Junk and dead cars in Santee: the state rules and selling whole

Walking away is its own offense

Leaving a Santee car on a highway, or on public or private land the owner didn't okay, is against the law under Vehicle Code 22523. Santee drivers who do it face a fine of at least $100 and must prove to the court they paid for the haul-away.

Vehicle Code 22669 lets officers and assigned city or county staff remove a car they think is abandoned. Santee can tow a car the same day if it sits on a public right-of-way missing its engine or its wheels.

Low-value cars move fast

Vehicle Code 22851.3 runs on dollar tests. Where a towed car is valued at $500 or under, a 72-hour warning has to be posted on it first, unless it is valued at $300 or under and was taken under 22669(d). A Santee owner has to be told about the tow no later than 48 hours after it. Fifteen days after that notice goes out, a Santee car may be disposed of, and anyone wanting a hearing must ask within 10 days. Those values decide procedure; they say nothing about what a car would bring.

Old tags, missing papers

Long-parked Santee cars usually come with a lapsed registration. The DMV bills each skipped year with penalties unless a Planned Non-Operation filing, REG 102, covered it. Our guide to a car sitting for years covers the usual snags.

Lost the title? REG 227 replaces it. When no proof of ownership turns up at all, the DMV treats cars under $5,000 differently from pricier ones. You skip the bond. For a Santee car, turn in any ownership papers you kept plus a REG 256 Statement of Facts. For a Santee car, that form names the person who sold it to you, gives its value, and confirms no lien.

To junk it on your own, you first apply to the DMV to have the car recorded as Junk. Tear it down before that application and an investigative service fee follows. A private owner without a dismantler's license may do this, and the plates are surrendered along with the application.

None of that is needed if you sell the car in one piece. Mostly you just sign the California title. A Santee seller won't see a notary step anywhere in the DMV's seller instructions. Next, file REG 138 within 5 days so new tickets aren't sent to you in Santee.

Smog

San Diego County's smog areas are drawn ZIP by ZIP on a DMV list last revised in November 2011, so it may be out of date. A Santee car headed for a dismantler skips the test either way. More is on the California page.

Nearby

El Cajon lies 4.0 miles from Santee in a straight line, La Mesa 6.3 and San Diego 8.0. La Mesa's page quotes that city's own code.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or fill out the form. Send a few lines about your Santee car through the form. Wherever it sits in Santee, in a garage, a carport or a relative's yard, the truck comes there.