How to sell a junk car in New Jersey

Titles go through the MVC

New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission, the MVC, keeps title records. Transfers are done in person at a motor vehicle agency. The MVC does not process them by mail.

What you do as the seller:

• Sign in the seller's box on the reverse of the title.
• Hand over the title together with a bill of sale.

A New Jersey bill of sale should carry four details for the MVC: who bought it and where they live, when, the odometer miles and what was paid. From there the buyer signs their own section and visits an MVC agency, bringing Form BA-49 if their situation calls for it. A $25 penalty applies unless a New Jersey or dealer-reassigned title is transferred within 10 working days of the sale. See our bill of sale guide.

Plates leave with you

Take your New Jersey plates off before the tow truck leaves. New Jersey plates never transfer to the next owner. You either hand them in at any motor vehicle agency or mount them on another car you own.

Proof the car is out of your hands

Hold on to your own copy of that bill of sale. It shows when the car left, who took it and what the odometer read. Take the plates off too. They go back to an MVC agency or onto your next car, never to the buyer.

No title in hand

Order a duplicate before the sale. The fee is $60. Duplicates are handled by appointment at a Vehicle Center, on form OS/SS-UTA (the Universal Title Application). Take along one of these: your registration, current or expired; insurance proof; or a certified copy of the registration record.

If the old title turns up, do not order one anyway. Knowingly applying for a duplicate while holding the original can bring a fine. More in selling with no title.

Salvage, flood and junk brands

New Jersey sets no damage percentage for salvage. The test belongs to the insurer: if it looks at the damage and judges repair uneconomical, the car is salvage. The MVC says every salvage vehicle "must be titled in New Jersey," restored or not.

Water-damaged cars get a separate label. Their ownership papers, and every certificate after them, must read "FLOOD VEHICLE."

For a car abandoned on public property, the MVC issues a junk title only if it is "inoperable" and would cost more to make safe than it is worth. Our salvage title guide covers brands in general.

Abandoned vehicles under state law

Where the car was left decides what happens:

• Public land. It is sold at public auction, or junked (N.J.S.A. 39:10A-1 and the sections after it).
• Private land. It has to go to a public sale or auction. When no sale goes through, the landowner may seek a title in their name (N.J.S.A. 39:4-56.6).

Rules about junk cars parked in yards come from each town. Of our New Jersey town pages, 37 quote the local junk-vehicle code; find yours in the list below.

Tows and repair-shop holds

A repair shop can treat a car as abandoned in two cases. Either it has been left there more than 60 days "without consent," or 60 days have passed since you were told the work was finished. The shop may then haul it off and store it, sell it, or apply for a junk title (N.J.S.A. 39:10A-9 and following).

Cars abandoned on public property go down the auction-or-junk route above. If yours is held somewhere, see car stuck at a repair shop and towed or impounded.

Emissions every two years

Most New Jersey cars get an emissions inspection every second year. Gas cars take an emission-only test on that cycle, and diesels below 8,500 lb are in the program too. Newer cars, under five model years old, can qualify for a five-year exemption.

A dead car coming due for its test is a bill you can skip by selling it.

Four steps

1. Locate the title, or book the duplicate appointment.
2. Describe the car to us: whether it starts, which parts are gone, and its location.
3. Sign the seller's box and fill out the bill of sale.
4. Remove the plates, then hand them in or move them.

Biggest New Jersey cities

Free pickup covers all of them. Population figures are Census estimates.

All New Jersey towns with a page

Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, Trenton, Clifton, Bayonne, East Orange, Camden, Passaic, Union City, Vineland, Hoboken, Plainfield, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, West New York, Sayreville, Hackensack, Linden, Kearny, Fort Lee, Atlantic City, Fair Lawn, Garfield, Long Branch, Westfield, Princeton, Rahway, Englewood, Bergenfield, Bridgeton, Millville, Paramus, Cliffside Park, Ridgewood, Lodi, Carteret, South Plainfield, Glassboro, Summit, Roselle, North Plainfield, Secaucus, Harrison, Lindenwold, Elmwood Park, Pleasantville, Morristown, Palisades Park, Hawthorne.

Questions about your car? Call (877) 421-6008.

Cities and towns in New Jersey

• Atlantic City
• Bayonne
• Bergenfield
• Bridgeton
• Camden
• Carteret
• Cliffside Park
• Clifton
• East Orange
• Elizabeth
• Elmwood Park
• Englewood
• Fair Lawn
• Fort Lee
• Garfield
• Glassboro
• Hackensack
• Harrison
• Hawthorne
• Hoboken
• Jersey City
• Kearny
• Linden
• Lindenwold
• Lodi
• Long Branch
• Millville
• Morristown
• New Brunswick
• Newark
• North Plainfield
• Palisades Park
• Paramus
• Passaic
• Paterson
• Perth Amboy
• Plainfield
• Pleasantville
• Princeton
• Rahway
• Ridgewood
• Roselle
• Sayreville
• Secaucus
• South Plainfield
• Summit
• Trenton
• Union City
• Vineland
• West New York
• Westfield