Saratoga junk cars: the 30-day rule and the 10-day letter

Expired tags can be enough

Saratoga's definition is broader than most people expect. Section 9-10.080 calls a car inoperative when it "is not capable of being operated, or permitted to be operated" on public roads "because of mechanical deficiencies or lack of current valid vehicle registration or license documents." In other words, a Saratoga car with a healthy engine and stale tags can qualify.

The city's findings in Section 9-55.010 explain why it cares: stored wrecks are said to reduce property values, "promote blight and deterioration" and "invite plundering."

The 10-day letters

Removal under Article 9-55 starts with mail. Section 9-55.080 calls for "not less than a ten day notice of intention to abate and remove" the car, sent "by registered or certified mail." Two letters go out:

• one to whoever owns the lot, per the last equalized assessment roll
• one to the car's registered and legal owners

The Saratoga letter gives the landowner a deadline to move the car "within ten (10) days after the date of the mailing." Otherwise the city hauls it off and bills the parcel's owner "together with administrative costs." So a tenant's dead car can land on the landlord's bill.

A hearing is possible, but the request must reach Saratoga's City Clerk inside those same 10 days.

What keeps a car out of the rule

Section 9-55.020 lists the exemptions. The one that matters at home is a car "completely fenced or enclosed within a building in a lawful manner" where it "is not visible from the street or other public or private property." A closed garage fits that wording.

Licensed dismantlers, dealers and junk dealers are also exempt. A car worth "less than two hundred dollars" can be removed faster if the City Manager finds an immediate threat and the property owner signs a release. If the city finds registration papers, the owners get notice, and final disposal can go ahead if nobody claims the car "within twelve days after the notice is mailed."

On the street

Section 9-25.030 bars commercial vehicles, RVs, boats and trailers from staying on a residential street for "seventy-two consecutive hours or more," and one that has "remained inoperable" counts as parked the whole time. Downtown, the angle parking on Third Street off Big Basin Way carries a two-hour limit. A Saratoga street car parked 72 hours or more against a city ordinance can also be towed, says Vehicle Code 22651.

Signing over a Saratoga car

Titles in California are a state job, run by the DMV rather than Santa Clara County. Sign as seller, have any lienholder add a signature, and the buyer files it from there. The DMV's steps for a Saratoga sale never call for a notary.

A Saratoga seller has five days to send REG 138, the release-of-liability form, on paper or online. Ordinary plates normally remain on a car sold in California. A car headed for dismantling needs no Smog Check. Our California page has the statewide detail.

Nearby

Saratoga sits 3.7 miles in a straight line from Cupertino and 4.1 from Campbell.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or use the form to sell your Saratoga car for parts. With free pickup anywhere in the US, our truck comes to wherever it is parked in Saratoga, garage or driveway.