Selling a dead or junk car in Pasadena

Pasadena's letter and hearing

Chapter 9.58 covers the cases that reach enforcement. Section 9.58.020 says a dead car on land in the city, roads aside, "is declared to constitute a public nuisance which may be abated."

Under Section 9.58.100, Pasadena begins with "A 10-day notice of intention to abate and remove the vehicle." The landowner and the car's owner each receive it by certified mail. The printed form says to act "within 10 days after the date of mailing of this notice," so the clock starts when Pasadena mails it.

The code enforcement commission runs the hearing under Section 9.58.120. "It may delay the time for removal" if it thinks the facts justify more time. A Pasadena property owner who never agreed to a stranger's car on the lot is protected. In that case, removal costs go to the car's registered owner.

Rolling it down the block won't help

Pasadena's street limit is Section 10.40.250: no vehicle may stand "for a period of 72 or more consecutive hours upon any highway, street, alley or city property." The definition is what catches a dead car. A car is deemed left standing "when such vehicle has not been moved more than one block under its own power from its original stopped position." Pushing it never meets that test. Section 10.08.070 adds: "Vehicles may not return to the same block within a 24-hour period."

A dead car parked at a Pasadena shop

Repair businesses in Pasadena have their own rule, in Section 17.50.360: "All discarded vehicle parts or equipment, or permanently disabled, dismantled, or junked vehicles shall be removed from the premises within 30 days of arrival." That deadline belongs to the shop, not to you. It is still worth knowing if your car has sat in a Pasadena repair bay for weeks.

Pasadena seller paperwork

Titles are processed by the California DMV, a state agency, not by Los Angeles County. In a private sale, your part is to sign the Certificate of Title, plus the lienholder's signature if a loan still shows. After that, filing and the $15 transfer fee are on the buyer. A Pasadena seller needs no notary, per the DMV's seller steps.

File REG 138 within five days. It moves later tickets to the buyer, and it also protects you if that buyer dumps the car. With a report of sale on file, Vehicle Code 22523 removes the infraction and any lien-sale shortfall from the last registered owner.

Pasadena junkers skip smog, because the exemption covers any car going to a dismantler. Ordinary plates stay on the car for the next owner, and DMV takes them back when the record changes to Junk. After you sell has the remaining steps.

Getting an offer

Ring (877) 421-6008 or fill in the online form. Use the form for your Pasadena car. Our truck loads from a garage near the Civic Center, a shop bay or an alley. South Pasadena and Alhambra are both within six miles. State rules are on the California page.