Selling a car that has an ignition interlock installed

So the work happens in a set order. Get the program's approval, have the device removed by the provider, keep the paperwork, then sell the car like any other.

Why the device doesn't just go with the car

An interlock isn't an accessory like a dash cam. It's part of a court or licensing requirement, and the state controls when it comes off. Three states spell this out clearly, and each puts the gate in a different place: Virginia at its alcohol safety program, Massachusetts at the Registrar and the RMV's hearings officers, California at the court order.

If your car broke down for good with the device in it, these removal rules still apply.

Virginia: authorization before, a report after

Virginia's rule puts the service provider in the middle. Before a device is removed, the provider must get "written or electronic authorization" from the ASAP, the state's alcohol safety action program. That holds even when the driver is using a provider from another state (24VAC35-60-100).

After the device comes out, three more things happen under the same rule:

• The provider sends an authorized removal report to the ASAP. Only then is DMV told the driver has finished the interlock requirements.
• The parts the installation changed are put back to their original condition, and a commission-approved post-inspection checklist is filled in.
• The driver can't be charged a fee for the removal.

Virginia also says the parts the installation changed must be restored to their original condition, with an approved post-inspection checklist. That is a provider step, not a job for pliers in the driveway.

Massachusetts: a hearings officer decides

In Massachusetts, the Registrar holds the sign-off. The operator's affidavit says a driver may not have the device removed without "written, stamped authorization of the Registrar" (RMV affidavit).

The state's program guide adds the rest (Mass.gov):

• Before removing, transferring or adding a device, the driver gets approval from an RMV Hearings Officer, then calls an approved vendor to install it in the new vehicle.
• The restriction doesn't lift by itself when the period ends. The driver applies to see a hearings officer to have the device removed and the restriction lifted.
• While the restriction runs, the car goes back to the service provider every 25 to 30 days.

That service schedule is worth thinking about if the car has died. A car that won't start can't easily make its next visit, so talk to your vendor and the RMV before the date comes up, not after.

The rule also reaches further than one car. A driver who has to have an interlock needs one in every vehicle they own, lease or operate, and the affidavit extends that to any vehicle they rent or borrow.

California: the court order sets the date

When a California court orders an interlock, the device can't come out before the court order allows it (DMV handbook). The DMV's DL 922, the Ignition Interlock Notice of Removal, has a line for the date the device was taken out of the vehicle. Keep a copy with your sale records.

The handbook also lists, as a numbered violation, failing to tell anyone who rents, leases or lends a car to the restricted driver about the restriction. The defense under Vehicle Code 23575 covers only emergency use or a genuine business purpose away from the regular place of business. So if you sell your car to a relative and plan to borrow theirs, that's the rule to read first.

If the restriction outlasts the car

In Massachusetts the restriction does not end on its own when the period finishes, and a restricted driver needs a device in every vehicle they own, lease or operate. Moving the device to a new vehicle needs approval from an RMV hearings officer first.

That shapes the fix-or-sell choice below more than the repair bill does.

The order that keeps it clean

1. Call your interlock provider and your program. Ask what authorization they need before removal. In Virginia that's the ASAP; in Massachusetts the Registrar or a hearings officer; in California, check what your court order says.
2. Have the provider take it out. Don't disconnect it yourself. In Virginia the parts the installation changed must be restored to original condition.
3. Keep the removal paperwork. California's DL 922 records the removal date; Virginia's provider files a removal report with the ASAP.
4. Sign the title over under your state's normal rules.
5. Close out your end of the sale with your state's notice, plate return or registration cancellation, from the table below.

We didn't find a confirmed rule on who pays for removal outside Virginia, where the driver can't be charged. Ask your provider before you book the appointment.

State by state: the seller's last step after the device is out

The device rules sit on top of the normal sale paperwork. Here is the step each state's records give the seller to end their tie to it, which matters doubly when the state already has your name on an interlock file.

Fix it or sell it

Repairing can make sense when you still need to drive under the restriction and this car is the one with the device approved and installed. In Massachusetts, putting a device in a different car means a hearings officer's approval and a new installation, so keeping a fixable car on the road may be the shorter path.

Selling makes more sense when the repair bill tops the car's value, when your restriction is ending anyway, or when you won't be driving for a while. Our guide to repairs that cost more than the car walks through that math, and the non-running car page covers selling one that won't start.

Selling it to us

We buy whole non-running and junk cars. Sort out the device with your program first, then sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US. When you ask for an offer, mention whether the interlock has already been removed. If the provider still has a removal visit booked, give us that date as well, plus the breakdown that ended this car's interlock months.

Questions before you start? Call (877) 421-6008.

When the car has gone, the plate and notice rules are on our after you sell page.