Selling a junk or dead car in Paterson

The car itself can stay where it is. We buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, and pickup is free anywhere in the US, Paterson included.

Paterson's own rules

Paterson's municipal code was not online for us, so this page draws only on state law. Local limits on parked, dead or unregistered cars may exist that we never saw. If a city notice has arrived, it will name the rule. Paterson fits 161,793 people onto 8.413 square miles, by the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate, so a car that never moves is easy to spot.

A car left on someone else's property

A dead car parked at a relative's house or in a landlord's lot falls under a separate state law. Per the MVC, a vehicle abandoned on private property "must be put up for public sale/auction," under N.J.S.A. 39:4-56.6. Should that sale never happen, the landowner can ask the state to title the car to them. Wait long enough and it may no longer be yours to sell.

If the title is in a parent's or ex-partner's name, start with car not in your name.

Replacing a lost title

New Jersey charges $60 for a duplicate. Paterson owners book a Vehicle Center visit and fill in OS/SS-UTA, known as the "Universal Title Application." Bring one of these:

• your registration, even an expired one
• proof that the car is insured
• a certified record of the registration

If you can still find the original, skip the duplicate. The MVC says a fine may be imposed for that. Our junk car with no title guide covers the rest.

Handing it over

Your job on the paperwork is short: sign the title where it names the seller. Then a Paterson seller passes over the title with a bill of sale. Four details go on a Paterson bill of sale: who bought it and their address, when, the miles and the price.

The buyer retitles the car at a motor vehicle agency. The MVC adds a $25 penalty unless a "New Jersey or dealer-reassigned title is transferred within 10 working days of the sale." No mail-in route exists.

Before the car goes, unscrew the plates. They never pass to the next owner. A Paterson seller returns the plates at an agency or bolts them onto another car of theirs.

Getting an offer

Start with the form or (877) 421-6008. Fill in the form for your Paterson car. Our truck comes to it, near the falls or out by the city line. Elmwood Park is 2.4 miles off and Clifton 3.6. Statewide rules are on the New Jersey page.