Selling a junk car in Hemet

Five days, and never in the front yard

Section 30-66 targets any vehicle "in an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative condition upon any private property or public property, not including highways," and makes leaving one there "for a period in excess of five days" a misdemeanor. The zoning rules for residential and agricultural lots in Section 78-153 go further: "Inoperable vehicles are prohibited from parking in the front setback area," and "Unlicensed, inoperable, dismantled, wrecked vehicles or any vehicle parks shall be stored within a building."

The notice and what follows

Section 30-59 has Hemet send its ten-day notice of intention by registered or certified mail to both the landowner and the car's owner. It names the car by make, model, license number and VIN when those are known. If no one responds or does anything, the city manager or chief of police can order it removed with no hearing. The landowner gets the bill, administrative costs too. Ignore a removal order and Section 30-67 adds a second misdemeanor.

There is a shortcut for the worst wrecks. A car missing "a motor, transmission, or wheels" that cannot be towed, is worth under two hundred dollars, and poses an immediate threat can go without the notice; that dollar line is the code's yardstick for removal, not what a car sells for. Owners of record are told first and get 12 days to collect it before final disposal.

Street parking

Section 78-131 forbids parking a vehicle on any Hemet street or alley "for any period exceeding 72 consecutive hours." A car parked past that can be removed under the state Vehicle Code.

PNO, back fees and the title

Hemet tags that lapsed with no PNO (REG 102) filed leave the owner a DMV bill. Fees and penalties stack up for each lapsed year. More at car sitting for years. When an insurer or owner decides repairs make no economic sense, California calls the car total loss salvage and swaps the title for a salvage certificate. The brand printed for it is Salvaged, a word that also covers flood damage and previously dismantled cars; California has no separate flood brand. See salvage title.

For an ordinary Hemet sale, title work goes through DMV field offices run by the state. Your signature goes on the title, a lender's too if one is listed, and then it is the buyer's job to submit it. The DMV's steps for sellers include no notary. Send REG 138 inside five days, on the web or by post. Normal plates usually go with the car. A car sold to be taken apart needs no Smog Check.

Getting an offer

Have these ready: year, make, model, miles on the clock, starts or not, title in hand or not. Then go online or call (877) 421-6008. The truck can come to the house, the building where the car is stored, or a shop. Nearby pages: San Jacinto, 4.5 miles away, plus Beaumont, Menifee and Perris. The California page has the statewide rules.