Selling a junk or dead car in Long Beach

The three conditions at home

Section 21.41.283 lets you keep a dead car as an accessory use, but only if every condition holds:

• No more than two inoperative, dismantled or wrecked vehicles.
• "The storage shall be fully screened from public view."
• It sits "in the rear fifty percent (50%) of the lot" and does not block access to the garage.

A car in the front driveway with a flat and a cover fails the screening test and the rear-half test at once.

A notice on the windshield and in the mail

When the city moves to abate, Section 10.46.080 calls for "a ten (10) day notice of intention to abate and remove." It is posted on the car or the property and sent by certified mail to both the landowner on the assessment roll and the vehicle's owner. The notice gives you ten days "from the date of mailing of this notice" to remove the car.

Within those ten days, either owner can request a public hearing. Long Beach holds it before the Board of Examiners, Appeals and Condemnation (10.46.090). Owners may show up themselves or mail in a sworn statement for the board to weigh. The board "may delay the time for removal" if it thinks the facts justify it. Let the ten days lapse with no request and the city may haul the car off with no hearing at all.

When a citation turns into a levy

Long Beach can also handle a dead car through an administrative citation. If you are cited, don't fix it in time, and don't file a timely appeal, Section 9.65.160 adds a vehicle removal levy on top of the fines and late charges. That levy notice is served the same way as the citation.

Unpaid charges stick to the land, too. Under 10.46.200, no certificate of redemption for tax-defaulted property issues until vehicle removal and abatement charges on the tax roll "have first been paid in full."

Out on the street

The code sections we reviewed for Long Beach include no general street time limit for an ordinary car. Statewide, a car parked 72 hours or more without moving, against a local ordinance, can be towed, and the city may post its own limits.

California paperwork

The state DMV, not Los Angeles County, handles Long Beach titles. Your signature and any lienholder's go on the title, and the DMV's list of seller steps contains no notary. Five days after the sale is the limit for REG 138, which the DMV accepts on its website or through the mail. Ordinary plates usually stay on the car. Lapsed tags can mean back fees, as the FAQ below explains, and a wrecking or dismantling buyer means no smog test. Read car sitting for years and the California page for the rest.

Lakewood is 5.3 miles away as the crow flies, Seal Beach 5.9, Carson 6.2 and Bellflower 7.8. Their pages: Lakewood, Seal Beach, Carson.

Getting an offer

Use the form or ring (877) 421-6008. Send us the year and model, the miles, if it's still running, and what's going on with your paperwork. The truck comes to wherever the car is parked, including behind a side gate in the back half of the lot.