San Fernando's three-day rule, and selling a dead car

Why the city treats it as a hazard

Section 90-811 draws on the authority the state grants cities in Vehicle Code 22660. It declares a dead car "on private or public property" a public nuisance. San Fernando's zoning code goes further. Its definitions put "abandoned or inoperable motor vehicles" on a list of things that can lure children into danger, next to open wells and old refrigerators (Section 106-1168). Section 106-454 also lists wrecked or inoperable vehicles as a nuisance "unless kept, placed, parked, or stored inside of a completely enclosed, lawfully constructed building or structure." A carport falls short.

Two more limits

• The street. Section 90-198 caps parking on any street or alley at 72 hours in a row. Past that, an officer the chief of police authorizes may tow the car under the state Vehicle Code.
• The notice. San Fernando sends "a ten-day notice of intention to abate and remove" under Section 90-847, by registered mail, to the landowner and the car's owner. In San Fernando, the car must be gone 10 days after the notice is mailed. Within that window, either owner may ask the City Administrative Officer for a hearing. With no request, the Chief of Police may order the car removed. The landowner then pays the costs and administrative charges.

Paperwork with the DMV

The nearby towns we cover are all 9 miles or more from San Fernando. The paperwork stays the same. For a San Fernando title, visit a state DMV field office or mail it to PO Box 942869 in Sacramento.

Title in hand? San Fernando sellers sign the seller line, and any lienholder adds a signature. No notary is needed here under the DMV's private-sale steps.

Title gone? REG 227 replaces a lost, stolen or damaged one, in person or by mail, for $28. Watch for this if you once had a loan on the car. If DMV still lists a legal owner or lienholder, a San Fernando owner must have section 5 of REG 227 notarized. See selling with no title.

Once it's sold, send REG 138 within 5 days, and later San Fernando tickets land on the buyer. A San Fernando car sold for dismantling skips the smog test. Ordinary plates normally stay on the car, and recording it as Junk means handing its plates back to the DMV.

Getting an offer

For a San Fernando car, call (877) 421-6008 or use the offer form online. Free pickup anywhere in the US reaches a driveway near Santa Rosa Church on Workman Street, a lot along San Fernando Road, or a repair bay where the car gave out. Burbank and Santa Clarita have their own pages; the California page covers the state.