Sell your car in San Francisco: running, broken down or facing a tow
When you sell your car in San Francisco, whether you're going car-free or replacing it, we come to your garage or curb, nobody test-drives it, and pickup and payment happen in the same visit. What's left for you after that is tied to the plate: SFMTA parking tickets, the residential permit and Golden Gate Bridge tolls.
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Book the pickup, then clear the plate
- Get the number and book the pickup. We plan around street-cleaning windows, garage access, and buildings where the freight entrance is the only entrance.
- Take the plate off your FasTrak account. Going car-free? Close the account instead, and if it holds a tag deposit, return the tag within 10 business days of closing to get the deposit back. FasTrak's walk-in center is at 375 Beale Street.
- Sort out the residential permit, which SFMTA now assigns to the plate instead of issuing a sticker. If you're replacing the car, the permit can move to the new one for $26, but not while there are delinquent tickets on the plate.
Where we pick up around San Francisco
We come to you anywhere in the city, from the Mission to the Sunset. The hard part here is usually physical: a tight garage, a steep driveway, a hill start, a car that hasn't turned over in months. Our drivers deal with that daily. Tell us about the access, such as low clearance or a shared entry, and we'll send equipment that fits. Outside the city, pickup covers the Peninsula from Daly City down to San Mateo, and Sausalito across the Golden Gate.
If the car waits on the street: enroll the plate in SFMTA's Text Before Tow program. If an officer finds the car past the 72-hour limit, or breaking one of three other rules the program covers, you get a text and a tow truck is dispatched at the same time. It can arrive in as few as five minutes, and the citation still stands.
Cash for your car in San Francisco
SFMTA, the city's transportation agency, can cite and tow a car on a public street right away if it is obviously disabled and inoperable or more than six months out of registration, whether or not it got a warning notice first. The city impound at 450 7th Street then charges a $335 administrative fee on a first tow, plus a $317 tow fee. After four free hours, storage adds $69 for the first day and $82 for each day after (SFMTA fees as of September 2026).
You avoid that bill by selling before a tow, whether the car is at the curb or in a garage it hasn't left in months. If the key or the title is missing too, what you need to sell a junk car covers both.
If a knocking engine or a transmission with no reverse is what keeps the car parked, selling a car with engine problems and selling a car with a bad transmission lay out whether to fix it or sell it. For a car that's been in a crash, see selling a car with accident damage.
Car trade-in value in San Francisco, next to an offer
California's tax agency tells car dealers to report tax on a car's full selling price even when they take a trade-in; the trade-in allowance can't be deducted. San Francisco's sales tax rate is 8.625% (as of September 2026), so a $20,000 car is taxed $1,725 with or without a $4,000 trade-in. That means a dealer's trade-in figure and an instant offer compare dollar for dollar. The trade-in vs. selling privately guide shows which states do give a trade-in tax credit and works through an example.
Bridge tolls and the parking permit, as of September 2026
- •The Golden Gate Bridge charges a two-axle car $10.25 with a FasTrak account and $11.25 by toll invoice, at rates in effect since July 1, 2026 (Golden Gate Bridge toll rates)
- •The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge charges a solo driver $8.50, paid westbound at the bridge's eastern end (FasTrak toll schedule)
- •A residential parking permit for a passenger car costs $224 a year, and a used permit is not refunded (SFMTA permit fees)
Asked by San Francisco sellers
Can I sell my junk car in San Francisco after it gets a 72-hour notice?
Yes. The notice is SFMTA's Marking Notice, fixed to the windshield, and an officer may mark one or more wheels at the same time. Enforcement usually starts with a complaint from a resident, and there's no waiting period before the notice can go on. If the car is still in the same spot when the officer comes back 72 hours later, it can be cited or towed. Pickup comes to where it's parked.
What happens if my car has unpaid San Francisco parking tickets?
SFMTA treats a ticket as delinquent once it has gone 41 days unpaid, and a car with five or more delinquent tickets can be booted or towed. Delinquent tickets are also sent to the DMV, and the registration can't be renewed until they're paid. Payments made at the DMV take up to eight weeks to reach SFMTA, and with five or more tickets it encourages paying at its Customer Service Center, 11 South Van Ness Avenue.
Can Golden Gate Bridge tolls reach me after I sell the car?
They can, because the bridge bills by plate. Tolls are collected electronically in the southbound direction into San Francisco, and a crossing with no account behind the plate becomes a Toll Invoice mailed to the vehicle's registered owner. If the plate is still listed on your FasTrak account, tolls matched to it are charged to you until you update the account.
Where is the DMV field office in San Francisco?
The California DMV's San Francisco field office is at 1377 Fell Street. Title transfers are among the services the DMV lists for it, and it has a self-serve kiosk, which the DMV says lets you avoid waiting in line.
For the smog check, the title signatures and the DMV release of liability, see our California selling guide.