Georgia junk car sales: what the seller does

The County Tag Office does titles

Rules come from the Georgia Department of Revenue's Motor Vehicle Division. Every county runs a County Tag Office, and that is where title applications and plates go.

On the back of the original title:

• under the Seller line, print and sign; joint owners each do both
• note the mileage at sale, whole miles only

Write carefully. Erasures or alterations can void it, and altering the date of purchase risks a $10 penalty.

Before handing over the title, make copies of it, of the transfer, and of any bill of sale. The buyer's clock is short: 7 days after buying to get the title and registration done at the tag office. A separate $10.00 penalty applies when the title application comes later than 30 days after purchase.

Cancel the registration

Signing the title is only half the job. The seller must also cancel the registration. Use DRIVES e-Services online. Or take Form MV-18J to your county's tag office in person.

Order matters. End the registration, and only then drop the insurance, so no penalty lands on you. Got a pending-suspension letter after a genuine sale? The state says you can disregard it.

Plates do not go with the car

Your Georgia tag is yours to keep. Keep them when the car is picked up. When a car turns into a salvage or total-loss vehicle, both owner and insurer have to surrender its plates.

No title in hand

A replacement title costs $8.00. Apply on Form MV-1 Title/Tag Application, signed, at the County Tag Office. Any liens must be released first.

Two cases skip the title:

• 1985 and older. These models need no Georgia title. The buyer provides a bill of sale instead.
• 12 or more model years old, headed for scrap. At a scrap yard, salvage dealer or secondary metals recycler, a signed owner's affidavit may stand in for the title. The buyer files it electronically and keeps the originals two years or longer.

Dealers must report each car bought within 48 hours after close of business, and cancel its title through Auto Data Direct. See selling with no title and what a bill of sale should say.

Salvage and flood titles

Georgia sets no percentage. A car counts as salvage when fixing it would need at least two major component parts swapped out, or when insurance settled it as a total loss. A car hurt by water or flooding gets a title branded "Flood Damaged". Read more in the salvage title guide.

Georgia's abandoned-vehicle rules

State rules treat a car as an "abandoned motor vehicle" when it:

• sits unattended on private land 30 days or longer
• sits on public property five days or more, with no sign the driver means to come back
• went uncollected for 30 days at a dealer, wrecker service or repair shop

Cities and counties layer their own junk-vehicle codes on top. Most Georgia town pages below quote them.

After a tow

Within 15 calendar days of a removal, the towing and storage firm sends all owners notice by hand or certified mail. The letter must say a court petition to foreclose the lien may follow ten calendar days after the notice, and that a judge may order the car sold.

If no owner turns up, the firm runs a newspaper ad two weeks running, one per week, within 60 days. See towed or impounded.

Emissions in metro Atlanta

Thirteen counties test: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale.

For 2026 registration, the rule reaches gasoline cars and light trucks built for model years 2002 through 2023, 8,500 pounds GVWR or less, registered there. The three newest model years, 2024 and newer, are exempt. New arrivals in those counties have 30 days to test and register.

Taxes depend on when the car was bought. Purchases on or after March 1, 2013 paid a one-time title ad valorem tax; older and untitled cars pay ad valorem tax every year. And a lapse fee left unpaid 30 days past its suspension notice can cost the registration.

Selling a junk car in Georgia: the order

1. Locate the title, or file MV-1 for a replacement.
2. Sign as seller and write the miles.
3. Keep the plates.
4. Cancel the registration, then the insurance.

Georgia's biggest cities

Population figures are Census estimates.

Every Georgia town we cover

Atlanta, Columbus, Macon, Savannah, South Fulton, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Warner Robins, Johns Creek, Mableton, Alpharetta, Albany, Marietta, Stonecrest, Brookhaven, Smyrna, Valdosta, Dunwoody, Gainesville, Newnan, Peachtree Corners, Douglasville, Milton, Peachtree City, Canton, Woodstock, Rome, East Point, Kennesaw, Tucker, Hinesville, Stockbridge, Statesboro, Dalton, LaGrange, Duluth, McDonough, Lawrenceville, Pooler, Chamblee, Union City, Sugar Hill, Carrollton, Perry, Cartersville, Decatur, Griffin, Suwanee, Acworth, Snellville, Kingsland, Winder, Villa Rica, Powder Springs, St. Marys, Fayetteville, Conyers, Holly Springs, Calhoun, Richmond Hill, Brunswick.

Ready to sell the whole car as it sits? Call (877) 421-6008.

Cities and towns in Georgia

• Acworth
• Albany
• Alpharetta
• Atlanta
• Brookhaven
• Brunswick
• Calhoun
• Canton
• Carrollton
• Cartersville
• Chamblee
• Columbus
• Conyers
• Dalton
• Decatur
• Douglasville
• Duluth
• Dunwoody
• East Point
• Fayetteville
• Gainesville
• Griffin
• Hinesville
• Holly Springs
• Johns Creek
• Kennesaw
• Kingsland
• LaGrange
• Lawrenceville
• Mableton
• Macon
• Marietta
• McDonough
• Milton
• Newnan
• Peachtree City
• Peachtree Corners
• Perry
• Pooler
• Powder Springs
• Richmond Hill
• Rome
• Roswell
• Sandy Springs
• Savannah
• Smyrna
• Snellville
• South Fulton
• St. Marys
• Statesboro
• Stockbridge
• Stonecrest
• Sugar Hill
• Suwanee
• Tucker
• Union City
• Valdosta
• Villa Rica
• Warner Robins
• Winder
• Woodstock