Junk and non-running cars in Sacramento

Sacramento's inoperative test

Section 8.04.090 is detailed. An inoperative vehicle is "any motor vehicle which cannot be moved under its own power or cannot be operated lawfully on a public street or highway within this state." The cause can be a removed, damaged, deteriorated or failed part, or "the lack of an engine, transmission, wheels, tires, doors, windshield or any other component part necessary for such movement or lawful operation."

The second half matters in Sacramento. A car that starts but cannot legally be driven may still qualify. One exception is written in, for "a vehicle exhibiting special identification plates" issued under the Vehicle Code.

A misdemeanor in the capital

Section 8.04.100 calls it "unlawful and a misdemeanor and a public nuisance" for an owner, tenant, occupant or anyone in charge of Sacramento premises to let the listed conditions persist. Its personal-property list names "abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles," "automotive parts and equipment" and "scrap metal." The same section keeps "a junk yard or automobile dismantling yard" out of anywhere except an industrial zone under a conditional use permit. Vacant Sacramento land that has turned into a dump for "discarded vehicles, vehicle parts or vehicle hulks," and that the city has already cleaned up at least once, is a nuisance as well.

No swapping wrecks

Some owners answer a citation by hauling out the named car and rolling in a different wreck. Section 8.16.080, titled "Preventing rotation of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled and inoperative vehicles," targets exactly that. If Sacramento's department head finds the swap, the city can tell the property owner it violates the notice and order the newer vehicles out. And "The city attorney shall have recourse to every remedy provided by law" to stop it happening again.

This is old business in Sacramento. A 1969 resolution approved an agreement with George Taylor and Norman Geist, "DBA Auto Disposal Company," for removing such vehicles "from off-street property."

Sacramento curbs and tow lots

Those sections address premises. Vehicle Code 22651 lets Sacramento tow a car parked on one street for more than 72 straight hours in breach of a local parking rule. A towed car nobody redeems can head to a lien sale. $4,000 or below is the value test. Under Civil Code 3072, a Sacramento car at that value is sold 31 to 41 days after the "Notice of Pending Lien Sale" goes in the mail. Sacramento owners hoping to block the sale must file a Declaration of Opposition within 10 days. Skip the report of sale and, under Vehicle Code 22523, a Sacramento car's last registered owner can owe whatever the sale leaves unpaid. More on this: towed or impounded.

DMV paperwork, mailed across town

Both mailboxes a California seller uses sit in Sacramento. Sacramento owners can bring the title papers to a field office or mail them to DMV, PO Box 942869, Sacramento, CA 94269. The release of liability has its own box.

1. Title. The seller and any lienholder sign the California Certificate of Title; no notary shows in the DMV's seller steps. Your buyer pays the $15 transfer fee on submitting it and must report the change inside 10 days.
2. REG 138, five days. Sacramento sellers can use dmv.ca.gov/nrl, or send paper to P.O. Box 942859 at the DMV, Sacramento, CA 94259-0001. Once it is recorded, tickets and civil liability dated after the sale shift to the buyer.
3. Plates. Standard plates normally stay on a Sacramento car. Owners may move personalized or special plates for a fee. A Junk record means surrendering them.
4. Smog. Wrecking or dismantling transfers are exempt. Any other Sacramento sale needs a Smog Check from the seller. In Sacramento, gas and hybrid cars within four model years of new skip it.
5. CARB. Sacramento cars that don't meet state air board standards may be sold just to a dealer, or to a buyer who wrecks or dismantles them legally.

No title? REG 227 costs $28 and doubles as a transfer form. For an inherited or family car, see car not in your name. For afterward, see after you sell.

Around Sacramento

As the crow flies: West Sacramento 4.4 miles, Elk Grove 11.5, Rancho Cordova 12.5, Citrus Heights 13.1 and Davis 14.6. Statewide rules: California.

Getting an offer

Selling a car in Sacramento? Call (877) 421-6008 or fill in the offer form. Got a Sacramento abatement order or lien notice? Include its date. You sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US, so the truck can meet it at a Midtown curb, a subdivision driveway, or a shop bay it has occupied too long.