Selling a junk or dead car in Bellingham

No city code online, so state law sets the test

We searched online for Bellingham's municipal code and couldn't find it. What follows is Washington statute, and Bellingham may layer local rules over it; confirm with City Hall before assuming you have time.

RCW 46.55.010 defines a "junk vehicle" as one certified as meeting at least three of four conditions:

• "three years old or older"
• "extensively damaged", for example glass broken out, or the wheels, tires, engine or gearbox gone
• "apparently inoperable"
• worth only its scrap value

One or two of those does not make a car junk under state law. Three does. An old car with its windshield broken out that will not start already meets three.

When the car sits on someone else's land

In a city of 96,395 people, plenty of dead cars end up at a rental, a relative's place or a repair lot. State law gives the landowner a way out. RCW 46.55.230 has police, a health department or another authorized person look the car over, then the property owner writes to its registered and legal owners. After more than 15 days without word from the owner, a Bellingham property owner may scrap it, or sign an affidavit of sale that then serves as the title.

Walking away from a car like that costs the owner. Dumping it is a gross misdemeanor under the same statute, and the registered owner owes restitution of double what the removal cost, shared by the landowner and the investigating agency.

Street parking and the impound clock

Two state rules matter if the car is parked on a Bellingham street:

• Police may tow a car off a public street once its tabs have been expired over 45 days (RCW 46.16A.030).
• Once a registered tow operator has held an impounded car for 120 consecutive hours, the law calls it an "abandoned vehicle". When 15 days have run since the custody-and-sale letter went out, the tow company can put a car nobody claimed, and nobody reported stolen, up for public auction (RCW 46.55.130).

If yours is already on a tow lot, see towed or impounded.

The Grand Avenue title office

DOL lists a quick title office at 311 Grand Ave, Suite 103, Bellingham, WA 98225. Measured as the crow flies, it lies under a mile west of central Bellingham. We checked only this Whatcom County office; others may exist. In Bellingham, title work is handled by Department of Licensing partners, meaning county auditor offices and vehicle licensing subagent offices. DOL suggests the buyer and seller meet at one of them to settle payment and sign over the title.

Washington title and plate rules for a Bellingham seller

• Title first. No Bellingham car can change hands until it has a valid title. A replacement costs $39.50 and is mailed in 4 to 8 weeks, and the Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest is signed by all registered owners in front of a notary. DOL can sometimes take an affidavit instead of the missing title. More in selling with no title.
• Your signature. The release-of-interest section of the title needs your signature. The notary belongs on the buyer's title application, not on yours.
• Bill of sale. A Bellingham title without the price and date means you and the buyer both sign this. Keep a copy.
• Plates come off. That is the seller's legal duty. You may move them to a similar vehicle or give them back, but the Bellingham buyer can't keep using them. Per DOL, once it's filed, later parking tickets, speed camera tickets and tolls on that Bellingham car won't land on you.
• Report the sale within 5 days. Filing the Vehicle Report of Sale keeps you clear of towing charges and liability the new owner causes. It counts for a car sold to a wrecking yard as well.
• No smog check. Washington ended emission checks on January 1, 2020.

After you sell walks through the last steps.

Nearby towns

Our pages for nearby towns: Mount Vernon sits 24.3 miles from Bellingham in a straight line, Oak Harbor 32.6 and Arlington 43.0. Statewide rules are on the Washington page.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or use the form. Our offer form walks Bellingham sellers through the few details we need. Pickup is set for wherever it is parked in Bellingham, a Whatcom County driveway, a shop lot or a space near the waterfront.