Bell junk cars under California law

What state law leaves to the city

Vehicle Code 22660 lets Bell, as it lets every city and county, adopt an ordinance that calls "abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles" on public or private property public nuisances, hauls them off and bills the costs back. That means the private-property rule in Bell is a local one. Any city notice you receive will name the ordinance behind it. Read that section before you assume you have time.

On the street

Vehicle Code 22651 allows towing a car that breaks a local rule by sitting on a street 72 straight hours or more. Stripped cars get less time under Vehicle Code 22669: a car on public right-of-way lacking "an engine, transmission, wheels, tires, doors, windshield" or other needed parts can be taken right away.

For low-value cars, Vehicle Code 22851.3 sets the steps. A Bell car worth $500 or under gets a 72-hour notice posted before it is towed. Cars at $300 or under removed under 22669(d) skip that notice. Within 48 hours after removal, the owner is told. In Bell, the hearing request has a 10 day window. Miss it and the chance is gone. When 15 days have gone by since the notice, Bell may get rid of the car.

Walking away costs more than it saves

Vehicle Code 22523 stops a Bell resident from dumping a car on public property, or on someone else's land without that person's consent. The fine is $100 or more. An impounded car that no one claims can be sold by the tow company. For a Bell car valued at $4,000 or under, Civil Code 3072 applies. The yard mails a lien-sale notice, then sells the car 31 to 41 days later. Any shortfall lands on the last registered owner, unless the sale to someone else was already reported. A sale with REG 138 on record avoids that.

Title and plates from Bell

Whatever Bell's local code says, the paperwork is statewide and runs through the California DMV. In Bell, the title needs your signature and the signature of any listed lienholder. Next, the person buying the Bell car pays DMV its $15 fee to move the title over. The DMV doesn't ask a Bell seller to get anything notarized. Send REG 138 within 5 days after the sale. Regular plates usually go with the car, and a car being dismantled needs no Smog Check. If the registration ran out while the car sat, back fees and penalties pile up. Filing a Planned Non-Operation (REG 102) would have stopped that.

Nearby towns

Straight-line distances are short here: Maywood 0.8 miles, Cudahy 1.1, Bell Gardens 1.8 and Huntington Park 2.2. Statewide rules are on California.

Getting an offer

Online or by phone at (877) 421-6008, describe the car: year and model, approximate miles, running or dead, and the title's status. If the car is near the Maywood or Cudahy line, give the exact address. We can load it from the curb, a back lot or your driveway.