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Town guide · California

Sunnyvale dead cars: tows, lien sales and selling first

If a dead car is towed off a Sunnyvale street and nobody claims it, the person on the registration can still be billed after the tow yard sells it. Vehicle Code 22523 makes that Sunnyvale owner cover any gap the lien sale leaves, unless a report of sale was filed. Sunnyvale's own code wasn't online where we looked, so this page uses state law, and the city may set rules of its own. Selling first avoids the whole chain. We buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US, anywhere in Sunnyvale's 22.06 square miles.

Updated · 11 sources

People walking down a brick pedestrian street in Sunnyvale lined with leafy trees and restaurant awnings
Photo: Vadim Manuylov · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Sunnyvale, the short version

Population
156,577 (Census estimate, July 1, 2025)
County
Santa Clara
Land area
22.06 sq mi
City junk-car code
Not found online; state law used here
Lien sale date
Day 31 to 41 after mailing
Time to oppose a lien sale
10 days
Release of liability
REG 138, 5 days

What a Sunnyvale tow yard can claim

Under Civil Code 3068.1, a towing or storage company holding a Sunnyvale car has a possessory lien on it. Value decides the route, and these values are legal tests:

  • Up to $4,000: Civil Code 3072 governs, and the yard must begin within 15 days after its lien arises. Storage counts toward the lien for no more than 60 days, or 120 in certain cases.
  • Above $4,000: the yard follows Civil Code 3071.

The lien-sale letter

Civil Code 3072 requires the yard holding a Sunnyvale car to mail its owner a "Notice of Pending Lien Sale". The Sunnyvale auction is held 31 to 41 days after the letter goes out. A Sunnyvale owner who wants to fight it gets a court hearing by filing a Declaration of Opposition inside 10 days. Let those 10 days lapse and the sale proceeds. Getting the car back is covered in towed or impounded.

REG 138 is the report of sale

The report of sale in Vehicle Code 22523 is REG 138 in DMV terms. Sunnyvale sellers have 5 days to file it online, or by mail to the DMV's Sacramento post office box, 942859. When it's recorded, Vehicle Code 5602 hands later parking and traffic tickets and civil claims to the buyer, and it shields you from the infraction and the shortfall should the buyer abandon the car.

Registration you let lapse

If no Planned Non-Operation (REG 102) went in first, a Sunnyvale car racks up fees and penalties for every unregistered year. See sitting for years.

Smog when ownership changes

Most California sales need a Smog Check certificate. Sunnyvale smog exemptions cover electric cars, motorcycles, 1975 and earlier gas cars, 1997 and earlier diesels, and gas, hybrid or alt-fuel cars no older than four model years. A Sunnyvale car headed for wrecking or dismantling doesn't need one.

The title

Sign the Certificate of Title along with any lienholder; the buyer files it at the DMV. Lost title? File REG 227 first, then sell. California lays out every step.

Getting an offer

Fill in the form or call (877) 421-6008. Selling a car in Sunnyvale? Call (877) 421-6008 or send our short offer form. Mountain View is 3.1 miles from Sunnyvale, Santa Clara 3.5 and Los Altos 4.0.

Questions people ask

Does Sunnyvale have its own abandoned-car rules?
We could not find the Sunnyvale code online, so this page cites California law. Cities may adopt their own rules under Vehicle Code 22660.
If I leave my towed car at a Sunnyvale yard, am I off the hook?
No. If an abandoned Sunnyvale car goes unclaimed and its owner filed no report of sale, Vehicle Code 22523 leaves the last registered owner with an infraction and any lien sale shortfall.
How long do I have to oppose a lien sale?
From the mailing of the Notice of Pending Lien Sale, Sunnyvale owners have ten days. Return a Declaration of Opposition and you'll get a court hearing (Civil Code 3072).

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.

  1. California Vehicle Code 22660 (local abatement ordinances) california.public.law
  2. California Civil Code 3068.1 (towing and storage lien) california.public.law
  3. California Civil Code 3072 (lien sale notice) california.public.law
  4. California Vehicle Code 22523 (abandonment, deficiency, report of sale) california.public.law
  5. California DMV: REG 138 Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability dmv.ca.gov
  6. California DMV: late renewals dmv.ca.gov
  7. Bureau of Automotive Repair: Smog Check reference guide bar.ca.gov
  8. California DMV: junking a vehicle (individual) dmv.ca.gov
  9. California DMV: title transfers and changes dmv.ca.gov
  10. U.S. Census Bureau city population estimates, 2020-2025 www2.census.gov
  11. U.S. Census Bureau 2025 Gazetteer (land area) www2.census.gov