When a car quits in Port Angeles

Street and lot limits

Two more limits in Section 10.20.060 catch cars that have stopped moving:

• 14 days. A car left on a city street "for an unreasonable period of time," which the code pins at "more than 14 consecutive days," is in violation.
• No current tabs. It is "unlawful for any person to stand or park any vehicle that is unlicensed or not currently licensed on any City street, parking lot, or alley."

Yard limits under Section 8.30.080

Pushing the car into the yard brings its own rules. On a single-family lot, parking that breaks the standards in Section 8.30.080 "is considered a nuisance." Front-yard parking is allowed only where the lot has legal access from the street next to it. Where cars have to share one yard, the lot's total cannot pass four. Inoperable vehicles need screening "between the inoperable vehicles and adjacent properties or rights-of-way." A car shut inside a legal garage does not count toward the limit.

Junk vehicles on private property

Section 8.05.040 goes further: "the storage or retention of junk vehicles, or parts thereof, on private property is declared to constitute a public nuisance." After the Enforcement Officer confirms one, a letter reaches both the last registered owner of record and the parcel's owner. If no hearing before the hearing examiner is requested "within ten days, the City may remove the junk vehicle."

The landowner may attend that hearing, or send a written statement beforehand, and deny responsibility with reasons. After removal, the last registered owner or the landowner can be billed. The city can also put a lien on file with the County Auditor, and it is enforced like a mechanics' lien.

The East 4th Street office

One office we checked is at 223 E 4th St. #1, phone (360) 417-2218, under a mile east of downtown's center in a straight line. Washington handles titles at county auditor offices and at subagent vehicle licensing offices.

Your report of sale is what shields you after the car leaves. DOL treats it as properly filed when it shows the sale date, the vehicle identification number and plate, and the seller's and buyer's names with home addresses, and when you file it within 5 days. Before filing it, sign away your interest on the title, write a bill of sale with the buyer (the title can stand in if it shows price and date), and pull your plates. The buyer takes care of the notarized title application.

Getting an offer

Phone (877) 421-6008 or fill out the form for a Port Angeles offer. Our driver goes to it, on a steep street or behind a shop by the harbor. Oak Harbor, 39.6 miles from Port Angeles on a straight line, and Bremerton (52.5) each get a page of their own. State rules are on the Washington page.