Selling a junk car in La Mirada

Why the city treats it as a nuisance

Section 10.08.010 explains the reasoning. The council found that stored wrecks reduce property values, "promote blight and deterioration," "invite plundering," create fire hazards, and form "an attractive nuisance creating a hazard to the health and safety of minors." On that basis, a car like that anywhere in the city other than a highway "is hereby declared to constitute a public nuisance." The city acts under the power California's Vehicle Code 22660 gives every city.

The yard: where a dead car cannot be

Single-family lots have their own standard in Section 21.72.060. Front yards, plus side yards along a street, must be kept "free and clear of" a long list that includes "inoperative motor vehicles" and automotive parts. Two allowances soften it:

• Driveway repairs. A resident may do "emergency or minor repairs" on an inoperative car they own, provided it is on pavement.
• A screened street-side yard counts as a rear yard, as long as an approved wall or fence keeps it out of view from the street.

Keep the six-day clock in mind even then. The yard rule says where a car may be. Section 10.08.130 says how long a dead one may stay.

If the city moves to remove it

1. Notice, 10 days ahead. Under 10.08.070, notice of a public hearing goes out by certified mail "at least ten days before the hearing," addressed to whoever the assessment roll lists as owning the land and to the car's most recent registered and legal owners. If a notice is returned undelivered, the hearing moves to at least ten days after the return.
2. The council hears it. Section 10.08.090 names the city council as hearing officer. The landowner may appear, or send a written statement denying responsibility for the car.
3. The order and the bill. The council can order removal and charge the administrative and removal costs to the land. If the car was put there without the landowner's consent and the landowner never accepted it, those costs are not assessed.

Title and plates in California

For a La Mirada sale, you as seller sign the Certificate of Title, a lienholder co-signs if listed, and the buyer carries it to the DMV along with the transfer fee. The DMV's seller instructions include no notary. Get REG 138 to the DMV within 5 days, electronically or by post, so that tickets issued later go to the buyer. Plain plates normally stay with the car. Years of sitting unregistered can mean back fees and penalties, which REG 102 (Planned Non-Operation) would have avoided if it was filed; see sitting for years and after you sell.

Nearby

As the crow flies: Buena Park 3.1 miles, La Habra 3.7, Cerritos 4.2 and Whittier 4.5. Statewide rules are on California.

Getting an offer

Reach us through the form or at (877) 421-6008 with the car and model year, mileage, if the engine starts, and the title situation. Pickup is free anywhere in the US. The truck can meet the car on a paved driveway, behind a screened side yard, or wherever it stopped.