Selling a discarded or dead car in Beaverton

The city's definition

Beaverton's nuisance chapter defines a discarded vehicle as "a vehicle that is not operable on a public street, wrecked, dismantled, partially dismantled, abandoned or junked or major parts of discarded vehicles including, but not limited to, bodies, engines, transmissions and rear ends."

That covers a lot. A Beaverton car can qualify even when it looks fine, as long as it can't legally be driven on the street. A project car half taken apart is "partially dismantled." If you have parts lying around too, see missing parts.

Ten days, then a hearing

When the city posts a notice, the clock is ten days from the date of posting. The notice states that, "unless the corrective measures are taken within ten days of the date of posting," the city council will schedule a public hearing. If the council decides a nuisance exists and it is not fixed within ten days after that, or whatever time the council sets, the city may issue a civil infraction.

For a car, the code says the notice must state that the vehicle "must be removed from the City, or to the storage yard of a business enterprise dealing in discarded vehicles lawfully conducted within the City, or that the vehicle must be completely enclosed in a building." So the three ways out are:

1. Get the car out of Beaverton.
2. Take it to a lawful discarded-vehicle business in the city.
3. Put it fully inside a building.

Selling it and having it hauled away meets the first. Our guide to a notice to remove a car has more on handling the deadline.

Taking parts off first

Thinking of pulling parts and scrapping what is left? Oregon has steps for that. Under ORS 819.010 you tell DMV 7 days before taking apart a titled or registered car, and you get 30 days to finish if people can see the work from a public right of way. A dismantled car's title goes back to DMV. Big pieces pulled from a discarded vehicle, such as the engine, transmission or body, are named in the city's definition too.

Title, plates and DMV

The state DMV, which is part of ODOT, issues Oregon titles. For Beaverton we looked up the office at 1300 SW Oak St, Suite H, Hillsboro, phone 503-299-9999. It is about 10 miles west of central Beaverton in a straight line.

• Beaverton sellers sign and date either a bill of sale or the reverse of the title. DMV's seller steps list no notary.
• If there was a loan, the lienholder signs off.
• For a 2011 or later car not yet 20 years old, buyer and seller both sign an odometer disclosure.
• File the sale on DMV2U inside 10 days and include the buyer's name and address. That, plus a signed-over title, keeps you clear of liability for the buyer parking, abandoning or driving the car.

A wrecker's bill of sale does not stand in for a title at DMV. A Beaverton owner missing the title replaces it first, paying the regular title fee.

Plates can come off before the sale. They may move only to another car you own; on someone else's car, the registration left on both ends. Beaverton is in the Portland metro area, where DEQ tests non-exempt passenger cars every two years.

Nearby

Tigard is 4.1 miles away, Hillsboro 6.6, Lake Oswego 7.2 and Portland 9.1, straight-line. The Oregon page has statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Go online or call (877) 421-6008. Use the form for your Beaverton car and mention any parts already pulled off. We can load it from a side yard, a garage or the curb in front.