Junk Vehicle Removal

Snohomish County’s Solid Waste Division’s Environmental Cleanup Team offers VIN inspections in an effort to assist private property owners in the removal of unwanted vehicles from their properties. Removing junk vehicles helps make Snohomish County a cleaner, more beautiful place to visit and live while enhancing the quality of life for present and future generations.

In order to properly remove a vehicle from your property, it may be necessary to obtain a junk vehicle affidavit. A junk vehicle affidavit is a document that verifies a vehicle is useless and can be legally disposed of. If you have a junk vehicle on your property in rural Snohomish County, you can initiate the process for its removal by answering the questions below, filling out the Junk Vehicle Affidavit Inspection Request Form or by contacting your local law enforcement agency. When the process is completed, the vehicle may be legally removed and disposed of by the property owner, a licensed auto recycler or a licensed hulk hauler.

The three steps/questions below will guide you through the process to removing an abandoned junk vehicle.

 Am I the legal landowner? 

• Yes – then proceed to the next question.
• No – then please stop this process and have the legal landowner initiate the procedure to remove junk vehicles.
  
  

 Is the vehicle I want to remove considered a "junk vehicle"? 

To qualify as a junk vehicle, a vehicle must meet three of the following conditions:

• Must be at least three years old.
• Must be extensively damaged.
• Must be apparently inoperable.
• Must have a fair market value equal only to the approximate value of the scrap in it.

What if my vehicle does not meet the definition of a “junk vehicle"?

If the vehicle does not meet the junk requirements outlined above, it falls into the category of an “abandoned vehicle.” Abandoned vehicles require a different process for removal. View instructions below on reporting abandoned vehicles.

 Do I have the title to the vehicle? 

Choose an option that best fits your situation:

• I own the junk vehicle, but cannot find the title.
  
  If you’ve lost the title to the vehicle, take the license plate number, the VIN, and your personal ID to your local vehicle licensing agent. Tell the licensing agent you want an Affidavit in Lieu of Title to be used for the purpose of disposal (recycling) of the vehicle. Once you acquire this documentation, call your local licensed auto recycler or licensed hulk hauler for removal. You may want to look in the Yellow Pages for a list of charitable organizations who may accept donated vehicles. Also, a listing of recyclers in your area may be found by calling 1‐800‐RECYCLE or at the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Web site.
  
  
• The junk vehicle is on my property but I do not have the title.
  
  If you’ve never had the title to a vehicle you bought or received, you will need to get a release of interest from the previous registered owner, if you know them. The Release of Interest form is available at your local licensing agent.
  
  If the junk vehicle is on your property, you do not have a title and you do not know the last registered owner, fill out the Junk Vehicle Affidavit Inspection Request Form, and click on the submit button. One of our VIN Inspector Technicians will contact you in the order your submission was received to make an appointment to inspect the vehicle. Once the inspection confirms that the vehicle is junk, you as the landowner notify the registered owner and legal owner by mailing a copy of the affidavit to the address provided by our inspector. If the owner doesn’t respond within 15 days, have the affidavit notarized and you then can dispose of the vehicle, by self haul, a licensed auto recycler or a licensed hulk hauler.
  
  
• I do have the vehicle’s title.
  
  If you have the vehicle title, call your local licensed auto recycler or licensed hulk hauler for removal. You may want to look in the Yellow Pages for a list of charitable organizations who may accept donated vehicles. Also, a listing of recyclers in your area may be found by calling 1-800-RECYCLE or at the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Web site.
  

What if I notice an abandoned vehicle located on public property or in the right of way?

Call 9-1-1 and the operator will ask what you are reporting. Tell the operator it is a non-emergency. They will ask you a series of questions. Be prepared to answer the following questions:

• What am I reporting? (You are reporting an abandoned vehicle.)
• What is the location?
• What color is the vehicle?
• Do I know the license plate number?
• What is my name, and phone number?
• Do I want a Deputy to contact me?

How do I report abandoned junk vehicles if I reside in an adjoining county?

• In King County: call 206-296-4437 or 1-800-325-6165, ext. 64437, (outside the local calling area M‐F, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) or visit their Web site. 
• In Skagit County: call 360-428-3211 or visit their Web site.

Contact Us

Submit questions about the Junk Vehicle Removal Program to SPW-ECUP@snoco.org or call 425-388-7613. (TTY: 711)