Selling a junk or dead car in Klamath Falls

No city code online, so start with Oregon law

We could not find the Klamath Falls code online. Klamath Falls could still have its own limits on stored, wrecked or unregistered cars. Check with City Hall rather than count on state law alone. Oregon sets these rules everywhere:

• ORS chapter 819 treats a car deserted on a Klamath Falls highway or any public or private property as abandoned. The owner listed with DMV is responsible for the towing and disposal costs.
• Under ORS 98.830, a Klamath Falls landowner posts a notice on an abandoned car, waits at least 72 hours, then signs a form naming the car and place before having it towed.
• A towed car nobody reclaims within 30 days is sold at public auction or handled under local ordinance.

If you were going to strip it first

Pulling the engine or doors before selling sounds like more money, but Oregon makes it a paperwork job. ORS 819.010 says to give DMV at least 7 days' notice before you wreck or dismantle a titled or registered car. When a public right of way has a view of the work, the time limit to finish is 30 days. Once a car is dismantled, the Oregon title has to be surrendered to DMV. A whole car skips all of that. See part it out or sell it whole.

The DMV office on Austin Street

Oregon titles come from the state DMV, part of ODOT, not from the county. The office we checked is at 1909 Austin St, Klamath Falls, phone 541-883-5720. Measured as the crow flies from downtown, it is about 2 miles to the southeast. Title papers from Klamath Falls can also go by mail to DMV Services at 1905 Lana Ave NE, Salem OR 97314.

Signing it over

• Sign and date the back of your Klamath Falls title, or a bill of sale. For a paid-off loan, the lienholder signs a release of its interest.
• Cars from 2011 or later and under 20 years old need an odometer disclosure signed by both sides.
• DMV's seller steps list no notary.
• Within 10 days, report the sale on DMV2U with the buyer's name and address. Once the Klamath Falls sale is reported and the title assigned, Oregon law won't blame you for how the next owner drives, parks or abandons it.
• Your plates can come off before the sale. Moving them to a car with a different owner cancels the registration left on both cars.

Lost the title? Replace it before you sell. There is no separate duplicate fee; the regular title fee applies, $101 to $116 for most cars by fuel economy and $192 for an all-electric one. Our no-title guide walks through it.

Towns nearby

Ashland is 47.1 miles away, Medford 55.5 and Grants Pass 80.7, all straight-line. See the Oregon page for statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Reach us online or at (877) 421-6008. Klamath Falls sellers answer a few short questions on our offer form first. We load it right where it quit, whether that is a hill driveway, a downtown lot or a shop bay.