Selling vehicles beside the road: What are the rules?

It’s very common practice to park a car on the side of the road and slap a ‘for sale’ sign on it. But what are the rules?

Many cars, boats and even camper trailers are parked along roadways all over Central Oregon as their owners try to sell them.

And while it is legal to do this, there are some things police say you should be aware of.

Making sure the item for sale is in a spot where it does not impede traffic or safety is the first priority.

Deschutes County sheriff’s Sgt. William Bailey said Wednesday if a vehicle does need to be moved, the department’s first step would not be just to tow the vehicle.

“And we would start by contacting the people that have the vehicle parked there,” Bailey said. “Typically there is some contact information on the vehicle, and we would ask them to, ‘Hey, this is a problem — can you please come look at moving this vehicle to a better location?'”

If the sheriff’s office does determine it needs to move a vehicle, it will put a notice on it and give the owner 24 hours before the vehicle is towed.

The owner of a camping trailer parked on Shevlin Park Road in Bend said Wednesday that this was the first time that he had tried to sell something by parking it on the side of the road.

He said he decided to do it after he didn’t have any success selling his trailer on Craigslist.

Police also say you should be aware of whether or not you are parking on private property, and to make sure you place the vehicle in a safe spot.

“I would just say that the side of the highway or the side of the road is not the best place to be parking a vehicle that you’re trying to sell,” Bailey said. “Find a better location, whether it be on private property or some other location where you have gotten permission from a property owner.”

The sheriff’s office emphasizes safety as their main priority when it comes to cars on the side of the road.