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Town guide · California

Selling a dead or junk car in Union City

A car on a Union City street that has lost its wheels, engine or windshield gets no grace period under state law. Vehicle Code 22669 lets a Union City officer remove that car from public right-of-way at once. If yours is getting close, sell it before that happens. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, so you sell the whole car as it sits, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.

Updated · 12 sources

Aerial view of Union City's housing tracts and warehouse roofs, with a flood channel, a freeway and dry fields along the bottom edge
Photo: Pi.1415926535 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Union City, the short version

Population
65,282 (Census estimate, July 1, 2025)
County
Alameda
Land area
19.398 sq mi
City junk-car code
Not found online; state law below
Stripped car on the street
Can be removed immediately (VC 22669)
Street storage
Tow allowed at 72 straight hours if a local rule is broken
Release of liability
REG 138 within 5 days

What counts as stripped

Section 22669 lets peace officers, and public employees picked by a city, county or the state, remove a car they believe is abandoned. That goes for roads and for any land. For cars on a public right-of-way it goes a step further. Doors, wheels, tires, windshield, engine, transmission: if any needed part like those is gone, the car can be taken right away. A half-parted car at the curb is the easiest kind to lose. If parts are already off, missing parts covers selling it that way.

A whole car at the curb

A complete car that just will not start falls under Vehicle Code 22651 instead. A car left three days on one street stretch, against a local ordinance, can be towed. We couldn't find Union City's municipal code online, so the posted limit and any rule on dead cars in yards are unknown to us. Vehicle Code 22660 permits any California city to adopt such a rule, so confirm with Union City before counting on the driveway.

After the tow: the lien clock

Civil Code 3068.1 gives the tow or storage company holding a Union City car a possessory lien on it. Civil Code 3072 is the rule for Union City cars valued at $4,000 or under. The lien sale process must start within 15 days after the lien arises. A Union City yard mails its "Notice of Pending Lien Sale," and the sale comes 31 to 41 days later. For a court hearing, send back a "Declaration of Opposition" inside 10 days. Towed or impounded goes further.

Title steps through the state DMV

California runs titles through its state DMV, with no county office involved. The steps:

  1. In Union City, you sign the California Certificate of Title as the seller, and any lender on record signs it as well. No notary appears among the DMV's private-sale steps.
  2. Lost the title? REG 227 serves both as a replacement and as a transfer, and the replacement costs $28 (VC 9265). See junk car with no title.
  3. A Union City seller gets five days to send REG 138 to DMV. Union City sellers can send it by post or go online to dmv.ca.gov/nrl.

Because the car is headed for dismantling, the seller owes no smog certificate. Regular-issue plates usually remain on the car; vanity and special plates are the owner's to reassign, at a cost.

Nearby

As the crow flies, Hayward is 4.9 miles from Union City, Newark 6.8, Fremont 8.6 and Pleasanton 8.7. State rules are collected on the California page.

Getting an offer

Request an offer through the form or at (877) 421-6008. Tell us about your Union City car on the form. We load it from a curb, driveway or mechanic's back lot.

Questions people ask

Can a Union City car with its wheels gone be hauled away the same day?
Yes, under Vehicle Code 22669. Picture a Union City car on public right-of-way with no doors, wheels, tires, windshield, engine, transmission or other needed parts. An officer or designated public employee who believes it's abandoned can remove it on the spot.
How long may a dead car sit at the curb?
Under Vehicle Code 22651, three days in a row on a street can justify a tow when a local ordinance is being broken. Union City's code was not online for us to check, so ask the city about its own limit.
A Union City tow yard sent me a "Notice of Pending Lien Sale." What do I do?
Under Civil Code 3072, the sale lands 31 to 41 days past the date it was mailed. A Union City owner who wants a court hearing sends back a Declaration of Opposition inside 10 days.
Will the buyer of a junk car need a smog certificate from me?
No. DMV's manual excuses a car that is changing hands to be dismantled from the smog requirement.

Sources

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

  1. U.S. Census Bureau city population estimates, 2020-2025 www2.census.gov
  2. U.S. Census Bureau 2025 Gazetteer, places (land area) www2.census.gov
  3. California Vehicle Code 22669 (removal of abandoned cars) california.public.law
  4. California Vehicle Code 22651 (72-hour street storage) california.public.law
  5. California Civil Code 3068.1 (towing and storage lien) california.public.law
  6. California Civil Code 3072 (lien sale notice) california.public.law
  7. California Vehicle Code 22660 (local abatement ordinances) california.public.law
  8. California DMV: Title transfers and changes dmv.ca.gov
  9. California DMV: REG 138 Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability dmv.ca.gov
  10. California DMV: Junking a vehicle (individual) dmv.ca.gov
  11. California DMV: Registration fees dmv.ca.gov
  12. California DMV: License plates dmv.ca.gov