Selling a junk or dead car in Huntington Beach

The city's clock, step by step

The Director runs Huntington Beach's process, and it has four fixed points:

1. Notice. Once a car turns up, the city "may issue a 10-day notice of intention to abate." That notice "shall be mailed, by registered or certified mail, to the owner of the land as shown on the last equalized assessment roll and to the last registered and legal owner of record of the vehicle."
2. Hearing request. In Huntington Beach, the landowner or the car owner can request a public hearing up to 10 days after the mailing. Let that window pass and Huntington Beach can tow the car without ever holding a hearing.
3. Order. After a hearing, the Director rules on the nuisance question and fixes what the responsible person owes. The order says the car "shall be removed from the property within 15 days of the mailing of the order."
4. Disposal. A towed car left unclaimed at a scrapyard or dismantler for 12 days after the disposal notice goes out can be disposed of for good.

Ignoring an order is "unlawful and an infraction" under Section 8.48.010.

When the car isn't yours to blame

Two lines in the chapter work in a homeowner's favor. The Director "shall not assess the costs of administration or removal" against the land when the car "was placed on the property without the owner's consent." And the definitions spell out that "a vehicle which has been wrecked in a traffic accident, and which has been removed from the street to a storage facility, but which has not been claimed by its owner, is not an abandoned vehicle." Storage tied to a licensed dismantler, dealer, junk dealer or a lawful business also sits outside Chapter 8.48.

Title, smog and plates in California

Sacramento, not Orange County, keeps California's title records. Take the papers to a DMV field office, or mail them to the DMV in Sacramento at PO Box 942869 (ZIP 94269). A Huntington Beach seller signs the Certificate of Title. The DMV's steps for sellers never mention a notary. Lost the pink slip? Start with REG 227, which carries a $28 replacement fee; junk car with no title explains it.

California waives the Smog Check when a car changes hands to be wrecked or taken apart. Regular plates normally ride along with the car, yet an owner who applies to record it as Junk must turn those plates in to the DMV.

REG 138, the release of liability, is due from a Huntington Beach seller within five days of the sale. After the DMV logs it, any Huntington Beach parking or traffic ticket dated past the sale is the buyer's problem. After you sell lists the remaining chores.

Close by

Fountain Valley sits 3.2 miles off in a straight line, with Westminster at 3.8. Seal Beach and Costa Mesa are each under 6 miles away. The California page holds the statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Huntington Beach owners can call (877) 421-6008 or use the offer form. We collect off Brookhurst Street, beside the beach, or from a shop that gave up on it.