Your Car Was Tagged on the Street: Seattle and Tacoma

1. Photograph the tag and the car

   Get the date, any deadline, any phone number or case number, and the car’s position on the block.

2. Check what kind of notice it is

   If the tag is a temporary no-parking notice or a street-work notice, the deadline may be shorter. Look for signs on the block.

3. Work out whether the car can move

   Think about three things: does it run, are the tabs current, and is it safe to drive? If any answer is no, go to the next section.

4. Call the number on the tag if you need time

   Ask what the deadline is, what counts as moving the car, and whether there is a way to tell them it is being handled. Write down who you spoke to.

Do not drive an unsafe car to beat a deadline, and do not push it through traffic. A tow is the safe way to move it. Your real choices are these:

RCW 46.55.085 says a vehicle that poses no safety hazard can stay on the roadside beyond 24 hours if the owner or operator cannot remove it, notifies law enforcement and asks for assistance. That is state law for the state’s tagging process, and it is not a free pass. Ask whoever issued your tag how it applies before relying on it.

The Seattle Department of Transportation says a vehicle cannot stay on the same block “for longer than 72 consecutive hours”, regardless of whether a sign is posted. The instruction is to move it off the blockface at least every 72 hours. Rolling a few feet forward does not fit that wording.

We go deeper on this in Seattle’s 72-hour rule and a car that will not start.

We could not read the full Seattle Municipal Code text, and we could not confirm a separate city rule on junk vehicles on the street, so we are not stating one. For anything beyond the 72-hour limit, use the contact on your tag or ask the city.

Tacoma’s Abandoned Automobiles page says a vehicle on a city street may be considered abandoned if it stays for an extended period and meets any of these: it has not moved, is unused or inoperable, is in disrepair, is missing major parts, or has expired or no plates. The page gives no fixed day count. Reports and questions go through Tacoma FIRST 311, or (253) 591-5000 from outside the city.

An older print of the Tacoma code, revised in 2013, says a vehicle that meets its “Public Nuisance Vehicle” test and is on public property is stickered and may be impounded after 24 hours. We could not read the current code, so we cannot tell you this is still the rule. Assume you may have very little time, and call 311 to confirm.

• Tagged on a highway: RCW 46.55.010 makes a vehicle tagged on a highway subject to removal after 24 hours. A vehicle that is a hazard can go immediately.
• Expired tabs: under RCW 46.55.113, a registration expired “more than 45 days” on a vehicle parked on a public street is a ground for impound. Moving an expired car down the block does not fix that. See expired tabs on a junk car.
• Left unattended: RCW 46.61.590 makes it unlawful to leave a vehicle unattended within the limits of a highway unless you are arranging prompt removal.

Walking away does not end your connection to the car. Under RCW 46.55.105, the last registered owner is presumed liable for removal, storage and disposal costs, and may also face a traffic infraction. Storage keeps adding up and the car can go to auction. Our guide on impounded cars not worth getting back covers what follows.

If you already sold the car and someone tagged it anyway, gather your proof of sale. A properly filed report of sale relieves you, and this guide explains how to file one.

Call us at (206) 941-0612 and tell us the tag’s deadline. Same-day pickup is often possible, though we cannot promise it. We call back within 4 hours and run 7 days, 8 AM to 11 PM. Have your title or other paperwork ready, and plan to be there with it. Take the plates off before the car goes. See scrap car removal for how it works.