Sell your car in Joplin: running, not running or with a salvage title
A salvage or rebuilt title is welcome here. Describe the car for an instant cash offer, and pickup is free from a driveway or shop lot in Joplin or the towns around it.
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Closing out the car with Jasper or Newton County
- Know which county bills you. Joplin sits in both Jasper and Newton counties, and the one you lived in on January 1 taxes the vehicles you owned that day. The law "makes no provision for pro-rating the tax bill," the Newton County Collector says, so a car sold in March stays on that year's bill.
- Pay the year you owned it. Statements go out in November and are late after December 31. Jasper County takes payment in Joplin at the Jasper County Courts Building, 633 S. Pearl (417-625-4324), or at the courthouse in Carthage. Newton County's collector is in the Neosho courthouse, 101 S. Wood (417-451-8217).
- Fix a wrong statement with the assessor. The collector bills what the assessor lists. If a sold car shows up, call the Jasper County Assessor's personal property line, 417-358-0437, or the Newton County Assessor, 417-451-8258; Newton's collector can't change a statement without the assessor.
Where we pick up around Joplin
Pickup is free at any Joplin address in 64801 or 64804, whether the car sits in a driveway or a shop lot. It reaches across Jasper and Newton counties, from Webb City, Carl Junction, Oronogo, Carthage and Sarcoxie in Jasper County down to Neosho in Newton County, with Duquesne and Seneca covered too.
Joplin police tip: the department tells anyone buying a used car to make sure the title is in order, the VIN is intact, and the "federal sticker" inside the driver's door matches the VIN. Check yours before pickup. A missing or mismatched door sticker is worth mentioning when you describe the car.
Where a car can wait for its buyer
Not on the street for long. Leave a car unattended on a Joplin street past 48 hours and it's presumed abandoned, with a fine of $25 to $500 (Sec. 114-671), and once a summons is issued, police can have it towed (Sec. 114-672).
Downtown has its own limit: Joplin's city code bans parking on Main Street from First Street to Seventh Street between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. (Sec. 114-357). A driveway or a shop lot is the simpler place for the car to wait, and pickup comes to either.
Cash for your car in Joplin
A car that doesn't run still costs money to keep. The Jasper County Collector says vehicles "that are not running are taxable unless they are being used for parts." Old, damaged, salvage-title and non-running cars get an instant cash offer as they are, and pickup is free, so the car doesn't need to start to leave. For cash for junk cars in Joplin, start with our junk car offer.
A salvage title often starts with an insurance total loss, and selling a totaled car explains the payout, the buyback and the salvage title that follows. If yours simply stopped running, see selling a car with a knocking or blown engine or selling one with a failing transmission.
How the city finds cars that sit
- •Five Neighborhood Improvement Officers cover about 28,000 parcels, and the goal is to inspect each property four times a year (City of Joplin)
- •"Inoperable or un-tagged vehicles" are one of the five most common violations the city handles, at about 150 cases a year (City of Joplin)
- •A neighbor's report is usually inspected within 48 hours. A case can take 10 to 45 days or longer, and if it isn't fixed it ends in a municipal court summons, which the city calls a criminal charge (City of Joplin)
Asked by Joplin sellers
Where is the license office in Joplin?
The Missouri DMV's Joplin license office is at 2702 Richard Joseph Blvd., Suite 116, open Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, at (417) 580-9991, according to the Department of Revenue's office list. The city's FAQ page still gives 1110 E. 7th Street, so go by the state's listing. The next closest are in Carthage, 1429 Hazel Ave., and Neosho, 112 W. Spring St.
My car was towed in Joplin. What now?
Call the Joplin Police Department at (417) 623-3131; that's where the city sends impound questions. Under Sec. 114-673, storage charges start as soon as a car is impounded, but none are charged if it's released to the owner within the first 24 hours.
Someone left a car on my property in Joplin. Who do I call?
If it has no license plate, the city's Neighborhood Services Division takes the report at (417) 624-0820 ext. 1518, or through the city's online reporting portal. A car abandoned on a public street goes to the police department instead. The police no longer hand out abandoned-property tow forms; the city points you to Form 4669 on the Department of Revenue's website.
Our Missouri selling page covers the statewide steps: the title, your plates, the safety inspection certificate and the Notice of Sale.