Town guide · Washington
Selling a dead car in Bothell
Bothell writes a dead car in the yard into its criminal code. Under chapter 8.23, "All nuisance vehicles placed or situated upon private property within the Bothell city limits shall constitute a criminal violation," and the city can also abate them as public nuisances. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, so a Bothell car that fits that description can leave before a notice arrives. You sell the whole car as it sits, and there is free pickup anywhere in the US.
Updated · 7 sources
Bothell, the short version
- Population
- 52,199 (Census estimate, July 2025)
- Counties
- King and Snohomish
- Junk-car rule
- Bothell Municipal Code chapter 8.23
- Nuisance vehicle on private land
- A criminal violation
- Removal costs
- Can become a lien filed with the county auditor
- Title offices we checked
- Seattle, about 13 miles; Everett, about 14 miles
- Destroyed car
- Report to DOL within 15 days
- Plates
- Seller removes them
What Bothell calls a nuisance vehicle
The definition in BMC 8.23.010 is wide. It reaches "any car, truck, motorcycle, boat, trailer, recreational vehicle (RV), self-propelled construction equipment or heavy machinery," and also "any part thereof." So a loose engine block on a pallet can fall under the same chapter as a whole car.
One carve-out helps businesses only: a car kept "in connection with the business of a licensed dismantler or licensed vehicle dealer," behind fencing that meets state rules. A Bothell homeowner's driveway does not qualify.
How a notice plays out
The chapter moves step by step: a notice of violation, a hearing before the city's hearing examiner, money penalties, extra steps for repeat violators, and finally removal, costs and liens.
The notice has to warn you plainly. If you miss the fix-by date, or skip the hearing, "the city or its designee may remove, impound and dispose of the vehicle," and send the bill to whoever owns the land or chase the car's owner for it. After a hearing grants that power, the car is towed at a police officer's request and "disposed of to a licensed and registered disposer."
The cost can follow the land. Once a car is gone, Bothell may "file for record with the county auditor to claim a lien" covering removal, fines, penalties and collection costs.
Two counties, two title offices
Bothell straddles King and Snohomish counties. Titles in Washington go through subagent vehicle licensing offices and county auditor offices. These are two quick title offices listed by the Department of Licensing that we checked; others exist.
- King County side: 201 S. Jackson St., Suite 206, Seattle, phone (206) 477-4000, around 13 miles southwest of downtown Bothell on a map.
- Snohomish County side: 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, Everett, roughly 14 miles due north of Bothell as the crow flies.
Washington's seller steps
Under RCW 46.12.650, the seller signs the release of interest and gives the buyer the title or the latest proof of ownership. The seller also adds an odometer statement where the law requires one, and reports the sale. A Bothell seller has five days for that report. Then the plates come off, because plates left on a sold car can tie you to the tickets and tolls the next driver runs up.
A Bothell car you plan to have crushed yourself, not sold, follows RCW 46.12.600 instead. You have 15 days to tell DOL and send it the title, or an affidavit instead, marked "DESTROYED." The law makes it a gross misdemeanor to still hold that title on day 16. Our wrecked car guide compares the two paths.
Getting an offer
Selling in Bothell? Call (877) 421-6008 or use our form. We reach it on a side street off Main Street, a body shop in Kirkland, or anywhere else. More on state rules is on the Washington page.
Questions people ask
- Is a dead car in my Bothell yard really a crime?
- Chapter 8.23 makes every nuisance vehicle on private property inside Bothell a criminal violation, and also a public nuisance the city can abate. Section 8.23.010 holds the definitions, and the chapter lists a few exceptions, such as fenced lots of licensed dismantlers and dealers.
- Who pays if Bothell tows the car away?
- The violation notice has to say the city may take the car away and bill the landowner for the costs, or go after the car's owner for them. After removal, Bothell may record a lien with the county auditor covering removal, fines and penalties.
- Bothell is in two counties. Which title office do I use?
- Bothell owners deal with titles at county auditor offices or subagent licensing offices. Of the offices we checked, King County's quick title office is in Seattle, 13 miles southwest, and Snohomish County's is in Everett, 14 miles north. Neither is the only choice.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.
- Bothell Municipal Code 8.23.010, Nuisance vehicle abatement bothell.municipal.codes
- U.S. Census Bureau, city population estimates, July 1, 2025 www2.census.gov
- Washington DOL: Quick title offices dol.wa.gov
- Washington DOL: Sell a vehicle dol.wa.gov
- RCW 46.12.650, Transfer of ownership and report of sale app.leg.wa.gov
- RCW 46.12.600, Destroyed vehicles app.leg.wa.gov
- Washington DOL: Dispose of old plates dol.wa.gov