Selling a dead or junk car in Soledad

What Soledad counts as a nuisance

Chapter 10.12 rests on the power the state gives cities in Vehicle Code 22660. Section 10.12.010 finds that keeping "abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles or parts of a vehicle on private or public property not including highways" pulls down property values, breeds blight, invites plundering and creates fire hazards. Its verdict: such a vehicle on private or public land is "declared a public nuisance which may be abated as such in accordance with this chapter."

The town's general nuisance chapter points the same way. Section 9.04.010 defines "rubbish, refuse and waste" as discarded material "having no substantial market value," and the list runs through "inoperative machinery and equipment of all kinds" to an "inoperative vehicle or parts" of one.

The letter and its ten days

Soledad's Section 10.12.090 calls for "a ten-day notice of intention to abate and remove," mailed "by registered or certified mail to the owner of the land and to the owner of the vehicle." A car stripped so bare that its owner can't be identified is the exception. The landowner's copy names the car, the person it is registered to and its license number.

Each letter also explains the way out. Within ten days of mailing, the recipient "may, within ten days after the mailing of this notice of intention, request a public hearing." If the chief gets no request, the chief "shall have the authority to abate and remove said vehicle."

Asking for a hearing

Section 10.12.100 adds the details. The police chief hears the question of removal and of costs. A Soledad landowner who didn't put the car there can file "a sworn written statement denying responsibility," which the code treats as "a request for hearing which does not require his presence." The hearing notice goes out "by registered mail, at least ten days before the hearing." If no one asks, "the city may abate and remove the vehicle or parts of a vehicle as a public nuisance without holding a public hearing."

Parking limits in town

City lots fall under Section 10.04.050: "No person shall park any vehicle in any city parking lot for more than twelve consecutive hours, except in designated city park and ride lot(s)." Trailers can't be parked on a street or city lot unless a motor vehicle is pulling them. Cars parked against the section can be removed under Vehicle Code 22651 and the related state sections. On a street, state law allows a tow once a car sits three days in a row in violation of a local rule.

Title and plates for a Soledad seller

California's DMV, not Monterey County, keeps titles. For a Soledad car, you and any lienholder sign, then the buyer files it with the DMV. The state's private-sale directions include no notary step. You can mail the papers or take them to a field office.

Send REG 138, the release-of-liability notice, within 5 days of a Soledad sale so new tickets go to the buyer. Plain plates remain on the car. No smog test is required when a Soledad car is sold to a buyer who will wreck or dismantle it. Lost the title? See junk car with no title.

Getting an offer

Got a dead car in Soledad? Call (877) 421-6008 or send the form. If the city sent a letter, give us the date it was mailed. A pickup can happen at a yard in town or a ranch gate outside it. Greenfield is 8.7 miles away and Salinas 24.9; California covers the statewide rules.