, state IDs and notary service. The Minnesota DVS (the state’s DMV) office finder lets you filter local deputy registrars by the service you need.
Where the car can wait in Rochester
City code 11-6-28 allows a car no more than 24 consecutive hours parked on a Rochester street, and after that it can be ticketed and towed. If moving out means giving up the garage or the apartment lot, set the pickup date for before that day.
Winter adds a second rule. From November 1 to April 1, between 2 a.m. and 3 p.m., the city’s alternate-side parking rule puts cars on the even-numbered side of the street on even dates and the odd side on odd dates, cul-de-sacs included. A car that won’t start can’t switch sides, so in those months it needs an off-street spot until pickup.
Cash for your car in Rochester
A dead car can’t just sit in the yard, either. City ordinance 8-3-6 covers any vehicle kept outdoors on property anywhere in Rochester: it must have a valid, current motor vehicle license, it can’t be missing parts it needs to run, and it can’t be rusted, wrecked, partly taken apart or junked.
A car that fails that test still gets an offer, and pickup is free. For cash for cars in Rochester, MN that are rusted through, wrecked or won’t start, begin on our junk car page.
For a wrecked car, selling a car with collision damage covers what you have to tell a buyer, and if the insurer has already called it a total loss, selling a totaled car explains the payout and the salvage title. When the engine is why it won't start, selling a car with engine trouble weighs the repair against selling it as is.
If the car is parked downtown until pickup
- •Yellow, gray and purple street meters allow 3 hours at most, enforced weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; only green meters have no time limit (City of Rochester)
- •During and after designated snow events, street parking in the Central Business District is restricted, and the rules are posted on the affected meters (City of Rochester)
- •In the city’s six downtown ramps, overnight charges start past 2:30 a.m., and a monthly pass not marked 24/7 pays them too (City of Rochester)
Asked by Rochester sellers
What does an orange chalk mark and a warning tag on my car mean in Rochester?
Public Works is checking whether the car has moved. During snow-related events, inspectors chalk cars that have snow built up around them and leave a warning tag. If an inspector comes back and finds it hasn't moved, the car gets a parking ticket and can be towed.
My tabs ran out while the car sat. Can it stay on a Rochester street until pickup?
It risks a ticket. City code 11-6-12 requires valid registration, with current tabs on display, for any car parked on public property. The city won't review a ticket issued for that, even if you renewed and forgot to put the tabs on. A garage is the safer place for it.
I live in a Rochester residential permit zone. What happens to my permit when I sell the car?
The permit is tied to your plate number. There's no tag, and plate readers check the zones, usually 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. If you're replacing the car, call the City Clerk's Office at 507-328-2900 to switch the plate and vehicle. Changing it online yourself deletes the permit.
What if I move out and leave a dead car at my Rochester rental?
It can become your landlord's job. Under ordinance 8-3-6, when the city can't locate the owner of a car that breaks its rules, the owner of the property must move it to a licensed junkyard or storage within ten working days of the city's demand. Selling it before you hand back the keys avoids that.
Once the car is sold, how do I get around Rochester until I leave?
Rochester Public Transit. A single adult ride is $2, transfer included, a 10-ride ticket is $16 and a 31-day pass is $42. You can pay on board, use the RPT Mobile Fare App, or buy a pass at the City Clerk desk in City Hall, 201 4th St SE. Veterans ride free.
Title and plate rules are set by the state, not the city; see our Minnesota page.