Selling a junk car in Bellflower

How Bellflower spots a neglected car

Bellflower's property nuisance rules sit in Section 8.36.020. They say plainly that "Abandoned personal property may include junk and vehicles." Abandoned or inoperable motor vehicles are also listed among hazards to children, along with open wells and old refrigerators.

The same section lists signs inspectors may use. They include vehicles with a "non-operational" status with DMV, or cars "lacking a current and valid registration, a working engine, transmission, wheels, inflated tires, doors, windshield". So filing for non-operation to stop paying fees does not take a car off that list.

Notices and appeals

The code excerpts we found do not set a fixed number of days. The deadline comes from the notice itself. The "abatement period" is the time or schedule "set forth in a notice of abatement". Read the date on your notice carefully, because that is the deadline. Appeals go to the City Manager or a designee, "who shall hear all timely appeals from a notice of public nuisance and intention to abate". The code promises a hearing only for timely appeals. This is Bellflower's version of the power that Vehicle Code 22660 gives every city. Bellflower may have more rules in sections we did not find.

Why dumping it costs more than selling it

State law adds its own price. Bellflower owners who abandon a car on a street, or on property that isn't theirs without permission, face a fine of at least $100. VC 22523 also requires proof that the removal bill was paid. Should it reach a tow yard and stay unclaimed, the last registered owner is cited for an infraction and stuck with any shortfall from the lien sale.

A Bellflower curb is no safer. A car stripped of wheels, doors or an engine on a public right-of-way may be hauled off at once under Vehicle Code 22669.

The one form that protects you

After a Bellflower sale you have five days to send REG 138. A Bellflower seller files it at dmv.ca.gov/nrl or posts it to the Sacramento address shown on the form. When the DMV enters it, Vehicle Code 5602 makes the Bellflower buyer answer for parking and traffic tickets and civil claims dated after the sale. Say the buyer dumps the car later. Under VC 22523, the report of sale you filed keeps you clear of the infraction and of any debt left over.

Bellflower titles are a state DMV matter, not a county one. You sign as seller; nothing in DMV's private-sale steps calls for a notary. Ordinary plates normally go with the car. A junking sale also skips the smog inspection. More in after you sell.

Getting an offer

Want a Bellflower junk car gone? Call (877) 421-6008 or start the form. A truck will come to the Bellflower driveway, apartment space or repair shop where it sits. Paramount, Lakewood and Norwalk are all within three miles. See California for the state page.