Selling a dead or junk car in Fontana

Two notices, two start dates

Fontana's abandoned-vehicle article starts at 17-256, which relies on Vehicle Code 22660 and declares "the presence of an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle, or part thereof, on private or public property, not including highways," a public nuisance.

The notice of intention goes "by registered or certified mail" to the landowner and to the vehicle's owner, and the two versions word the deadline differently:

• The landowner's notice: remove it "within ten days from the date of mailing of this notice," or the city does the job and bills the landowner for it, administrative costs included.
• The registered owner's notice: remove it "within ten days from the day after the mailing of this notice of intention," or ask for a hearing.

Either way, the count runs from the post office, not from your mailbox.

The hearing at Community Development

If the request comes on time, Section 17-265 has Fontana's director of community development hold a public hearing, with notice mailed "at least ten days prior to the date of the hearing." A landowner who won't attend can send a sworn written denial of responsibility by mail within the ten days, and Fontana counts that as a hearing request.

Under 17-266 the director "may delay the time for removal" if circumstances justify it. In Fontana, if the car was dropped without the property owner's consent and never accepted afterward, the director shall not bill the removal and administrative costs to the property. Otherwise the order identifies the car by VIN and plate, and the landowner gets the bill.

Breakdowns at the pumps

Service stations get a rule of their own. The zoning code's conditions for automobile fueling stations (30-533) require repair work inside a "completely enclosed building" and say "No outdoor storage of inoperative vehicle or vehicles under repair shall be permitted on the site." A station can't let your dead car sit out by the pumps.

Oversized vehicles on residential streets

Section 17-162 bars parking "any oversized vehicle for a period longer than four consecutive hours" on a public street in a residential zone. A resident can get a free temporary permit from the chief of police to park one beside their home (17-165), but permits can't run back to back: "a minimum of 48 consecutive hours" has to pass between them. A broken oversized vehicle can't live on that schedule.

Title, smog and plates

California keeps titles at the state level, so there's no San Bernardino County counter for this; DMV field offices and the mail handle it. Sign the seller's line on the Certificate of Title, add a lender's signature if there is one, and pass it to the buyer to file. No notary shows up in the DMV's instructions for sellers. After a Fontana sale, REG 138 releases you from liability. It is due within 5 days. Selling to a dismantler means no smog certificate, and regular plates normally go with the car. With no title in hand, REG 227 is the starting point; junk car with no title walks through it, and junk car removal explains pickup.

Next door

Rialto is 4.2 miles from Fontana as the crow flies, Rancho Cucamonga 6.1 and Jurupa Valley 7.4. See California for statewide rules.

Getting an offer

For a Fontana car, phone (877) 421-6008 or use the form. The truck comes to a driveway, a residential street, or the lot of the station where it quit.