Selling a junk or dead car in Danville

The abatement letter

Chapter 4-7 is the removal process. Section 4-7.1 finds that "the presence of an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle or parts thereof, on private or public property not including highways" is a public nuisance.

Section 4-7.6 then calls for "a 10 day notice of intention to abate and remove an abandoned vehicle as a public nuisance," sent "by registered or certified mail, to the owner of the land and to the owner of the vehicle." Three things must be in it:

• a cost estimate covering administrative and removal work
• the line that this cost "may be levied as a special assessment on the landowner's land"
• the hearing rights of both owners

For a homeowner whose relative or tenant left a car behind, that second item deserves a careful read. Danville can put the charge on the parcel itself.

Shells under $200

One exception applies only to cars on agricultural land. There, Danville skips the notice for one "inoperable due to the absence of a motor, transmission or wheels and incapable of being towed," valued "at less than two hundred dollars" by a person listed in Vehicle Code 22855, provided the landowner signed a release. Where registration turns up, owners hear first, and disposal may follow if the car "is not claimed and removed within twelve days after the notice is mailed."

Town roads

On the street side, Section 8-2.3 reads: "Any vehicle parked or left standing on a municipal road for seventy-two (72) or more consecutive hours may be removed as provided in the Vehicle Code." Section 8-2.5 adds posted removals, allowed "twenty-four (24) hours thereafter." A dead battery stops neither clock, and shoving a stalled sedan along the curb to reset one is rarely practical.

Title, liability and plates in California

California has no county title office. The state DMV does title work at its field offices, and mail works too. In a private sale the DMV lists two signatures, the seller's and any lienholder's, after which the buyer files the title.

Your own deadline is five days. The form is REG 138, filed online or on paper. Once DMV records it, Vehicle Code 5602 hands responsibility for post-sale tickets and lawsuits to whoever bought the car. Ordinary plates remain on the vehicle when it changes hands. A Junk application is the exception, since applying to junk a car means surrendering its plates. After you sell lists the loose ends.

Getting an offer

Ring (877) 421-6008 or use the form. For a Danville car, the short form tells us what we need. With free pickup anywhere in the US, a driver can collect it where it died, be that a driveway a few blocks from the Clock Tower square or a mechanic's back lot. San Ramon lies 3.8 miles off and Walnut Creek 7.3; statewide detail is on the California page.