Selling a junk or dead car in Hawthorne

The letter that starts Hawthorne's 10-day clock

Chapter 10.68 is Hawthorne's use of the power Vehicle Code 22660 gives every California city. Section 10.68.010 declares that an "abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle or parts thereof, on private or public property not including highways" is a public nuisance.

The process runs on one piece of mail. Section 10.68.090 calls for "a ten-day notice of intention to abate and remove the vehicle", sent by registered or certified mail "to the owner of the land and to the owner of the vehicle". Section 8.20.090 repeats the registered-mail rule. The landowner must clear it "within 10 days from the date of mailing", or the city does the job with "the costs thereof, together with administrative costs, assessed to you as owner of the land".

The clock starts when the city mails the letter, not when you open it. A letter that sits on the counter for three days leaves you seven.

Asking for a hearing, or saying it is not yours

Either owner can request a hearing within those 10 days. The City Council holds it. Section 10.68.100 sends requests to the City Clerk, but the landowner notice says a request must be "received by the City Manager". Sending it to both is the safe move. Own the lot but not the car? The code accepts "a sworn written statement denying responsibility for the presence of the vehicle on his land" and counts it as a hearing request you need not attend. The council mails word of the date "at least ten days before the hearing".

Stay silent and the code is blunt: the city may remove the car "without holding a public hearing."

If a Hawthorne car ends up on a tow lot

Street parking adds a second risk. A Hawthorne car parked on one street for 72 hours or more, Three days, against a city ordinance can be towed under VC 22651. From there the tow company holds a lien for its towing and storage charges. Civil Code 3072 sets the sale for a Hawthorne car valued at $4,000 or under between day 31 and day 41 after the yard mails its "Notice of Pending Lien Sale." You have only ten days to return a Declaration of Opposition and get a court hearing. An unredeemed car can leave its last registered owner paying any shortfall, and the shield against that is a report of sale on file (VC 22523). See towed or impounded.

Title, plates and the DMV

Hawthorne sellers deal with the state DMV, not Los Angeles County, for the title. Put your name on the seller's line. For a private sale in Hawthorne, the DMV's steps don't require a notary. After that the buyer handles it and pays the $15 transfer fee. No title in the drawer? Start with REG 227.

Your own deadline is five days. REG 138 lets the DMV know the car is sold. Hawthorne sellers can send it by post or submit it online at dmv.ca.gov/nrl. Once the DMV has it on record, Vehicle Code 5602 makes the Hawthorne buyer answer for later tickets and lawsuits. Ordinary plates usually go with the car. And if a PNO covered the idle years, no back fees pile up for them; without one, fees and penalties are due for each unregistered year. After you sell has the rest.

Getting an offer

Selling a junk car in Hawthorne? Call (877) 421-6008 or start with the offer form. The truck comes to the Hawthorne address where the car is parked: a driveway, a carport, the shop where it quit. Neighbors in Lawndale and Gardena have their own pages, and California covers the statewide rules.