Selling a junk car in Lancaster

Five days, then a misdemeanor

Section 10.08.160 makes it "unlawful and a misdemeanor" to leave "any licensed or unlicensed vehicle or part thereof which is in an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative condition" on private or public property, streets aside, "for a period in excess of five days." Defying an abatement order afterward counts as a second misdemeanor under Section 10.08.170.

How the notice works

Lancaster's City Manager, or a designee, runs this. Lancaster sends both the car's owner and the land's owner a registered letter. It is a 10-day notice of intention to abate. The notice says to remove it "within ten (10) days from the date of mailing of this notice." If that doesn't happen, the city removes the car and charges the landowner for the job plus administrative costs.

Either owner may ask for a hearing inside the same ten days. The notice is skipped entirely when "the property owner and the owner of the vehicle have signed releases authorizing removal and waiving further interest."

Two more details matter. "Neither the city, nor any contractor thereof shall be liable for damage caused to a vehicle" during removal. And for a low-value car taken with no notice, the city still writes to its owners before disposal if registration papers turn up; they get 12 days to claim it.

The street rule

Lancaster's parking code says "a person shall not leave a vehicle parked on a highway for more than seventy-two (72) consecutive hours." Nudging it a few spaces doesn't reset anything, because a car stays "left parked" until it moves more than "one block or three hundred (300) feet, whichever is greater." The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department or a city parking employee then moves it "to a safe place." After a tow yard takes it in, storage charges attach to the car as a lien. Our towed or impounded guide explains what follows.

California title and plates

The state DMV, through field offices or mail to Sacramento, keeps every California title. You sign on the seller's line. A title that's gone needs REG 227 and a $28 replacement fee.

Since the car is going to a dismantler, there's no Smog Check to arrange. Plates stay on an ordinary car through the sale, though filing to record it as Junk means the plates get turned in. In Lancaster, filing REG 138 inside five days of the handover puts later tickets on the buyer, not you.

Nearby

As the crow flies, Palmdale sits 8.1 miles off. Santa Clarita is 26.6 miles and San Fernando 31.7. The California page covers the state rules.

Getting an offer

Use the form or call (877) 421-6008. Give us the car's details (year, make, model), its rough mileage, if it can drive itself anywhere, and if you have a title for it. Cars without an engine or wheels are fine too; see missing parts. Our truck reaches tract homes, ranch parcels and garages just off the Boulevard.