Got a junk or dead car in Camas?

Where a dead car can sit in Camas

Chapter 8.06 sets the storage rules for homes. Passenger cars and pickups "shall be parked in a designated driveway, parking space, carport or garage." Junk vehicles get a stricter line: they "shall not be stored outside of an enclosed building except in an area which is not visible from any part of any private property, public streets, highways and sidewalks."

The chapter defines "vehicle storage" as keeping vehicles or parts on a parcel "for a period longer than thirty days." Its definition of debris lists "vehicles or parts thereof" in the same breath as old stoves, sinks and refrigerators.

The 30-day notice under 8.08.050

Once an officer certifies a car as junk, the officer posts a notice on it and mails copies to the last registered and legal owner, the occupant and the property owner. The notice describes the car by make and VIN or plate. Two things then run from the date on that notice:

• Anyone named may "within thirty days of the date of the notice, file with the police department a written request for hearing."
• When no one asks for a hearing and the car has not moved, it "will be removed, and the cost of removal and disposal will be assessed against" the registered owner, the occupant or the property owner.

Behind the city's certification sits RCW 46.55.010. Under that statute, a car qualifies once three of these describe it: its age has reached three years, it carries heavy damage, it appears unable to run, and its whole value is scrap.

On Camas streets

Section 10.08.020 makes it unlawful to leave any vehicle on a street without posted limits "for a period longer than seventy-two hours." Campers, motor homes, trailers and boat trailers get twenty-four hours. If the city impounds a car, Section 10.20.040 lets the owner, or a person who bought it from the owner and shows proof, redeem it by paying the towing and storage costs.

The title errand from Camas

Vancouver's 1300 Franklin Street holds a quick title office on DOL's list. It sits about 12 miles west of central Camas in a straight line. We looked it up for Clark County, and there may be other offices.

Here the notary stamp goes on the buyer's paperwork, not yours. Your part is signing the title across to the buyer and writing up a bill of sale, which Washington skips only if the title itself shows the price and the date. After that, the Department of Licensing expects your Vehicle Report of Sale inside 5 days. DOL says that filing keeps tow bills and the new owner's legal trouble from coming back to you. Unscrew the plates before the car leaves your street. Washington lets you bolt them onto a similar vehicle later, or turn them in.

Lost the title? Washington wants one before any sale. A fresh copy runs $39.50 and takes 4 to 8 weeks by mail. For some Camas sellers, DOL will accept an "Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest" instead. Selling with no title walks through it.

Getting an offer

Have a car to sell in Camas? Ring (877) 421-6008 or send in the form. Our truck loads it from a Camas driveway, a curb, or the lot of a shop that gave up on it. Vancouver is the neighbor to the west, and the Washington page has the statewide rules.