Selling a junk car in Kent

Who certifies a junk car in Kent

The chapter declares "all junk vehicles certified as such by a law enforcement officer or code enforcement officer designated by the director according to RCW 46.55.230 and found on private property" to be a public nuisance. That puts city code staff, not only police, in the position to start the process on a driveway or side yard.

The officer measures the car against Washington's four-part test and needs three hits: three or more years since it was built, real damage, a look of being dead, and nothing left but scrap value.

What the notice says

The notice describes the car by "the license plate number and/or the vehicle identification number; the model year; the make; and the factors which render the vehicle a public nuisance." It sets the hearing date. Under Kent's code, the city can also tow the car away, get rid of it, and bill the registered owner or the landowner, whichever the examiner picks.

Kent's purpose line reads like Bellevue's, to protect "the character and safety of the city's neighborhoods." The extra detail is the hearing window, which gives a firm earliest and latest date.

After the hearing

If the examiner orders abatement, the car "may be removed at the request of a law enforcement officer." The city can then send it to "a licensed motor vehicle wrecker or hulk hauler or scrap processor, with notice to the Washington State Patrol and the Washington Department of Licensing." Dealers and dismantlers storing cars lawfully behind fences are outside the chapter.

The gap between the notice and the hearing date is the time to decide whether you sell the car or the city removes it. Notice to remove a car goes through the options.

Title office and Washington rules

Suite 206 of 201 South Jackson Street in Seattle is on DOL's quick title list, phone (206) 477-4000. It is about 16 miles north of downtown Kent in a straight line. We only checked that King County office, and south King County likely has more.

A wrecked Kent car may carry a brand. Among Washington's are Rebuilt, Odometer not actual and Contaminated, and once applied they never drop off the record. Kent titles never get a Washington flood brand, but one from another state carries over unchanged. Salvage title explains what a brand means for a sale.

A Kent seller signs the title, plus a bill of sale when no price and date appear on it. The notarized paper in this deal is the buyer's, not yours. You owe DOL a Vehicle Report of Sale inside 5 days, and the plates leave with you, ready for a similar vehicle or a return to the state.

Getting an offer

For a Kent offer, ring (877) 421-6008 or use our form. The truck comes to the car, whether it waits at a house, an apartment lot near downtown, or a shop down in the valley. Des Moines, Covington, Auburn and Renton are all within about 6 miles, and the Washington page has the state rules.