Sell your car in Modesto: dead at the curb or running fine
Modesto lets police or a Parking Enforcement Officer remove any vehicle left on a street, in an alley or in a public parking facility for more than 72 consecutive hours, and a car that won't start gets no extra time. An online cash offer costs nothing, and if you accept, the car is collected free from the curb, the driveway or a ranch out in the county.
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Showing a car to a Modesto buyer
- Meet on the G Street side. Modesto Police's Safe Exchange Zone is on the G Street side of the station at 600 10th Street, marked with a white curb and “Safe Exchange Zone” signs, the department said in a holiday-season FOX40 story from about two years ago (FOX40).
- One car isn't an off-site sale. The city's off-site auto sales chapter defines those as sales of three or more automobiles at a location not open for car sales year-round, a definition a single private sale doesn't meet (Modesto Municipal Code Sec. 4-17.01).
- Detail it at home. On a roadway in a commercial or industrial zone, Modesto bars parking a car mainly to wash, grease or repair it, unless an emergency forced the repair (Sec. 3-2.1003(b)).
Where we pick up around Modesto
There's no charge for pickup in Modesto or anywhere in Stanislaus County, Turlock included, or over the county line in Manteca, Tracy and Stockton. If the car is down a ranch road or behind a gate, add directions when you book.
The number a neighbor would call. Abandoned vehicles in Modesto are reported to the Police Department's Abandoned Auto Hotline, 209-572-9511 (City of Modesto). A car that's been sitting at the curb for a while is better off in the driveway, or gone.
Cash for your car in Modesto
The 72-hour limit applies on Modesto streets, in alleys and in public parking facilities alike, and once a car passes it, any member of the Police Department or a Parking Enforcement Officer may remove it (Modesto Municipal Code Sec. 3-2.1002(b)). A battery that died last week or an engine that quit on the drive home doesn't buy extra time at the curb.
Whatever stopped it, our buying partner can price the car where it sits, and collecting it costs you nothing. If it's past fixing, see what goes into a junk car offer; if you're still working out why it won't turn over, why a car won't start runs through the usual causes.
Past Modesto's city limits: the county's two-car allowance
Out in the county, Stanislaus County Code allows up to two non-operable or non-registered vehicles on a property (Stanislaus County Code Enforcement), so a third one is the place to start selling. A vehicle that looks abandoned on a public road in unincorporated Stanislaus County is reported to county Code Enforcement by submitting a ticket or calling 209-525-6700 (county abandoned-vehicle page).
Inside the city limits, Modesto's Neighborhood Preservation Unit is at 209-577-5250 (City of Modesto).
Modesto's DMV field office on Burney Street
- •124 Burney Street. The Modesto Field Office's service list runs from title transfers and registration to plates, permits and replacing lost, stolen or damaged records. (California DMV)
- •Doors open at 8 and close at 5 on weekdays in the schedule the DMV posted for Nov. 8–21, 2026, though Wednesday, Nov. 18 starts at 9; there's nothing on Saturdays or Sundays. (California DMV)
- •Skip the line for some jobs at the office's self-serve kiosk. (California DMV)
- •Bring any of these: cash, a check, a credit or debit card, a digital wallet or a money order. (California DMV)
Asked by Modesto sellers
How long before police can remove a dead car from a Modesto street?
No longer than any other vehicle: 72 consecutive hours, and the limit covers alleys and public parking facilities too. After that, police or a Parking Enforcement Officer can remove it (Sec. 3-2.1002(b)).
Which DMV offices are closest to Modesto?
Besides the Burney Street office, the DMV's Modesto page puts Turlock, Manteca, Tracy and Stockton on its nearby list, with a wait time beside each (California DMV).
I live outside Modesto in Stanislaus County. How many dead cars can I keep?
Up to two non-operable or non-registered vehicles on a property, the county's Code Enforcement FAQ says (Stanislaus County).
Does Modesto's off-site car sales chapter apply to selling my own car?
Not to one car. The chapter defines off-site sales as any sale of three or more automobiles at a location not open for car sales during regular business hours year-round (Sec. 4-17.01).
Who can tow a car off a Modesto street without the owner's say-so?
Only the city's own employees or agents, or a party to a towing franchise agreement the City Council approved, may run a non-consensual towing business in Modesto (Sec. 3-10.02(c)). The pickup you book when you sell is one you've agreed to.
The title transfer and the rest of the statewide paperwork for a Modesto sale live on our guide to selling in California. Weighing a private sale against an instant offer? The best way to sell a car compares them.