Selling a junk or dead car in Dover

We buy whole non-running and junk cars anywhere in Dover's 26.732 square miles. You sell the whole car as it sits, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.

Dover's own junk-car rules

Dover's city code didn't turn up online, so we cover state law only. Dover could also limit unregistered or broken-down cars kept at a home. Before you count on any deadline, ask at Dover City Hall, the clock-towered building at 288 Central Avenue.

One state rule matters if you have more than one dead car. Under RSA chapter 236, a place storing the bulk of 2 or more motor vehicles no longer meant for legal use is a motor vehicle junk yard. Running one takes a junk-yard license and a certificate of approval for the site, and the application goes to the local governing body.

What happens to the plates

Keep them. Once the title is signed over, the DMV says moving the plates to another vehicle leaves the old car no longer legally registered, and it may not be driven. Hold on to the expired registration too. It is how the town or city clerk gives you transfer credit: a like vehicle can carry the plates for the rest of the registration period at no added fee, as long as its fee is the same or less. Our after you sell page lists the other loose ends.

Signing the title over

A titled used car changes hands with its New Hampshire title signed over at the time of sale. The back of the title takes the buyer's name and address and the current odometer reading. Then both of you sign, and the buyer keeps it. RSA 261:14 calls this the assignment and warranty of title, made when the car is delivered.

Older cars skip that step. For a model year before 2000, New Hampshire issues no title (heavy trucks over 18,000 lb aside). In Dover the seller provides form TDMV 22A as the bill of sale, along with either TDMV 19A, the "Verification of Vehicle Identification", or a copy of the newest registration or title. The bill of sale guide walks through it.

If the title for a 2000-or-newer car is lost, the fix is an Application for Duplicate Title, TDMV 18. The fee is $35 from January 1, 2026, and the DMV says titles take about 30 to 50 calendar days after it receives the application.

No inspection sticker needed for now

The state suspended its annual vehicle inspection program until further notice, after a federal court injunction and the loss of its contractor. A car that would have failed inspection has no sticker deadline hanging over it. The state says that status can change, and it is appealing.

Dover's neighbors

Rochester is about 9.1 miles from Dover as the crow flies, and Portsmouth about 10.1 miles. Statewide rules are on the New Hampshire page.

Getting an offer

Go online or call (877) 421-6008. Dover owners, titled or pre-2000, can start with our short offer form. We collect across Dover, from a driveway, a work lot or a repair shop.