Junk car sales in Torrance: what the law says

The state rules a Torrance car falls under

Vehicle Code 22660 is the reason the yard question is a local one. It authorizes each California city or county to pass an ordinance to "abate and remove abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles" from private or public property as public nuisances, whether on private or public land, and to recoup what it spends. Before assuming a dead car can sit in the driveway, call Torrance City Hall.

Streets are covered statewide. Breaking a local parking ordinance by staying 72 or more consecutive hours opens a car to towing. If a Torrance car seems abandoned, a peace officer or an assigned city, county or state employee can haul it off a street or off public or private land.

Low-value cars and short clocks

Vehicle Code 22851.3 handles abandoned cars valued at $500 or less. Normally a 72-hour warning is posted on the windshield first; that step is skipped when a car valued at $300 or under is taken right away. Within 48 hours of towing a car, Torrance has to tell the owner. Torrance owners have 10 days in which to request a hearing. Torrance can dispose of the car when 15 days have passed since the notice.

From the moment a tow operator takes the car, it holds a possessory lien. Where the car is worth no more than $4,000, the lien sale process must begin within 15 days of that lien. See towed or impounded for more.

Don't walk away from it

Leaving a car behind is illegal for Torrance drivers. That goes for highways, and for someone else's land unless the owner agreed. The fine is $100 or more, and you must prove the removal bill was paid. Worse, an impounded car that sits unredeemed leaves its last registered owner with a citation and a bill for any gap the lien sale leaves. A filed report of sale is what gets a former owner out of both, which is why the paperwork below matters.

California title, smog and REG 138

The state DMV, not the county, issues titles for Torrance cars. Torrance sellers can drop them at a field office or mail them to PO Box 942869, Sacramento, CA 94269. Your role is to sign the title; the buyer is the one who submits it, and the DMV's instructions for that leave out any notary. With the title lost, REG 227 comes first.

Selling for dismantling means the car doesn't need a Smog Check. A Torrance seller owes REG 138 five days after the sale. Torrance sellers can file on the web at dmv.ca.gov/nrl, or post it to P.O. Box 942859. Once the DMV logs it, responsibility for tickets dated after the sale passes to the new owner.

South Bay neighbors

Redondo Beach sits 2.9 miles off in a straight line, with Lawndale at 4.0. Gardena is 5.2 miles away and Carson 6.2. State rules are on the California page.

Getting an offer

Fill out the form or dial (877) 421-6008. List the model year, make, model, mileage and running condition, and describe the title paperwork on hand. A crumpled car is fine too; see wrecked or totaled. Pickup can be from a condo garage near the beach, a strip-mall lot, or a body shop that called it a total.