Selling a dead or junk car in Richmond

The Richmond notice and appeal

Section 11.76.070 lets Richmond's Chief of Police begin removing an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative car from public or private land. Richmond starts with a ten-day notice, "mailed by certified mail", that goes to the car's owner and to the owner of the land. It warns that a car still there 10 days after mailing will be taken, with the landowner billed for the work.

An appeal goes to the Police Chief or the Code Enforcement Manager within those ten days. Section 11.76.080 sends it to an Administrative Hearing Officer. A landowner's sworn statement counts as a request, as long as it denies the car is there or denies it breaks the chapter and includes evidence. Three details set Richmond apart:

• The hearing officer can give more time, but the extension "shall not exceed 30 days past the date of the hearing."
• With no appeal, the city still needs "an Abatement Warrant or other Order issued by a Judge of the Superior Court," or the consent of the person in possession, before it removes the car.
• Notice of any hearing follows section 2.62.140, sent ten or more days in advance.

A separate nuisance rule

Section 9.22.090 lists the keeping of "abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles, automotive parts or equipment" within view of neighbors or the street. It also lists parking motor vehicles "in any area not designated as a parking space on the approved site plan." A car on the lawn can draw both rules.

If the city already towed it

When a car ends up in a storage facility run under a city franchise, the last owner of record has "ten days after the date of the mailing" of a certified notice to take it out or arrange its permanent storage. Missing that window is itself a violation of Chapter 11.76. Richmond's lots are strict too. City-owned or operated lots allow "more than 16 consecutive hours" only with the Transportation Department's permission. City off-street facilities allow 24 consecutive hours without an overnight permit. See towed or impounded.

Signing over a Richmond car in California

Richmond sellers sign a California Certificate of Title, which the state DMV processes at field offices or through the mail. Add a lienholder's signature if one is on record; a notary is not among the DMV's seller steps. REG 138 is due inside five days, and it earns its keep if the next owner ever leaves the car on a street: under Vehicle Code 22523, a reported sale shields the former owner.

Regular plates mostly stay with the car, and personalized ones can go on a different car for a fee. No smog check applies to a car sold for scrap.

Getting an offer

Have a car to sell in Richmond? Call (877) 421-6008 or send us the form. Pickup can be on your Richmond parcel, at the curb or behind a body shop. Nearby pages cover San Pablo, El Cerrito, Hercules and Berkeley, and the California page has the statewide rules.