Junkyards and salvage yards in California
59 mapped yards across 42 California cities, 12 of them self-service - plus the number the listings never give you: what a yard is likely to pay for the whole car.
What a yard pays in California
Know this before you start phoning around. A yard buying your car as a unit is paying for the recyclable metal in it, which follows weight, plus whatever it expects to resell from it. Anything far below this range deserves a second quote.
What a yard pays for a whole car in California
Clean title, catalytic converter still on the car, no crash damage. Regional scrap basis $145 - $175 per ton of recoverable metal, as of 2026-08.
| Vehicle | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Small car, will not start | $190 - $235 |
| Mid-size sedan, will not start | $220 - $275 |
| SUV or minivan, will not start | $300 - $375 |
| Full-size pickup, will not start | $380 - $475 |
Preliminary estimates from our own model, kept on the low side on purpose. They are not offers and not quotes from any yard on this page. Our own estimate of what a seller gets per ton of recoverable metal in this region - not a live per-state quote and not a mill index. A yard that has to send its own truck for the car will usually pay less than one you drive it to.
Run the estimate for your own car →
California paperwork, from the state's own source
A licensed yard cannot take a car without a proper release of ownership, so the paperwork matters wherever you sell. This is the California rule, with the source attached.
California no-title rule
In California, if the title is missing, the DMV requires you to complete an Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227) before ownership can be transferred. A licensed dismantler or the DMV may instead process a scrapped car under salvage or nonrepairable paperwork. Requirements vary, so confirm your case with the California DMV.
VerifiedSourceas of 2026-08
Certificate this state issues
Nonrepairable Vehicle Certificate, or a Salvage Certificate (note: the DMV's own procedure ties these to an insurance total-loss settlement, so an ordinary owner without a claim will usually be routed to a replacement title instead)
VerifiedSource
California plates
In California, standard plates generally stay with the vehicle when it's sold, so you typically leave them on the car (special/personalized plates can be retained and reassigned for a fee).
VerifiedSource
The full California no-title guide →|What junk cars are worth in California →
Junkyards in California by city
Grouped by city, the cities with the most mapped yards first. The self-service tag is our own read of the yard's name, not something the yard told us, so confirm on the phone before you turn up with tools.
San Jose (9)
American Imports Auto Dismantler
285 Leo Avenue - San Jose, CA - 95112
ATT Recycle
215 Leo Avenue - San Jose, CA - 95112
Environmental Resource Recovery
1615 South 7th Street - San Jose, CA - 95112
Intex Auto Parts
1432 Old Bayshore Highway - San Jose, CA - 95112-2813
Hours: Mo-Fr 08:00-17:00; Sa 08:30-14:00
Mayfair Auto Dismantler
18 North King Road - San Jose, CA - 95116
NK Auto Parts
60 North 13th Street - San Jose, CA - 95112
Radius Recycling - San Jose
11665 Berryessa Road - San Jose, CA - 95133
Schnitzer San Jose
11665 Berryessa Road - San Jose, CA - 95133
Winchester Auto Parts
3261 South White Road - San Jose, CA - 95148
Fresno (3)
Pick-n-Pull - FresnoSelf-service
3230 East Jensen Avenue - Fresno, CA - 93706
Smith Auto Parts
2545 North Blackstone Avenue - Fresno, CA - 93703
Turner's Auto Wrecking
4248 South Willow Avenue - Fresno, CA - 93725
Hours: Mo-Sa 08:00-17:00
Sacramento (3)
Del Paso Auto Dismantlers
1101 Del Paso Boulevard - Sacramento, CA - 95815
Pick-n-PullSelf-service
4075 Happy Lane - Sacramento, CA - 95827
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00, Sa-Su 08:00-18:00
Pick-n-Pull - Sacramento MatherSelf-service
4075 Happy Lane - Sacramento, CA - 95827
South Gate (3)
National Auto Parts
2781 Firestone Boulevard - South Gate, CA
Renteria Auto Parts
9523 Long Beach Boulevard - South Gate, CA - 90280
State Auto Parts
8442 State Street - South Gate, CA - 90280
Antelope (2)
El Cajon (2)
E & M Auto Parts
1647 East Main Street - El Cajon, CA - 92021
Pioneer Auto Wreckers
1416 Pioneer Way - El Cajon, CA - 92020
Oakland (2)
Aaron Metals Company
750 105th Avenue - Oakland, CA - 94603
Hours: Mo-Fr 07:30-16:00
Pick-N-PullSelf-service
8451 San Leandro Street - Oakland, CA - 94621
