Town guide · Washington
Selling a dead or junk car in Edmonds
In Edmonds, the junk-car process starts with the police department. ECC 8.48.168 has officers send written notice to the landowner and the car's last registered owner, telling them "to abate the nuisance or face removal of said vehicle." That letter also opens a 10-day window for asking for a hearing. If selling the car beats arguing over it, we buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US.
Updated · 6 sources
Edmonds, the short version
- Population
- 42,748 (Census estimate, July 2025)
- County
- Snohomish
- Junk-car rule
- Edmonds City Code 8.48.168
- Who sends the notice
- The police department
- Time to ask for a hearing
- 10 days, in writing to the chief of police
- Title office we checked
- Everett, about 13 miles northeast
- Emissions test
- None since January 1, 2020
- Plates
- Seller removes them
Ten days to write to the chief
An Edmonds hearing happens before the municipal court, and it "may be requested in writing directed to the chief of police within 10 days of said notice." After notice goes out and any hearing ends, the car "shall be removed at the request of a police officer and disposed of to a licensed motor vehicle wrecker or hulk hauler with notice to the Washington State Patrol and the Department of Licensing that the vehicle has been wrecked." Edmonds may also hire a registered tow company by contract to take away abandoned junk cars and hulks.
Impounds and the pier lot
Getting a car out of an Edmonds impound is pay-first: "Any person redeeming a vehicle properly impounded by the city shall pay the towing contractor for the costs of impoundment (removal, towing and storage) prior to redeeming such vehicle." If a court order is in play and the tow bill is unpaid, the order adds the citation's fines and the hearing's court costs before release.
The chapter also covers the fishing pier parking lot. Cars parked against its rules can be towed where posted signs name the towing agency and say how to recover the car. Towed or impounded lists what to bring.
No smog check for an old Edmonds car
Washington's Department of Ecology ended the state's emission checks on January 1, 2020. Renewal no longer calls for one, so an Edmonds car that would have failed can change hands without a test.
The title office in Everett
Edmonds titles fall under Snohomish County. Among the quick title offices the Department of Licensing lists, we checked the one at 3000 Rockefeller Avenue in Everett, roughly 13 miles northeast of downtown Edmonds as the crow flies. Others may sit nearer your street.
What the seller does
- Sign the Edmonds title over. Washington puts the notary visit on the buyer.
- If the title is missing the price and date, both of you sign a bill of sale and you hold on to a copy. Our bill of sale guide shows the fields.
- Remove the plates before the car rolls away. Left on, they can link you to tickets, camera fines and tolls the car picks up later.
- Report the sale to DOL within five days. DOL says an online report sent after office hours goes through as soon as it is paid for.
Getting an offer
Reach us online or at (877) 421-6008. We ask for the model year and make, the miles on the clock, if it starts, and how the paperwork looks. We can pick up from an Edmonds driveway or a garage in Lynnwood or Shoreline. For state rules, see Washington.
Questions people ask
- An Edmonds police notice came for my car. What is my deadline?
- Ten days. Within that time you can ask, in writing to the chief of police, for a hearing before the Edmonds municipal court. Without a hearing, or if it goes against you, police can have the car hauled to a licensed wrecker or hulk hauler.
- In Edmonds, how much do you pay to get a car out of impound?
- First the tow company is paid for removing, towing and storing it. If a court order applies and that bill is still open, Edmonds also wants the citation fines and the hearing's court costs before release.
- Is there a smog check before selling an old car from Edmonds?
- No. Washington dropped emission testing on January 1, 2020, so you can renew without one.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.
- Edmonds City Code 8.48.168, Abandoned and junk vehicles edmonds.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
- Washington DOL: Dispose of old plates dol.wa.gov
- Washington Department of Ecology: Emission check program ends ecology.wa.gov