Getting a Junk Car Out of a Tight Spot

A tape measure and five minutes will do. Write the numbers down.

Don’t try to work out whether a truck fits. Give us the numbers, and we will tell you what we can do.

Our pickup form takes up to 3 photos. For a tight spot, use them this way:

1. From the street

   Stand where the truck would stop, and shoot toward the car. Show the whole path, including the entrance.

2. The tightest point

   The gate, the turn or the low beam. Put something for scale in the picture, like a person or a trash bin.

3. The car itself

   Show how it sits and what’s right next to it. If you can, show the end that is easiest to reach.

If you need more on photos, our guide on what photos to send covers the car itself.

• Garages

  Tell us the door height, whether the door opens, and how the car is parked. Can it be reached from the front or only the rear? Do you have a key to shift it?

• Narrow driveways

  Note any turn, a retaining wall or a neighbor’s car that has to move. Also whether a shared driveway needs someone else’s okay.

• Hills and slopes

  Describe the slope and which way the car faces. Say if it’s gravel or muddy, or if it gets slick in the rain.

• Backyards and side yards

  Say what the ground is like, what’s soft, and whether a fence or gate is in the way.

• Alleys

  Note how wide the alley is, and if bins or parked cars narrow it on some days.

• Apartment and condo lots

  Gates, low parking structures and assigned spots. See our apartment guide.

• Move your other cars, bikes, bins and anything on the path.
• Trim light brush if it is yours and safe to trim. Leave anything near power lines alone.
• Open gates, and take down a removable panel if you own it and know how.
• Tell neighbors who share the drive, or who park across the entrance. On a shared or someone else’s property, get the owner’s okay in writing ahead of time. RCW 46.79.070 lists removing a vehicle without both written permission of the property owner and department-approved documentation among the grounds for fining a licensee.
• Put the keys where you can reach them, and let the driver say whether to shift it into neutral.
• If the ground is soft, tell us, and ask if a dry day would be better.

• Don’t roll it down a slope. A dead car may have weak brakes and no power steering.
• Don’t try to drive it out if it isn’t safe. That includes a car with bad brakes or that has been sitting for years.
• Don’t drag it with a pickup and a rope. Ropes and chains can snap and cause injuries.
• Don’t leave it in the road. RCW 46.61.590 makes it unlawful to leave a vehicle unattended within the limits of a highway, unless you are arranging prompt removal, and a car on a city street can bring its own problems. See street tagging rules.
• Don’t cut a fence or wall before you have talked to us. It may not help.

We will tell you what we can do, or if we can’t reach it. We do pick up from driveways, garages, apartment and condo lots, business lots and the street, but every spot is different. Stay nearby on pickup day, because the driver may have a question. Our pickup checklist covers the rest of the day, and non-running car removal explains the service. Call (206) 941-0612, open 7 days from 8 AM to 11 PM.