Albany's junk-car rules, and how to sell one

Two 30-day clocks in Section 8.01.020

Albany declares that keeping junk out of doors "on any street, public sidewalk, lot, or premises within the city, is a nuisance and is unlawful." Cars appear twice in the list:

• "All inoperable motor vehicles, in which multiple major components are defective or removed for more than 30 consecutive days"
• "any motor vehicle which has been unlicensed for more than 30 consecutive days"

The first 30 days decide whether your car qualifies. A second clock starts when Albany acts. The city manager or a designee writes a citation to whoever owns or runs the property, and "Upon the first offense, a 30-day notice shall be issued, with the citation." Only junk at a licensed junk yard or "automobile wrecking house" is exempt.

Albany streets: 24 hours

Section 13.70.020 says no vehicle the chief of police believes is abandoned may sit on the right-of-way of a city street, alley or city property "for a period in excess of 24 hours." Albany's definition of abandoned reaches further than most people expect. It includes a car in "such a damaged or disabled or dismantled condition that the vehicle is inoperable." One the city calls hazardous, an "immediate and continuous hazard" to people on the street, can be towed on the spot.

Nudging the car a few feet doesn't reset anything. If police find it in the same condition within 30 days of a pre-tow notice, "the owner shall be considered notified" and Albany can take it without a fresh tag.

When Albany tows it

Chapter 13.70 has a notice mailed "within 48 hours of removal (excluding Saturday, Sunday, and holidays)" to the owner. It lists charges so far and the daily storage rate, and it warns that the car "will be sold to cover the charges" if they go unpaid by the date given. The tower holds a lien on the car and everything in it.

Redeeming a car impounded under Section 13.80.010, after a citation or arrest, means paying the towing and storage plus a $50 administrative fee to the City of Albany. A hearing under Chapter 13.70 is where you contest the tow or the charges. More on that in towed or impounded.

Albany's DMV offices and the title

Albany straddles two counties, but that changes nothing about the title, because Oregon's DMV issues titles statewide. We looked at two field offices. The Albany one, 2242 Santiam Hwy SE (541-967-2014), lies about 1 mile northeast of central Albany as the crow flies. The Corvallis one, 870 NE Circle Blvd (541-757-4191), is roughly 8 miles to the west.

Selling seldom means standing in either line. In Albany, your part is a signature and date on the title's back, or on a bill of sale instead. Any lender with an interest signs to release it. Albany sellers with a 2011-or-newer car still short of its twentieth year also record the odometer reading, and the buyer signs that too. Sellers won't need a notary for any step the DMV lists.

Lost the title? Replace it before the sale with DMV's Application for Replacement / Duplicate Title. There is no extra duplicate fee in Oregon, just the usual title fee. That runs $101 to $116 for most cars, based on fuel economy, or $192 for an all-electric car. A wrecker's bill of sale won't do the job, since DMV refuses it in place of a title. See selling with no title.

Albany plates and the DMV2U report

Pulling your plates before the car leaves Albany is allowed. Leave them and they ride along with it. Put them on another person's car and any registration time left ends for both vehicles.

Within 10 days, file the sale on DMV2U and give the buyer's name and address. In a city that tags street cars after 24 hours, this is the step that keeps a sold car from coming back to you. Oregon law clears a seller who notified DMV and assigned the title of liability for the buyer's parking or abandoning.

Near Albany

Corvallis is 9.8 miles away, Lebanon 11.4 and Salem 20.8. Statewide rules live on the Oregon page.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or go online with the make, model and year, the miles shown, if it cranks, and how the title looks. We pick it up where it is now, such as a Santiam Highway driveway, a downtown side street or the repair bay where it died.