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Town guide · Washington

Selling a junk or dead car in Kirkland

Old tabs are the quiet risk for a dead car on a Kirkland curb. Under state law, once the registration has lapsed for over 45 days, a car sitting on a public street can be impounded. Driving with expired tabs is just an infraction; leaving the car parked is what brings the tow. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and you sell the whole car as it sits. Pickup is free anywhere in the US, right from the curb where the car sits.

Updated · 8 sources

Aerial view of downtown Kirkland in autumn, with marinas and docks along the Lake Washington shore and red and gold trees among the buildings
Photo: Jelson25 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Kirkland, the short version

Population
97,410 (Census estimate, July 1, 2025)
County
King
Land area
17.806 sq mi
City junk-car code
Not found online; state law applies
Street impound
Registration expired more than 45 days
Report of Sale
Within 5 business days
Emissions test
None since January 1, 2020
Title office we checked
Seattle, about 9 miles

What governs a junk car in Kirkland

Kirkland's municipal code didn't surface in our online search, so Washington's statutes fill in here. Local rules beyond those are possible, because the state invites cities and counties to add them. Day to day, RCW 46.55 leaves junk-car enforcement to police, health departments and property owners.

Emissions won't block you. Testing stopped statewide on January 1, 2020, and renewals no longer call for it, so an aging engine that would have failed is no obstacle.

Every way a car can leave, and why each needs a report

Most sellers know to report a sale. RCW 46.12.650 reaches further. It covers any car "sold, given away, traded," given to a charity, handed to an insurer or a wrecking yard, or "disposed of." A broken Kirkland car headed for the wrecking yard is no exception, so you still file.

DOL calls the form the Vehicle Report of Sale, number 420-062, and takes it online, by post or at a counter. A complete report carries:

  • the day ownership changed
  • both parties' names and home addresses
  • the VIN, plus the plate number

It must reach DOL inside 5 business days.

Title office, bill of sale, plates

Seattle's King County counter, No. 201 South Jackson Street, Suite 206, is about 9 miles southwest of central Kirkland as the crow flies; (206) 477-4000.

A Kirkland title without the price and date calls for a bill of sale signed by seller and buyer. Keep your copy regardless; the bill of sale guide lists what to include. Notarizing belongs to the buyer's application. You keep the plates. Washington lets you put them on your next vehicle of that type or turn them in, and the buyer may not use them.

A car parked since before its tabs lapsed? See car sitting for years.

Next door

Kenmore (4.2 miles) and Redmond (4.3 miles) are nearest by straight line; Bothell and Bellevue are a little farther. Statewide pages start at Washington.

Getting an offer

Selling a car in Kirkland? Phone (877) 421-6008 or start the form online. Pickup comes to the car, whether it's tucked in a waterfront condo garage or parked on a residential street.

Questions people ask

My car's tabs ran out months ago and it's on a Kirkland street. Can it be towed?
Under state law, yes. A car parked on a public street whose registration lapsed over 45 days back may be impounded. We did not find Kirkland's own code online, and local rules could add to that.
Which details go on Washington's report of sale?
RCW 46.12.650 asks for the sale date, names and addresses for both sides, the VIN and the plate number, and DOL must get it within 5 business days.
Is a smog check needed to sell an old car from Kirkland?
No. Washington stopped emission checks on January 1, 2020, and renewals no longer require one.

Sources

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

  1. RCW 46.16A.030, Registration required; expired registration app.leg.wa.gov
  2. RCW 46.12.650, Release of interest and report of sale app.leg.wa.gov
  3. RCW 46.55.230, Junk vehicles (local codes) app.leg.wa.gov
  4. Washington DOL: Sell a vehicle dol.wa.gov
  5. Washington DOL: Quick title offices dol.wa.gov
  6. Washington Department of Ecology: Emission checks end ecology.wa.gov
  7. U.S. Census Bureau: City population estimates, 2020-2025 www2.census.gov
  8. U.S. Census Bureau: 2025 Gazetteer place file (land area) www2.census.gov