Sell your car in Berkeley: running, parked too long or towed
Berkeley makes it illegal to leave a car parked in one spot for longer than 72 hours, and its fine schedule, updated July 28, 2026, puts that citation at $89. Request a cash offer online, and the pickup, which costs you nothing, meets the car where it's parked.
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Keeping a parked car legal on a Berkeley street
- 72 hours in one spot is the limit. The city's street parking rules say it's illegal to leave a car parked in one spot for longer than that (City of Berkeley).
- Move it at least one car's length. That's how the city says to avoid the citation, and it's the one step a car that won't start can't take.
- $89 if it's cited. The fine schedule, last updated July 28, 2026, lists an on-street violation of 72 or more consecutive hours under BMC 14.36.050 at $89 (Berkeley fine schedule).
- Showing it to buyers over a week? Keep it moving. A car that waits at the curb for a private sale is under the same rule, so move it at least a car's length within every 72 hours until it's gone.
Where we pick up around Berkeley
Pickup is free across Berkeley and the rest of Alameda County, Oakland included. Curbside, a driveway or a garage under an apartment building all work; mention low clearance or a gate code when you book.
Sweeping days are no-parking days. On-street parking isn't allowed during scheduled street sweeping in Berkeley (City of Berkeley). If the car can't be moved, check your block's sweep day before you choose a pickup time.
Cash for your car in Berkeley
Berkeley's answer to the 72-hour limit is to move the car at least one car's length, and that's exactly what a car with a dead battery, a seized engine or a lost key can't do. It sits, and the clock runs. None of that stops our buying partner from quoting it, and the free pickup brings its own truck to wherever the car stopped. If yours still runs and is a 2000 or older, see the Air District program in the questions below before you accept an offer.
If parts and scrap are worth more than the car, the junk car page explains what that offer is made of, including what changes when the keys or the title are missing. Weighing a repair bill against a sale? Fix it or junk it sets the two side by side, and selling a car with engine problems covers a blown head gasket or worse.
Getting a towed car back in Berkeley
If the car was towed before you could sell it, the city's towed-vehicle page says you'll need a vehicle release form from the Berkeley Police Department's Records Bureau (City of Berkeley). If you think the tow was a mistake, call (510) 981-5980 to request a tow hearing; a hearing can't be held on the day the vehicle was towed.
Once it's released, the car can still get an offer. Have the free pickup collect it from your driveway rather than parking it back on the street, where the 72-hour rule applies again.
Where Berkeley sellers find a DMV field office
- •No field office in Berkeley itself. For counter service, the DMV's Oakland Claremont field office in neighboring Oakland takes appointments and offers Get in Line Now. (California DMV)
- •A self-serve kiosk at the Oakland Claremont office is there for anyone who'd rather skip the wait in line. (California DMV)
Asked by Berkeley sellers
How do I report a car that hasn't moved in 72 hours in Berkeley?
The city takes those reports at (510) 981-5890 or through its online request for service form (City of Berkeley).
What does a street-sweeping ticket cost in Berkeley?
$73 for parking against a street-sweeping sign, on the city's fine schedule updated July 28, 2026 (Berkeley fine schedule).
Is there a program that pays to scrap an old car in Berkeley?
Yes, for some cars. If yours runs and is model year 2000 or older, the Vehicle Buy Back Program run by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District pays $2,000 to retire it for scrap, as of November 2026 (Air District). For a car that won't run, or a newer one, ask our buying partner for an offer instead.
Is there a DMV field office in Berkeley?
No. For counter work, Berkeley sellers can go to a field office in a neighboring city, such as the DMV's Oakland Claremont office, which takes appointments and has a self-serve kiosk (California DMV).
The forms for a sale are the state's, not the city's, so our California page has those steps, from the title to the notice you file afterward. For what happens to the plates, see license plates when you sell, state by state.