Town guide · California
Hercules: selling a junk or dead car under California law
We couldn't locate the Hercules municipal code online. This page uses California law, and Hercules could have extra rules on top. Vehicle Code 22660 gives each city the option of an ordinance on abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles, so ask Hercules before trusting any deadline here as the only one. If a sale settles it sooner, we buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, and pickup is free anywhere in the US, from a Hercules garage to the curb.
Updated · 11 sources
Hercules, the short version
- Population
- 26,326 (Census estimate, July 1, 2025)
- County
- Contra Costa
- Land area
- 6.413 sq mi
- City junk-car code
- Not found online; state law used here
- Low-value abandoned car
- 72-hour notice posted first (VC 22851.3)
- Replacement title
- REG 227, $28 fee
- Release of liability
- REG 138, 5 days
Removal powers under state law
Under Vehicle Code 22669, a peace officer, or a city, county or state worker given that job, can remove a car they think is abandoned from a highway or any public or private property. Gone parts make it faster. A car on a Hercules street can be hauled away right away if it lacks its doors, windshield, engine, wheels, tires or transmission. Streets carry a separate risk under Vehicle Code 22651, which permits a tow after 72 straight hours parked against a local ordinance.
Cheap cars, short clock
An abandoned car worth $500 or less falls under Vehicle Code 22851.3. Those dollar lines are legal tests, nothing more:
- Hercules posts a notice on the car 72 hours before removal (except $300-or-less cars taken under 22669(d))
- within 48 hours afterward, the owner is notified
- disposal can happen 15 days after that notice
- a Hercules owner can request a hearing within 10 days
Junking versus selling
California asks an owner who plans to dismantle a car to first apply with the DMV to record it as Junk. Dismantle first and an investigative service fee follows. No dismantler license is needed for an individual to junk a car. On that application, the car's plates go back to the DMV. Selling instead keeps you on the normal transfer route below.
Hercules title problems
Lost the title? Start with REG 227, filed in person or by mail. It costs $28, and the replacement normally shows up by mail within 15-30 days. When no usual ownership proof exists, the DMV sorts by value. At $5,000 and up you need a motor vehicle bond. For a Hercules car under $5,000, no bond is needed when you hand in ownership papers and a Statement of Facts (REG 256) saying where the car came from, its value, and that it carries no lien. Selling with no title goes through it.
Closing the sale
Your job is the signature. Filing is the buyer's. Next, within 5 days, a Hercules seller sends in REG 138, the release of liability. Normal plates typically stay put. California has the remaining state rules.
Getting an offer
Phone (877) 421-6008 or send the offer form for your Hercules car. Pages nearby cover San Pablo (5.0 miles), Vallejo (6.1) and Richmond (6.2).
Questions people ask
- Is there a Hercules ordinance on junk cars?
- Hercules' code wasn't online for us. Any California city may adopt one under Vehicle Code 22660, so check with Hercules rather than leaning on state law alone.
- Can a stripped car be towed from a Hercules street right away?
- Yes. Vehicle Code 22669 applies to a Hercules car on public ground once parts like its transmission, tires, wheels, engine, doors or windshield are missing.
- What if my Hercules car has no title and no other ownership papers?
- Start with REG 227. When a Hercules owner lacks the usual proof, a car under $5,000 can go through with ownership papers and REG 256, a Statement of Facts, and no bond. At $5,000 or more a bond is required.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.
- California Vehicle Code 22660 (local abatement ordinances) california.public.law
- California Vehicle Code 22669 (removal of abandoned vehicles) california.public.law
- California Vehicle Code 22651 (72-hour street towing) california.public.law
- California Vehicle Code 22851.3 (low-value abandoned vehicles) california.public.law
- California DMV: junking a vehicle (individual) dmv.ca.gov
- California DMV: registration fees dmv.ca.gov
- California DMV: title transfers and changes dmv.ca.gov
- California DMV: REG 138 Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability dmv.ca.gov
- California DMV: license plates dmv.ca.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau city population estimates, 2020-2025 www2.census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau 2025 Gazetteer (land area) www2.census.gov