Town guide · California
Selling a dead or junk car in Hollister
Hollister gives a broken-down car a month. Section 10.40.150 makes it "unlawful and a misdemeanor" to keep a car or parts "in an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative condition upon any private property or public property not including highways" for "a period in excess of 30 days," subject to the code's exceptions. That is ten times the three-day limit in Santa Clara, and breaking it is a misdemeanor. When the car is past saving, we buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.
Updated · 12 sources
Hollister, the short version
- Population
- 45,695 (Census estimate, July 1, 2025)
- County
- San Benito
- Junk-car rule
- City Code Chapter 10.40
- Limit on a dead car
- 30 days, then a misdemeanor
- Notice
- 10 days, by registered mail
- Street limit
- 72 consecutive hours
- Lost title, car under $5,000
- No bond; REG 256 Statement of Facts
- Release of liability
- REG 138 within 5 days
What counts as inoperable in Hollister
The city's building code amendments describe an inoperable vehicle as one "which cannot be driven upon the public streets for reasons including but not limited to being registered non-operational, unlicensed, wrecked, abandoned, in a state of disrepair, missing components, incapable of being moved under its own power." So that definition takes in a truck on Planned Non-Operation, not just a wreck.
The city council's findings in Section 10.40.010 explain why. Such cars "reduce the value of private property," promote blight, invite plundering and create fire hazards.
The registered letter and the hearing
Two registered letters go out from Hollister: the landowner gets one, and the car's owner gets the other. Section 10.40.090 gives "ten days from the date of mailing" to remove the car. Otherwise the city removes it and bills the landowner for the cost plus administrative costs.
- Ask for a hearing within 10 days. The city council hears it under Section 10.40.100, with at least 10 days' mailed notice of the date.
- Not your car? If a landowner swears in writing the car isn't his responsibility, that counts as asking for a hearing. He doesn't have to show up.
- Silence means removal. With no request, the city can abate the car without a hearing.
- Refusing an order is its own misdemeanor under Section 10.40.150.
On the street, Section 10.20.090 caps parking at 72 consecutive hours before police may remove the car.
Paperwork for a San Benito County seller
Being in San Benito County changes nothing about titles: the state DMV handles them. You sign as the seller, plus any lender. A notary isn't among the DMV's private-sale steps. If the paperwork is gone, value decides the path. Below $5,000, skip the bond. In Hollister you hand in ownership papers plus REG 256, the Statement of Facts naming the prior owner, giving the value and confirming no liens. At $5,000 and above, the DMV wants a motor vehicle bond. See car not in your name.
Smog Check is required statewide at a change of ownership, even in the more rural Change of Ownership areas that test only at sale. Cars sold for wrecking get a pass. REG 138 is due in five days, and ordinary plates remain on the car.
Getting an offer
Phone (877) 421-6008 or fill in the offer form for your Hollister car. Pickup can be from a rural property, a home driveway or a mechanic's lot. Nearby: Gilroy, Salinas and Watsonville. State rules are on California.
Questions people ask
- Is there a rule on how many days a dead car can stay at my Hollister house?
- Thirty days. After that, Section 10.40.150 treats keeping a broken-down car on your lot as a misdemeanor, apart from the exceptions the section lists.
- What does Hollister count as an inoperable vehicle?
- Hollister's changes to the building code describe a car that can't be legally driven on public streets. Reasons include a non-operational registration, no license, a wreck, disrepair, missing components, or not being able to move on its own.
- Who hears my appeal in Hollister?
- The city council hears it. Your request is due 10 days after the notice was mailed, and a landowner may swear in writing that the car is not his instead of coming in person.
- I have no title for an old car worth little. Can I still sell it?
- Usually. No bond is required in Hollister when the car is worth under $5,000. Bring the DMV your REG 256 and whatever ownership papers you have for the Hollister car. A Hollister owner uses that form to explain where the car came from, give its value, and say nobody holds a lien.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.
- Hollister City Code 10.40.010, Findings of council library.municode.com
- Hollister City Code 10.40.090, Notices to owners of land and vehicle library.municode.com
- Hollister City Code 10.40.100, Public hearing library.municode.com
- Hollister City Code 10.40.150, Unlawful acts library.municode.com
- Hollister City Code 15.04.056, Amendments (inoperable vehicle defined) library.municode.com
- Hollister City Code 10.20.090, Time limit for parking on streets library.municode.com
- U.S. Census Bureau city population estimates, 2020-2025 www2.census.gov
- California DMV: Junking a vehicle (individual) 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
- Bureau of Automotive Repair: Smog Check reference guide bar.ca.gov
- California DMV: License plates dmv.ca.gov