San Pablo junk and dead cars: limits, notices and the sale

San Pablo's mailed warning

The city does not haul a car off private land by surprise. San Pablo's code requires "not less than a ten-day notice of intention to abate and remove." The city mails it, registered or certified, to the owner of the parcel and the owner of the car. It is skipped when the VIN can't be read, or when both of them have signed releases.

Want to argue? Get a hearing request to San Pablo's Code Enforcement Officer inside those ten days. That hearing settles two things at once: whether the car goes, and who covers the administrative and towing bill.

A gutted shell is the exception. San Pablo needs no notice to remove a car that an official listed in the Vehicle Code values under $200, when it lacks an engine, transmission or wheels, can't be hauled by tow, and is an immediate threat. When registration papers turn up, though, the owners get a letter first, and an unclaimed car can be disposed of 12 days after it is mailed.

The 72-hour curb rule, and the one-mile catch

Under Section 10.12.030, nobody may leave a vehicle on a San Pablo street or alley "for more than a consecutive period of seventy-two hours." Nudging it forward won't help. The car is treated as parked for that full time if it "has remained inoperable or has not been moved at least one mile." The section defines inoperable as a car unable to drive itself, or one that can't legally and safely be driven.

Shops have a cap of their own

Section 17.62.040, written for automotive repair businesses, says "Any inoperable vehicle shall not be stored outdoors for more than fifteen consecutive days," and only cars awaiting repair or servicing may be kept at all. Over a full year, the outdoor total tops out at thirty days. If your car is sitting at a San Pablo garage, see stuck at a repair shop.

After San Pablo tows a car

Section 8.16.140 lists what the city owes the state. The Department of Justice's Stolen Vehicle System hears about the removal within 48 hours. The DMV is told within five days and receives "any evidence of registration available, including registration certificates, certificates of title and license plates." Non-police city workers have to alert the nearest Highway Patrol office before they tow. If that has already happened, read towed or impounded.

Title and plates for a San Pablo sale

A San Pablo seller following the DMV's steps won't need a notary. The title gets your signature and that of any lender still listed. Next the San Pablo buyer hands it in to DMV with the $15 transfer fee. Next comes REG 138, the release of liability, which San Pablo sellers must send in online or by mail within 5 days. In San Pablo, regular plates usually stay on the car for whoever owns it next. Selling it to be dismantled means no smog inspection. Missing the title? Start with REG 227, then read selling with no title for the rest. Statewide rules sit on the California page.

Getting an offer

Fill out the form or phone (877) 421-6008. San Pablo car? Use the form, and we can collect it at a home, job site or repair bay. Richmond is 1.2 miles off and El Cerrito 3.7.