Selling a junk car in Ashland

The car in the driveway: what the law says

We could not read Ashland's code online, so all we can offer is Oregon law. Ashland might set separate limits for stored or inoperable cars, so ask the city.

At the state level, a car left on public or private property can count as abandoned, and the owner on DMV's books pays for the tow and disposal. If it sits on private land, the owner or a person in lawful control may call a tow after a notice has been posted on it 72 hours or more and a signed form describes the car (ORS 98.830). DMV will not give out the owner's name for that. If nobody claims a towed car within 30 days, it is auctioned or disposed of under local ordinance.

The DEQ test in Jackson County

Ashland is part of the Medford metro area. Every two years, DEQ checks passenger cars that are not exempt and are registered around Medford or Portland. If the engine is dead, the car can't be driven to an Ashland-area test station. DEQ's boundary lookup will confirm an address. If the registration expired while the car was parked, renewing it costs the usual fee. ORS 803.455 adds no back fees. If yours has sat a long time, see car sitting for years.

Paperwork without the drive

For Jackson County we looked up the DMV at 987 Medford Center Dr, Medford, phone 541-776-6025. In a straight line it sits about 13 miles northwest of central Ashland. Most sellers never have to go:

• Put your signature and the date on the title's reverse side, or on a bill of sale.
• Had a loan on it? Then the lienholder signs off with a release.
• For a car from 2011 or later that is not yet 20 years old, you and the buyer both sign a mileage statement, called an odometer disclosure.
• Within 10 days, tell DMV2U online about the sale and give the buyer's name and address. Once that is filed and the title is assigned, the buyer's parking, abandoning or driving of it is no longer on you.

Nothing on the DMV's seller checklist calls for a notary.

A missing title works another way. You need a new one before the sale. On the replacement form you sign to certify the title was lost, destroyed or mutilated. Ashland owners pay the normal title fee, which is $101, $106 or $116 depending on fuel economy, or $192 if the car is all-electric. Our no-title guide has more.

Plates

Oregon lets you take the plates off before the sale, or leave them on the car. Do not move them to a car someone else owns: the remaining registration ends on both.

Nearby

Medford is 12.7 miles away, Grants Pass 36.4 and Klamath Falls 47.1, all straight-line. Statewide rules are on the Oregon page.

Getting an offer

Go online or call (877) 421-6008. Keep the model year, make and odometer number close by. For your Ashland car, the offer form covers the rest. Pickup works near the Plaza, on a sloped street or at a repair shop lot.