Selling a junk car in Pittsburg, California

Street rules that apply in Pittsburg

We could not find Pittsburg's municipal code online, so this part covers California law. Local rules could still apply: under Vehicle Code 22660, a city can declare dead and wrecked cars a nuisance, remove them from public or private land, and charge for it.

• Three days. A car parked on a Pittsburg street for 72 hours or longer against a local ordinance can be towed under Vehicle Code 22651.
• Stripped cars. Vehicle Code 22669 allows removal on the spot from a public right-of-way when essential parts are gone. In Pittsburg, a peace officer or an assigned city worker can also remove a car they think was abandoned, whether it sits on public or private land.
• Dumping it. Vehicle Code 22523 makes it illegal in Pittsburg to ditch a car on a highway, or on another person's land unless they agree. You pay at least $100 and must prove the removal bill was settled.

If the car is half-stripped already, see missing parts. We still buy it whole.

The low-value notice clocks

Vehicle Code 22851.3 covers cars valued at $500 or less, and its timeline runs like this:

• Pittsburg posts a notice on the car three days (72 hours) beforehand, except for a car worth $300 or less removed under 22669(d).
• Within 48 hours of the Pittsburg tow, the owner is notified.
• Pittsburg may dispose of the car once fifteen days pass from that notice.
• In Pittsburg, an owner who wants a hearing must request it within 10 days.

At that point the tow yard has a lien. If the Pittsburg car is worth $4,000 at most, the yard must open the lien sale within 15 days. See towed or impounded for next steps.

Don't skip the report of sale

A buyer who later abandons the car can pull the old owner back in. Vehicle Code 22523 puts the infraction and any gap left by the lien sale on the last registered owner, unless a report of sale was filed. California's version of that report is REG 138, the release-of-liability notice. Send it inside 5 days, on the dmv.ca.gov/nrl page or by mail.

Title, smog and plates

Sign the back of the California title as seller; a lender still listed must sign beside you. From there the buyer deals with DMV and pays its $15 transfer fee, and the seller steps mention no notary. A lost title is replaced through REG 227 for $28 (see junk car with no title). No smog test is needed, since the car will be dismantled. Standard plates normally stay on a Pittsburg car. When the car is reported as Junk, the plates go back to DMV.

Neighbors

Antioch and Concord are each 6.3 miles away as the crow flies, and Pleasant Hill is 10.5. Statewide details are on California.

Getting an offer

Reach us at (877) 421-6008 or through the form. Use the form for your Pittsburg car and mention which parts are already gone. You leave it where it is; the pickup comes to the curb or yard.