Selling a junk or dead car in Lawndale

What counts as a nuisance in Lawndale

Section 10.16.020 draws its power from Vehicle Code 22660, which lets cities act on this. It declares that "an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle, or part thereof, on private or public property, not including highways" is a public nuisance. So a pulled engine resting in a side yard is covered, not only a whole car.

Section 10.16.050 carves out two cases. Lawndale exempts a car "completely enclosed within a building in a lawful manner where it is not visible from the street or other public or private property." It also exempts cars kept for business by a junk dealer, licensed dealer or licensed dismantler. A tarp over the hood is neither.

Who gets the letter, and what it says

Two people get Lawndale's letter: the registered owner of the car, and the landowner listed on the last equalized assessment roll. Renters should know their landlord gets a copy, and Lawndale bills removal plus administrative costs to the owner of the land.

Inside those 10 days you can haul the car off, or ask the Municipal Services Manager for a public hearing. Miss the window with no request and the manager gains "the authority to abate and remove said vehicle." The letter also says refusing to remove a car once ordered is a criminal violation.

Once the city hauls it away

Section 10.16.160 gives Lawndale five days after a removal to tell the DMV. Along with that notice it forwards "any evidence of registration available, including registration certificates, certificates of title and license plates." Once that happens, the car and its paperwork are both out of your hands. If the car has already vanished from the curb, start with towed or impounded.

Vehicle Code 22651 lets Lawndale tow a car from a public street once it has sat 72 straight hours against a city parking ordinance.

The California paperwork

Lawndale sellers deal with the state DMV for titles, since California has no county title counters. Walk into any DMV field office, or post the papers to the department's Sacramento box: PO Box 942869, 94269.

• Your signature. As the seller, you sign the certificate of title. Any lienholder on record adds theirs. A Lawndale seller won't see a notary anywhere in the DMV's instructions.
• The five-day form. REG 138 tells the DMV you have let the car go. Within 5 days, Lawndale sellers either mail it in or file at dmv.ca.gov/nrl. Vehicle Code 5602 then shifts later tickets and lawsuits onto the buyer.
• Smog. Selling a car for scrap or dismantling takes the Smog Check off your list.
• Plates. When a Lawndale car is sold, its regular California plates normally go with it. If it gets reported as Junk, those plates go back to the DMV.
• Title missing? A $28 REG 227 gets you a new one. See selling with no title.

Getting an offer

For a number, call (877) 421-6008 or use the form. Send the form about your Lawndale car and we'll get back to you. With free pickup anywhere in the US, a driver can load the car from a driveway off Rosecrans Avenue, an apartment carport, or the shop where it died. Hawthorne and Gardena are both under 3 miles away, and state-level rules live on the California page.