"Lost title" rules in Indiana? 70s F150
 

My uncle has an old F150 he's going to give me for a parts truck but it doesn't have a title. What can I do about this?

I worry most about a neighbor getting mad about having a second old F150 sitting in pieces in the back yard and calling the cops, it then getting towed or me getting in trouble for having it. I don't really plan on driving it.

I searched the BMV and all related websites but wasn't able to find anything on the subject.. I always thought it was legal to have a non-registered non-titled vehicle on private property but he told me they've already towed two vehicles off of his property because they weren't tagged.

Depends upon your locality. Some localities (including Indianapolis/Marion County) have junk vehicle ordinances. Plain and simple - no plate it's considered "junk vehicle" and subject to towing even if on private property.

If its within a fenced area or in a garage it's usually OK. The city doesn't go around looking for junk vehicles, they just react upon neighbor complaints.

IANAL. YMMV.

Yup. I'll tow junk vehicles on the street if they are blocking traffic, on the sidewalk, etc. don't bother with private property tows unless the vehicle returns stolen. NROs, or Neighborhood Resource Officers, are the ones who deal with neighborhood complaints like that and will take action for junk vehicles.

Edited to include specifics of code:

Inoperable motor vehicle means:
a. A motor vehicle, racing vehicle, recreational vehicle, trailer, camper, boat, airplane, bus, truck, or similar vehicle from which has been removed engine, transmission or differential parts or that is otherwise partially dismantled or mechanically inoperable; or

b. Any motor vehicle, racing vehicle, recreational vehicle, trailer, camper, boat, airplane, bus, truck, or similar vehicle, which cannot be driven, towed or hauled on a city street without being subject to the issuance of a traffic citation by reason of its operating condition or the lack of a valid license plate.


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2) Storing of inoperable motor vehicles in dwelling districts: no motor vehicle, machine, motor, or similar device from which any part material to the operation of the vehicle has been removed, or which is inoperable for any reason, shall be stored, maintained or kept on any property in a dwelling district unless such device is:a. Owned or leased by the resident of the property on which it is stored or by a member of that person's family; and further is,

b. Completely within an accessory structure.

Indiana
go to the bmv,if he was the owner and had a title on it in his name at one time he can apply for a lost title,if it was handed around from person to person without a title it is still possible to get a title for it threw the bmv with an affidavit and a police check.
Or you can just put a car cover it and they might not mess with ya.
I have a car in my back yard and it is covered and i am in Marion County and there is no eng or trans in it and i don't even have a title.the title had a support lein on it but i just use it for parts,when im done it will go to a salvage yard that my buddy owns or it will burried with a backhoe.

If you're not going to drive it, then there's no reason for a title. My friend just got warned about a truck in the side yard with no differentials on it. He called the county enforcement and they said once he get the differentials and wheels/tires back on, which he already has, just move it a few feet every week then it can't be considered inoperable.

I almost sued the city a few years ago because some jerk in my neighborhood kept saying my RV was parked illegally, but it wasn't. Anyway, a new dipstick would come out from code enforcement each time and warn me, of course not in person but by letter in the mail. I'd call and ask what law I was breaking and they'd tell me I couldn't park in the yard yet it was parked on cement, just as the law requires. The code enforcers just were too lazy to get out of their city owned cars to even bother to look and see the cement. It was much easier to drive by and send letters. After the third warning in 2 years I had a lawyer send them a cease letter that the next warning would result in a court filing. They've yet to write back. Oh, I sent them a letter every week for 3 months, outlining 10 other property owners breaking the law that they seemed to allow. The best one was a sheriff deputy parked in his front yard. That one I had to get a picture of. I sent the picture with my letter. Code enforcement has it's place, but those jerks just love the power they think they have.