Selling a dead car in San Rafael

The street and the city garages

Section 5.40.045 says that after police or parking staff mark the car and leave a warning, it "must be moved five hundred feet." A car that won't start can't move itself that far.

The city's off-street garages have their own limit. Section 5.60.053 bars leaving a car in a city-run facility "in excess of twenty-four (24) consecutive hours" without an overnight permit from the parking services manager, and past that point police or parking staff may tow it under the Vehicle Code.

Chapter 11.38 on private and public land

San Rafael adopted Chapter 11.38 under the authority of Vehicle Code 22660. Section 11.38.010 declares that "the presence of an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle or parts thereof on private or public property" is a public nuisance. Section 11.38.080 gives the code enforcement officer the power to have one removed.

The process in 11.38.090 runs on ten-day clocks:

• The notice is "mailed by registered mail to the owner of the land and to the owner of the vehicle."
• It orders removal "within 10 days from the date of mailing of this notice."
• In San Rafael, the landowner or the car owner has those 10 days to ask for a public hearing.
• Silence lets the city tow the car, and the costs, "together with administrative costs," go to the landowner.

If a hearing is requested, 11.38.100 has notice of it mailed "at least ten days before the hearing." The city manager or a designee runs it and, under 11.38.110, "may delay the time for removal" when the circumstances justify it.

When the wreck is not yours

Owners of land where somebody else dumped a car have a way out. Under 11.38.100, a "sworn written statement denying responsibility" filed inside the ten days is treated as "a request for a hearing which does not require his presence." And if the hearing finds the car was "placed on the land without the consent of the owner of the land" and the owner "has not subsequently acquiesced," 11.38.110 bars the city from collecting the costs from that owner.

California paperwork

In San Rafael, sellers work with the state DMV rather than the county. The seller, plus a lienholder if one is listed, signs the certificate of title, and DMV lists no notary among those private-sale steps. No title? Your first step is REG 227. Within five days of selling, a San Rafael seller must file REG 138. San Rafael sellers can mail the paper form or file it through dmv.ca.gov/nrl.

Wrecking-bound cars sit outside California's smog-at-sale requirement. Standard-issue plates normally go with the sale, while personalized or special designs can be reassigned through DMV for a fee. A San Rafael car that sat parked with lapsed registration owes fees and penalties for each missed year, unless Planned Non-Operation was filed. See car sitting for years, or car not in your name if the title is someone else's.

Nearby

Novato sits 7.5 miles off in a straight line. Richmond is 8.2 miles away, San Pablo 9.0 and El Cerrito 11.9. Statewide rules are on the California page.

Getting an offer

Selling a car in San Rafael? Have a San Rafael car to sell? Call (877) 421-6008 or fill in the offer form. We collect from driveways, shops, or wherever a notice got taped on.