Selling a non-running car in Clovis

The rule itself

Section 5.27.104 makes it unlawful "to keep, maintain, or deposit on any property in the City any abandoned motor vehicle or any inoperative vehicle," or any part of one. Two of the section's exceptions apply when the car "is completely enclosed within a building in a lawful manner," or it "is not visible from the street or from other public or private property."

Section 5.27.403 repeats the point in its list of nuisances: "The presence of abandoned vehicles or improperly stored inoperative, wrecked, or dismantled vehicles on the property."

How the notice reaches you

• Who gets it. The notice is served in person or sent certified. It goes to the owner on the county's equalized or supplemental roll, or at a newer address the city has, and to the car's registered and legal owners.
• How long. At least 15 days to remove the car.
• Skipping it. No notice is needed when the property owner and the registered and legal owners of the car each sign a release giving it up.
• After removal. The city notifies the DMV within five days, sending along any registration card, ownership certificate or plates it finds. Rebuilding is off the table. Under Clovis code, it "shall not be reconstructed or made operable" unless horseless carriage or historical plates are open to it.

For a removed car valued under $200 where registration evidence turned up, the owners get notice before final disposal. The $200 is the code's legal test and has nothing to do with what your car would bring.

A pile of parts can be a junkyard

The zoning definitions in 9.120.020 call a lot a junkyard when "more than ten (10) square feet of the area is used for the storage of junk or salvaged materials," inoperable cars included, unless that material is completely enclosed. A long project with parts stacked along the fence can cross that line. Part it out or sell it whole compares the two paths.

California title and plate steps

No county office handles California titles. The state DMV's field offices do.

• Clovis sellers sign the Certificate of Title. Any lienholder signs it too. The buyer brings it in and pays $15 to transfer it. The DMV's seller instructions show no notary.
• In Clovis, file REG 138, the release of liability, with DMV within five days. Mail the paper form or use dmv.ca.gov/nrl. Later tickets then belong to the buyer.
• Standard plates usually stay on the car.
• No smog test applies to a Clovis car sold to be wrecked or dismantled.
• If the title is missing, start with REG 227, which costs $28.

Getting an offer

Selling a car in Clovis? Call (877) 421-6008 or use the form on this page. Our driver reaches Clovis garages, cul-de-sacs and shop lots all over town. In a straight line, Fresno is 6.9 miles away, Sanger 11.1 and Selma 18.1. More on state law at California.