Selling a dead car in Gresham

What Gresham's code covers

The city's rules sit in its nuisance code, Article 7.15. We could read only parts of it online, so treat this as a map, not the full text:

• One section is titled "Covers for Open Body Vehicles," and the text refers to a cover that is part of the "vehicle or a separate cover for the vehicle."
• The listed nuisances include "(g) abandoned vehicle parked on private" property and "(h) abandoned vehicle parked on a public" street.
• Other sections deal with a "Courtesy Notice" and with "Fines and Penalties."

The fragments we found do not give a number of days before a car counts as abandoned. Ask the city for the exact terms, and read any courtesy notice closely, since it may set the deadline. Our notice to remove a car guide explains the usual choices.

Oregon's tow rules behind it

State law fills in what happens next. Leaving a vehicle behind in Gresham is an offense under ORS chapter 819, on a highway or on any public or private property. The owner on DMV's records is liable for the tow and the disposal. Under ORS 98.830, a Gresham property owner can have an abandoned car hauled off after a notice sits on it for at least 72 hours and they sign a form describing the car. A Gresham car left unclaimed at the tow yard for 30 days goes to public auction or is handled under local ordinance.

DEQ and a car that won't start

Gresham sits inside the Portland metro area. There, DEQ checks passenger vehicles that are not exempt every two years. A car that cannot start cannot be driven in for the test. DEQ's boundary lookup confirms whether your address is inside the testing area.

The title, step by step

The state DMV issues Oregon titles. For Gresham we looked up the office at 1502 SW Sixth Ave, Portland, phone 503-299-9999. It is around 12 miles west of central Gresham in a straight line.

1. Sign and date the Gresham car's title on the back, or put that on a bill of sale. A notary is not one of DMV's seller steps.
2. Get the lienholder's signature if there was a loan.
3. If the car is from 2011 or later and not yet 20 years old, include an odometer disclosure with your signature and the buyer's.
4. Within 10 days, log the Gresham sale on DMV2U, including the buyer's name and address. With that done and the title assigned, you're no longer on the hook for how the buyer drives, parks or abandons it.

A lost title must be replaced before the sale; the cost is the regular title fee.

Plates

Pulling the plates first is allowed. Gresham owners can move them onto another car they own later. Moved to a car owned by someone else, they cancel the registration left on both cars.

Towns around Gresham

Happy Valley is 5.7 miles away, Milwaukie 9.5, Portland 10.4 and Oregon City 13.3, measured straight-line. See the Oregon page for statewide rules, and selling as is if you would rather skip repairs.

Getting an offer

Ask online or call (877) 421-6008. Start on our form for your Gresham car. Pickup can be at your home, near Main City Park or at a repair shop.