Selling a dead or junk car in Calexico

The 120-hour street limit

Section 10.24.040: "It is unlawful for any person to park or leave standing, or cause to be parked or left standing, any vehicle upon any public street in the city for one hundred twenty or more consecutive hours." That's five days. The same cap covers the city parking area on Lot 9, River Tract, under Section 10.24.230. There, "Any regularly employed and salaried police officer may remove or cause to be removed" a car left past the limit, and the garage that stores it holds a lien for towing and keeping it. Our towed or impounded guide explains what follows.

On private property: the abatement chapter

Chapter 8.48 opens with the council's findings in Section 8.48.030. They conclude that "the presence of an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle, or part thereof, on private or public property, except as expressly permitted in this chapter, constitutes a public nuisance." The council pointed to blight, plundering, fire hazards, danger to children and "a harborage for rodents."

When the city acts, Section 8.48.070 calls for a ten-day notice. "The notice of intention shall contain a statement of the hearing rights of the owner of the property on which the vehicle is located and of the owner of the vehicle." The city can skip that notice for a car that "is inoperable due to the absence of a motor, transmission, or wheels and incapable of being towed, is valued at less than two hundred dollars" by a person the Vehicle Code names, and that is found to be "a public nuisance presenting an immediate threat to public health or safety." That $200 is a legal threshold set by the code, not anyone's offer. Even then, if registration papers are recovered, the registered and legal owners get notice. The car must be claimed and removed within twelve days after it is mailed.

Asking for a hearing

Section 8.48.090 puts hearings before the city manager or another designated hearing officer. The request has to reach the city "within ten days after the mailing of notice of intention to abate and remove the vehicle or at the time of signing a release." The code adds: "If the owner of the land on which the vehicle is located submits a sworn written statement denying responsibility for the presence of the vehicle on his or her land within that time period, this statement shall be construed as a request for hearing that does not require the presence of the owner submitting the request." With no request, the city may remove the car.

One rule protects landlords. Where the hearing finds the car landed on the property "without the consent of the landowner" and was never accepted, the city manager "shall not assess costs of administration or removal of the vehicle against the property."

California paperwork for the sale

Imperial County doesn't title cars. The state's California DMV does, in its field offices and by mail. Calexico sellers sign the Certificate of Title, with a lender co-signing where a lien exists. The buyer files it and pays $15. You won't need a notary for that: the DMV's seller steps list no notary. Then file REG 138, online or by post, inside five days.

Smog: junking excuses the car from the inspection a seller would usually owe the buyer, so a car that failed inspection can still go. Plates: standard ones generally stay with the car, but recording it as Junk sends them back. Lost title: apply on REG 227, which costs $28.

Nearby

El Centro is 8.0 miles away in a straight line, Imperial 11.5 and Brawley 20.4. Statewide rules are on the California page.

Getting an offer

Fill in the form or call (877) 421-6008. In Calexico, start with the form. We collect from driveways, repair shops, or lots by the border crossing.