Does Burien have its own junk-car ordinance?

The chapter we found, 10.10, adopts King County's impound and redemption chapter, with county read as Burien. Burien may regulate cars kept on private land somewhere else in its code, so ask the city if a notice comes. State law applies regardless.

My car has expired tabs and is parked on a Burien street. Can it be towed?

In Washington, a car on a public street can be impounded when its tabs ran out more than 45 days ago. Driving it in that state is a traffic infraction.

What happens if I leave a car at the tow yard?

After 120 hours in a row with a registered tow operator, state law treats it as abandoned. Owners on record get a custody-and-sale notice by mail from the operator. If nobody claims the car, it is auctioned 15 days later.

Town guide · Washington

Selling a junk car in Burien

Burien takes its impound rules straight from King County. Chapter 10.10 of the city code pulls in the county chapter titled "Impoundment and Redemption of Certain Vehicles," which it says "is adopted in its entirety," reading "county" as the city. That was the only vehicle chapter in Burien's code our research turned up, so ask Burien whether other rules cover cars on private land. State law fills in the rest below. If the car is finished, we buy whole non-running and junk cars: sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

Updated October 11, 2026 · 8 sources

Photo: Dcoetzee · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Burien, the short version

Population: 51,859 (Census estimate, July 2025)
County: King
Impound rules: Burien chapter 10.10, adopting King County's impound chapter
Expired tabs on a public street: May be impounded after 45 days
Held by a tow operator: Abandoned after 120 hours
Title office we checked: Seattle, about 9 miles north
Report of sale: Within 5 business days

What chapter 10.10 does

The Burien section is one paragraph. It adopts the county chapter "as now in effect and as may subsequently be amended," and breaking that county chapter counts as breaking a Burien ordinance. Because the working text is King County's, read the county code itself if a Burien tow has already happened. Our towed or impounded guide covers getting one out.

Three state clocks for a car that is not moving

45 days past the tab date. Washington law lets police impound a car on a public street when its registration ran out more than 45 days ago. Driving it in that state draws a traffic infraction.
120 hours in the yard. A car a registered tow operator has kept for 120 hours straight becomes, in the words of RCW 46.55.010, an "abandoned vehicle."
15 days, then the auction block. The tow company mails notice of custody and sale to the owners on record. A car nobody claims, and that was not stolen, is auctioned 15 days later.

A dead Burien car with old tabs, left at the curb, can pile up tow and storage bills before its owner catches up.

When state law calls it junk

RCW 46.55.010 labels a vehicle junk when it meets three of four marks. Among them: being "three years old or older," being "apparently inoperable," and damage such as a "broken window or windshield." The fourth is a value close to scrap. Mostly that label matters to someone clearing another person's car off their land.

The title office in Seattle

Need a King County title fast? The Department of Licensing lists a quick title office at 201 S. Jackson St., Suite 206, Seattle, (206) 477-4000. From central Burien that is about 9 miles north as the crow flies. It is one office we looked at; King County has others.

Selling it the Washington way

Your title signature needs no notary in Washington. That step belongs to the buyer.
Keep the plates. Washington law sends them home with the seller.
File a Vehicle Report of Sale with DOL within five business days. DOL frames it as the seller's shield against tow bills and against liability for what the new owner does with the car.

For a Burien seller, a complete report carries the sale date, the VIN, the plate, and names and addresses for both of you. It applies to gifts, trades and wrecking-yard handoffs as well as sales.

Getting an offer

Phone (877) 421-6008 or go online with a few details. Burien sellers can get going with a few quick answers on our offer form. Pickup works at a Burien driveway, or at a lot in SeaTac or Tukwila. The Washington page has the statewide rules.

Questions people ask

Does Burien have its own junk-car ordinance?: The chapter we found, 10.10, adopts King County's impound and redemption chapter, with county read as Burien. Burien may regulate cars kept on private land somewhere else in its code, so ask the city if a notice comes. State law applies regardless.
My car has expired tabs and is parked on a Burien street. Can it be towed?: In Washington, a car on a public street can be impounded when its tabs ran out more than 45 days ago. Driving it in that state is a traffic infraction.
What happens if I leave a car at the tow yard?: After 120 hours in a row with a registered tow operator, state law treats it as abandoned. Owners on record get a custody-and-sale notice by mail from the operator. If nobody claims the car, it is auctioned 15 days later.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.

Burien Municipal Code chapter 10.10, Abandoned vehicles codepublishing.com
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 46.55.010, Definitions (abandoned and junk vehicles) app.leg.wa.gov
RCW 46.55.130, Notice of custody and sale; auction app.leg.wa.gov
RCW 46.16A.030, Expired registration app.leg.wa.gov