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa-Su 08:00-17:00
American Canyon (1)
Anaheim (1)
LKQ - Pick Your Part - Anaheim
1235 South Beach Boulevard - Anaheim, CA - 92804
Chico (1)
Chula Vista (1)
RC Import Auto Recyclers
777 Energy Way - Chula Vista, CA - 91911
Cupertino (1)
Clark's Auto Parts and Machine Shop
10270 Imperial Avenue - Cupertino, CA - 95014-5947
Dos Palos (1)
Pacific Coast Recycling
2857 Almond Street - Dos Palos, CA - 93620
Goleta (1)
Larry's Auto Parts
5855 Hollister Avenue - Goleta, CA - 93117
Hours: Mo-Fr 07:00-18:00; Sa 08:00-17:00; Su 09:00-15:00
Gonzales (1)
Kings Towing and Repair
Short Road and Gonzales River Road - Gonzales, CA - 93926
Huntington Park (1)
Rudy's Auto Parts
7917 Seville Avenue - Huntington Park, CA - 90255
Indio (1)
U.S. Metals
84481 Cabazon Avenue - Indio, CA - 92201
Hours: Mo-Fr 08:00-16:00; Sa 08:00-13:00; Su off
Lancaster (1)
Juniors Auto Parts and Salvage
379 W Ave I - Lancaster, CA - 93534
Hours: Mo-Fr 07:00-17:00; Sa-Su Off
Laytonville (1)
Campbell's Long Valley Auto Parts
44650 N. Highway 101 - Laytonville, CA - 95454
Lemon Grove (1)
Lindsay (1)
Fremont Auto Parts
117 North Fremont Drive - Lindsay, CA - 93247
Los Angeles (1)
Mexico Auto Parts
5153 West Adams Boulevard - Los Angeles, CA - 90016
Merced (1)
Modesto (1)
Moss Landing (1)
Pick-n-Pull - Moss LandingSelf-service
516 Dolan Road - Moss Landing, CA - 95039
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa,Su 08:00-18:00
Newman (1)
BG Auto Parts
1441 N Street - Newman, CA - 95360
Orange (1)
C W Moss Auto Parts
402 West Chapman Avenue - Orange, CA
Hours: Tu-Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa 09:00-15:00
Palmdale (1)
Andy's Auto Parts
705 East Palmdale Boulevard - Palmdale, CA - 93550
Hours: Mo-Fr 08:00-17:00
Petaluma (1)
Recycle Town
500 Meacham Road - Petaluma, CA - 94952
Rancho Cordova (1)
Quality Auto Part and Wrecking
3761 Recycle Road - Rancho Cordova, CA - 95742
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00
Rancho Cucamonga (1)
Rosemead (1)
ProMotive Auto Parts
9331 Valley Boulevard - Rosemead, CA - 91770
Salinas (1)
Pick-n-PullSelf-service
20856 Spence Road - Salinas, CA - 93908
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa,Su 08:00-17:00
Salton City (1)
Desert Towing Services
2294 Cleveland Avenue - Salton City, CA - 92274
San Diego (1)
Parts Tech Auto Body Used Parts
7310 Pogo Row - San Diego, CA - 92154
San Gabriel (1)
J's Auto Parts
125 South Pine Street - San Gabriel, CA - 91776
San Pedro (1)
San Pedro Auto Parts
922 South Pacific Avenue - San Pedro, CA - 90731
Santa Fe Springs (1)
AIM Recycling
13750 E Imperial Highway - Santa Fe Springs, CA - 90670
Hours: Mo-Su 08:00-17:00
Santa Paula (1)
Santa Paula Recycling
17905 East Telegraph Road - Santa Paula, CA - 93060
Simi Valley (1)
Singh Auto Parts
3350 East Los Angeles Avenue - Simi Valley, CA - 93063
Hours: Mo-Fr 08:00-18:00; Sa 08:00-15:00
Sunnyvale (1)
A&H Auto Dismantler
295 Commercial Street - Sunnyvale, CA - 94085
Windsor (1)
Pick-n-PullSelf-service
10475 Old Redwood Highway - Windsor, CA - 95492
Hours: Mo-Su 08:00-17:00
Would rather not phone round California yards?
Get a fixed online offer with free pickup, then use the table above to judge whether a local yard is beating it.
No phone number needed - you go straight to your offer from our partner Peddle, and we earn a commission if you sell to them, at no extra cost to you.
California questions people ask
It scales with weight, and with whether the catalytic converter is still fitted. For a whole car that will not start with a clean title, the table on this page gives our California estimate for four vehicle sizes, from a small car up to a full-size pickup. Treat it as a yardstick for judging an offer rather than as a quote - a yard that has to collect the car will usually pay less than one you deliver to.
Other states
About this list. Locations come from OpenStreetMap (ODbL 1.0), snapshot 2026-08-23. OpenStreetMap is a volunteer map rather than a licensing registry, so the California list is a real but partial list - there are yards operating that nobody has mapped yet, and a listed yard may have changed hands or closed. We have not verified any yard's licence, and a listing here is not a recommendation: some may buy parts only rather than a whole car. Phone before you drive out. Cities are ordered by how many yards we have mapped, and yards within a city alphabetically. We do not accept payment for placement on this page. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.