Selling a dead or junk car in Missoula

Montana's shield-or-remove law

State law defines a junk vehicle as a discarded, ruined, wrecked or dismantled motor vehicle that is not lawfully licensed and remains inoperative. Under MCA 75-10-505, anyone who has one or more must do one of two things. Either hide it from public view or, after the owner releases it, have it hauled to a county motor vehicle graveyard or to a licensed wrecking facility.

The test for "public view" is precise. Imagine a spot 6 feet up from the middle of a public road in Missoula. If the car can be seen from there, it is in public view. Shielding means "fencing or barriers that conceal" it.

If a Missoula property holds four or more junk vehicles, the state reads that as an unlicensed wrecking facility.

The county graveyard route

Montana lets an individual deliver a junk car to a motor vehicle graveyard, which is a county collection point. You bring the title or a written release. Counties run these as recycling and disposal programs, and a county representative accepts the cars. Selling the car whole is the other route, and it does not need a trip.

When a car is called abandoned

Around Missoula, police can take a vehicle once it has sat 48 hours or more on a public highway. The limit is 5 days or more in Missoula on a city street, on public property or on private property. If a car someone else left is sitting on your land, the sheriff or city police can remove and hold it at your request. Car abandoned on your property covers that case.

Once a car is towed, a certified letter goes to the owner and any lienholder at the MVD address on file, at least 30 days before any sale. Left unclaimed for 30 days after that letter or a newspaper notice, the car may go to public auction, and the former owner's claim ends there. In Missoula County, a junk vehicle valued at $500 or less may bypass auction and head straight to county disposal.

The Missoula County title office

A county office we checked is at 200 W. Broadway St., Missoula, MT 59802, phone 406.721.5700. As the crow flies, the trip east from downtown's center is about 1 mile. Missoula County might have further offices. The buyer is the one who usually goes, to the treasurer in their own county. They have 40 calendar days after the sale to apply, and can't drive the car in that window without a temporary permit.

What a Montana seller signs

The notary step is gone. The requirement was struck as of Oct. 1, 2025, and titles with an empty notary block still go through. On the title:

• fill in every field in blue or black ink, with no white-out
• write the buyer's name and address
• give the mileage if the car is newer than nine years

A car totaled by an insurer may have a salvage certificate rather than a title. See salvage title.

Plates, and when fees stop

Montana makes the seller take the plates off right away (MCA 61-3-334). Transfer them to a car you already own and the old registration expires. Registration fees and taxes stop building once the car belongs to someone else. Montana asks Missoula sellers for no sale report. Instead, they keep the signed title copied on both sides. After you sell has the full list.

Nearby

Kalispell is 93.8 miles from Missoula in a straight line, Helena 97.0 and Great Falls 135.2. The Montana page has the rules that apply statewide.

Getting an offer

Use the online form or dial (877) 421-6008. Tell us the car, its approximate mileage, if it runs at all, and the title's condition. We can collect it from behind a fence, on a Missoula street, or at a shop near downtown.