California Vehicle Code 220 – (a) An “automobile dismantler” is a person not otherwise …
(a) An “automobile dismantler” is a person not otherwise expressly excluded by Section 221 who is engaged in the business of buying, selling, or dealing in vehicles of a type required to be registered under this code, including nonrepairable vehicles, for the purpose of dismantling the vehicles, who buys or sells the integral parts and component materials thereof, in whole or in part, or deals in used motor vehicle parts. This section does not apply to the occasional and incidental dismantling of vehicles by dealers who have secured dealer plates from the department for the current year whose principal business is buying and selling new and used vehicles, or by owners who desire to dismantle not more than three personal vehicles within any 12-month period.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), “automobile dismantler” includes a person not otherwise expressly excluded by Section 221 who keeps or maintains on real property owned by the person, or under their possession or control, either of the following vehicles or catalytic converters, whether for the purpose of resale of used parts, for the purpose of reclaiming for use some or all of the materials, whether metal, glass, fabric, or otherwise, or to dispose of them, or for any other purpose:
Terms Used In California Vehicle Code 220
- automobile dismantler: includes a person not otherwise expressly excluded by Section 221 who keeps or maintains on real property owned by the person, or under their possession or control, either of the following vehicles or catalytic converters, whether for the purpose of resale of used parts, for the purpose of reclaiming for use some or all of the materials, whether metal, glass, fabric, or otherwise, or to dispose of them, or for any other purpose:
California Vehicle Code 220
- business: includes a proprietorship, partnership, corporation, and any other form of commercial enterprise. See California Vehicle Code 234
- Dealer: is a person not otherwise expressly excluded by Section 286 who:
California Vehicle Code 285
- Department: means the Department of Motor Vehicles except, when used in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 2100) of Division 2 and in Divisions 11 (commencing with Section 21000), 12 (commencing with Section 24000), 13 (commencing with Section 29000), 14 (commencing with Section 31600), 14. See California Vehicle Code 290
- motor vehicle: includes a recreational vehicle as that term is defined in subdivision (a) of §. See California Vehicle Code 415
- Person: includes a natural person, firm, copartnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation. See California Vehicle Code 470
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- vehicle: is a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved, or drawn upon a highway, excepting a device moved exclusively by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See California Vehicle Code 670
(1) Two or more unregistered motor vehicles no longer intended for, or in condition for, legal use on the highways.
(2) Nine or more used catalytic converters that have been cut from a motor vehicle using a sharp implement.
(c) (1) Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of subdivision (b), a “junk dealer,” as defined in § 21601 of the Business and Professions Code, a “recycler,” as defined in § 21605 of the Business and Professions Code, or a “commercial enterprise” or “core recycler,” as defined in § 21610 of the Business and Professions Code, is not an automobile dismantler even if it possesses nine or more used catalytic converters that have been cut from a motor vehicle using a sharp implement.
(2) This subdivision does not apply to a “commercial enterprise” described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of § 21610 of the Business and Professions Code.
(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 537, Sec. 1. (AB 641) Effective January 1, 2024.)