Selling a junk or dead car in Los Banos

That is one reason to sell instead of letting it sit. We buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, pickup is free anywhere in the US, and REG 138 lets you put the sale on record yourself.

Los Banos's own rule: Title 5

Los Banos covers dead cars in Title 5 of its municipal code. The council adopted it under Vehicle Code 22660 "to remove abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles, or parts thereof, as public nuisances." A company the city contracts with may "enter upon private property" to remove a car declared a nuisance.

• 10 days' notice. Los Banos mails a "10 day notice of intention to abate and remove a vehicle" by registered or certified mail, addressed to the landowner plus the car's last registered and legal owners.
• Sometimes no notice. None is needed if the car "is inoperable due to the absence of a motor, transmission, or wheels and incapable of being towed," if it "is valued at less than $200," or if the Enforcement Officer finds it a nuisance that presents an immediate threat.
• Hearing requests in 10 days. A Los Banos landowner or car owner may ask for one "within 10 days after the mailing of the notices." It is held by the City Clerk or a designee.
• Five days to disposal. "Five days after adoption of the order," or five days from mailing of the decision under Section 5-1.11(d), the car may go by "removal to a scrap yard or automobile dismantler's yard." After an appeal to the Traffic Safety Committee, the wait is 15 days.

A stripped car that cannot be towed may get no notice at all.

Four state rules that reach Los Banos

Curbside. Vehicle Code 22651: after 72 or more consecutive hours parked on a street in breach of a local ordinance, a car may be towed.

Stripped shells. Section 22669 lets a peace officer or designated city employee remove a car from a highway or public or private land if they think it was abandoned. Cars on a public right-of-way that lack an engine, wheels, doors, a windshield or other needed parts may be pulled at once.

The $500 line. In Los Banos, Section 22851.3 applies to abandoned cars worth $500 or less. That figure is a legal cutoff, not what a car sells for. A notice sits on the car for 72 hours before it can be removed. Los Banos waives that step when 22669(d) is used to remove a car of $300 or less. Los Banos notifies the owner of a tow within 48 hours. The owner has 10 days to seek a hearing, and the car could be disposed of 15 days after notice.

Dumping. State law forbids leaving a Los Banos car on a highway. It also forbids leaving one on someone else's property without their OK. Los Banos fines start at $100, and you must show the removal was paid for.

What happens at the tow yard

Civil Code 3068.1 gives the towing or storage business a possessory lien. Civil Code 3072 covers Los Banos cars worth $4,000 or less. Once the lien arises, the yard must begin the lien sale within 15 days. The Los Banos owner then gets a "Notice of Pending Lien Sale" by mail. Once the notice goes out by mail, a Los Banos lien sale takes place between day 31 and day 41. A Los Banos owner gets a court hearing by returning a Declaration of Opposition within 10 days. Steps to take before that date are in towed or impounded.

Paperwork in Merced County

California titles belong to the state DMV; no county title counter exists.

• Seller's signature, plus the lienholder's if there is a loan. DMV's seller instructions show no notary step.
• No smog inspection is needed when a Los Banos car is headed for wrecking or dismantling.
• Most plates stay with the vehicle.
• REG 138 within five days. Vehicle Code 5602 is why it matters: once recorded, it shields the former owner if the new one later dumps the car.

The California page lists the remaining rules.

Neighboring towns

Straight-line miles from Los Banos: Atwater 24.1, Merced 26.6, Turlock 30.6, Hollister 34.0.

Getting an offer

Have a car in Los Banos? Call (877) 421-6008 or send the form. Pickup can be a Los Banos driveway, a ranch yard or a shop lot.