Selling a dead or junk car in Tualatin

Street and lot limits

TMC 8-1-260 sets the street rule: "It is unlawful for a person, firm or corporation to park or store a vehicle, object or matter upon a public street within the City for more than a continuous 72-hour period" without a permit from the City Manager or a designee.

City lots are stricter. Apart from public employees and Council members on city business, "it shall be unlawful to park a vehicle, object or matter within any public off-street parking facility continuously for more than 24 hours." Moving the car out for less than an hour "shall not interrupt the continuous 24 hour period," so a quick lap of the block does nothing.

TMC 8-1-160 adds a broad catch: no parking for "a vehicle in violation of state motor vehicle laws prohibiting parking." State law applies at the curb too.

The yard is a state-law question

The Tualatin code sections we read deal with streets, city lots and police tows. We saw no junk-car rule for private yards in them. Tualatin might have one we didn't read, so ask the city before a car sits out back a long time.

Oregon law covers the rest. Under ORS 819, leaving a vehicle abandoned anywhere in Tualatin, street or private lot alike, is an offense, and the bill for towing and disposal goes to whoever DMV lists as owner. ORS 98.830 sets two steps for a Tualatin landowner. A notice must sit on the abandoned car for 72 hours or more. Then the owner signs a form that identifies it, and the tow can happen. Towed cars left unclaimed for 30 days go to public auction or are disposed of under local ordinance.

What happens inside a towed car

TMC 7-4-030 lists when officers may tow; a recovered stolen car is one of the listed cases. Once a car is impounded, TMC 7-4-060 says "the contents of all impounded vehicles shall be inventoried." Trunks and glove boxes that are not locked get checked, and locked ones too when the keys go with the car. Closed containers stay shut, except for "wallets, purses, coin purses, fanny packs, personal organizers, briefcases" and others likely to hold money or small valuables.

The lesson for a seller is simple: empty the car before anyone tows it, for any reason. That includes paired phones and garage openers; see wipe your data.

DMV offices we checked

Tualatin straddles Clackamas and Washington counties, but titles come from the state DMV either way. We looked up two offices. From central Tualatin, the Lake Oswego DMV at 3 SW Monroe Pkwy, Suite D, is about 5 miles to the northeast on a map. Hillsboro's DMV, 1300 SW Oak St, Suite H, is about 15 miles northwest of Tualatin. Each lists 503-299-9999.

Oregon paperwork

A Tualatin seller signs and dates the title on its back side, or uses a bill of sale for this. Any lender that had a lien signs a release too. Odometer statements apply to 2011-and-newer cars not yet 20 years old, and both parties sign. The Oregon DMV seller steps contain no notary step.

Ten days is the window to file the sale on DMV2U, listing the buyer's name and home address. Take the plates if you like. On a car you own later they carry over; on a car with a different owner, the registration left on both ends.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or write to us online about your Tualatin car. We can load it from your driveway, from a shop, or from the curb before the 72 hours run out. Nearby: Tigard, Sherwood and Wilsonville, plus Oregon for statewide rules.