Sell your car in Grand Forks: leaving the base or UND, running or not
Leaving Grand Forks Air Force Base, leaving UND, or stuck with a car that has stopped running? The base, the university and the city each have their own rules for that car. When selling is the answer, you can get an offer online with pickup on either side of the Red River.
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Your car, your plate and your UND permit
- Winter break only. With an overnight "O" permit, you can leave the car in your assigned overnight lot for the whole break. Before you go, make sure the plate facing the driving lane is visible and clear of snow. Any permit holder can use the parking ramp instead for $7 a day, not counting weekends or university holidays.
- Leaving for good. UND uses your license plate as your permit, permits run Aug. 16 to Aug. 15, and enforcement runs all year, so a car left on campus without a valid permit gets cited. If you sell before you go, pickup can happen at your campus lot.
- After a mid-year sale. Cancel the permit by writing to UND Parking Services with your name, NDUS ID and the date you no longer need access. Permits bought or refunded from Aug. 16, 2026 to April 15, 2027 can be refunded on UND’s prorated schedule until April 30, 2027. If you are replacing the car, update the plate in the UND Parking Portal instead.
Where we pick up around Grand Forks
Grand Forks (58201 and 58203), the UND campus, East Grand Forks across the Red River in Minnesota (56721) and base housing at Grand Forks Air Force Base are all one service area. Pickup also reaches Emerado by the base and the farm towns around the city, out to Larimore and Northwood. A Minnesota title, or one from any other state, can still be sold here; see selling a car with an out-of-state title.
Selling it yourself first? Keep the For Sale sign in the driveway. Grand Forks city code says no vehicle may be left standing on any street or avenue for display, sale or exchange.
TMO, storage or the resale lot: your car’s options at Grand Forks AFB
For overseas orders, start at the Traffic Management Office, Building 408, 400 Eielson St. Military OneSource says the government will generally pay to ship one vehicle if your overseas installation allows it. Shipping runs through the Global POV Contract, and cars are dropped off by appointment at its vehicle processing centers. Its official site lists none in North Dakota or Minnesota; the U.S. centers it lists include Aurora, Colorado, and Pontoon Beach, Illinois.
If the car stays behind while you are overseas, ask the TMO about storage. Military OneSource says a car stored under the same contract never costs you out of pocket for monthly storage, while a commercial storage facility can leave you paying the balance above what the government reimburses.
If you sell, Outdoor Recreation (Building 621, 784 Eielson St.) lists cars in its resale lot on 3rd Avenue, in front of Building 409, for $14 per two weeks. You can also get an offer online and have the car picked up at base housing. With the title in hand and no loan on it, the offer, pickup and payment can all happen inside a week. If there is still a loan on it, read how to sell your car before a PCS move first.
Cash for your car in Grand Forks
Junk cars in Grand Forks have a legal definition. City code treats any vehicle that has gone unlicensed for more than 60 days, or has not run for more than 60 days, as a junk automobile. Keeping one on private property is unlawful unless it sits inside a completely enclosed building, so a car that has sat dead in the driveway for more than 60 days counts.
Parting it out in the yard is barred too: the code forbids removing parts from a car outside a completely enclosed building. After 48 hours’ written notice, police can remove a junk automobile from unenclosed private property. Each day of a violation is a separate offense, with a fine of up to $1,000.
If the garage is not an option, an old, wrecked or non-running car can still get an offer online, and we pick it up from where it sits. Cars with flood damage or a branded title can get an offer too; see selling a flood-damaged car. Here is how selling a junk car works.
If it has been sitting because of a seized engine or a transmission that slips or has no reverse, selling a car with a seized or blown engine and selling a car with a bad transmission explain those sales. For a wreck the insurer wrote off as a total loss, see selling a totaled car.
Street rules for a car that isn’t moving
- •A vehicle can’t stay on a city street, alley or other public property for more than 48 hours. Moving it no farther than one block or 300 feet, whichever is less, doesn’t reset the clock (City Code 8-0812)
- •Once a snow emergency is declared, parking is banned for 48 hours on snow emergency routes and 24 hours on other streets, lifting on each street when plowing there is done (City Code 8-0817)
- •A car the city removes comes back only after the owner pays the removal costs plus storage of $7.50 a day for the first seven days and $5 a day after that, on top of any fines (City Code 8-0825)
Asked by Grand Forks sellers
I live in East Grand Forks and the car has a Minnesota title. Does Minnesota want anything after the sale?
Yes. Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services says a sold vehicle must be reported to DVS. You do it online, marking the car "sold" if the buyer is in Minnesota or "removed from state" if the buyer is outside it. A sale to a licensed Minnesota dealer needs no report. We pick up in East Grand Forks just as we do in Grand Forks.
How does Grand Forks AFB say to get a car ready for winter?
The base's page on Military OneSource calls it a northern tier base subject to severe winter weather. It strongly recommends preparing personal vehicles before winter arrives in December, and warns that skipping it can mean unexpected repairs. The base Auto Skills center (Building 310, 425 7th Ave.) installs engine block heaters for $84.95 plus parts. It is open Tuesday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon.
How does a private buyer get onto Grand Forks AFB to see a car at the resale lot?
Start with the base's Virtual Visitor Control Center online, which gives the instructions for requesting visitor access. The Visitor Control Center itself is Building 812, open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and closed on federal holidays, down days and family days.
Do I need an appointment for title work in Grand Forks?
No. NDDOT's Grand Forks motor vehicle site, the North Dakota DMV office in town, is a title-issuing branch in Cities Mall at 1726 S. Washington St. You can book at 1-855-633-6835 or through NDDOT's online scheduler, and walk-ins are welcome. It is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on weekdays, and branch fees apply to its services.
If you are signing a North Dakota title, see what the seller fills in and what stays with you.