Selling a junk or dead car in Baldwin Park

Reading the Baldwin Park sections side by side

• Section 153.040.080(6): inoperable vehicles may not be stored "at any time except in an enclosed storage facility approved by the Building and Planning Divisions."
• Section 95.02(U): a nuisance exists when an "inoperable vehicle in any yard area visible from any public place" stays "for any period in excess of 72 hours."
• Section 153.120.460(D): no one may park "an abandoned or inoperable automobile" on a private driveway "for more than seven days."
• Section 153.130.080: yards must be kept free of "unlicensed or inoperative vehicles", along with junk and broken furniture.

Over all of them, Section 90.02 declares any "abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative" vehicle on private or public property, apart from highways, a public nuisance to be removed and disposed of.

Repairs at home have limits too

Fixing the car is allowed, within limits. Under 153.040.080, repairs belong in "a completely enclosed garage". The other option is a rear yard fully enclosed by a 6-foot fence that screens it from the street and the neighbors. The section holds two lists of repair rules. One says "Major repair to any one vehicle shall not exceed 5 calendar days in any 30-day period." The other says "Repair to any one vehicle shall not exceed two calendar days in any 30-day period." The excerpt we have does not say which list covers which property. An engine swap that drags on for weeks breaks that rule.

You cannot sell it from a parking lot

Section 153.120.460 also says no one may park a vehicle "in a public or private parking lot or area for the purpose of offering the vehicle for sale." A For Sale sign in a shopping center lot is out. Selling to a buyer who picks up from your property avoids that rule.

Smog, brands and the title

Sellers in California normally hand over a passing Smog Check. Junking is the exception, so a Baldwin Park car that failed its test can still be sold whole for scrap. If an insurer totaled it, the title may carry the Salvaged brand. Flood damage falls under that Salvaged brand too; California has no separate flood brand.

The state DMV handles the title for Baldwin Park sellers, not the county. Baldwin Park sellers just sign the seller's line, since DMV's private-sale steps call for no notary. Missing title? REG 227 comes first. Within five days of selling, send in REG 138, the release, using dmv.ca.gov/nrl or the mail. Regular plates normally stay on the car. Vanity or special plates are another matter, since the owner can pay to move them to a different car. See part it out or sell it whole.

Getting an offer

Use the form or call (877) 421-6008. Tell us about your Baldwin Park car. Our truck can take it from your driveway, behind a fence or inside the garage. El Monte, La Puente and West Covina are a few miles away. The statewide picture is on California.