Selling a junk or dead car in Tennessee

Tennessee titles go through county clerks

Vehicle Services, a division of the Department of Revenue, sets the rules. The paperwork itself happens at a county clerk's office. That is where the buyer shows identity papers, something proving residency, and the odometer disclosure.

Your part sits in the box headed "ASSIGNMENT OF TITLE BY REGISTERED OWNER." Sign there, then print your name below it. Spell it the way the front shows it.

• Owner names linked by "and": every owner signs.
• Owner names linked by "or": one signature is enough.

No notary is involved for a Tennessee title, though a title from some other states may want one. A gift, a sale at a very low price, or a hand-off to a lineal relative uses the Affidavit of Non-Dealer Transfers. Sevier County's clerk also accepts a Vehicle Bill of Sale when the seller's signature on it is notarized.

Plates stay in your hands

In Tennessee a plate is tied to a person. Unscrew it before the tow truck pulls away. Moving it onto your next vehicle costs $1.

If the buyer plans to bolt on a plate they already own, the clerk wants their current registration. That plate must be unexpired and registered to them.

Is there a release form?

We looked and came up empty. The Revenue Department's titling pages show two seller tasks only: the assignment on the title, plus the non-dealer affidavit for gifts and cheap sales. Snap a phone picture of the signed title before it leaves you.

Missing title

Order a replacement first. The state fee is $14, and a county may stack its own fees on top. The form carries a long name: "Multi-purpose, Noting of Lien, and Duplicate Title Application." File it with the county clerk at the counter or through the mail, along with proof that any lien is paid. See selling with no title.

Salvage, non-repairable and rebuilt brands

The 75% rule decides salvage here. Once fixing the car would run past 75% of what it retails for, it is a salvage vehicle. Non-repairable goes further: the car can't be driven safely, and only its parts or metal are worth anything (T.C.A. 55-3-201).

After a total loss, you apply by mail to Vehicle Services for one of two certificates, and neither has a fee:

• Salvage Certificate. For a car younger than 10 years. Rebuilding is allowed.
• Non-repairable Certificate. Tennessee will not title or register that car again, ever.

Neither paper lets you register the car. A rebuild that passes inspection gets the brand "Rebuilt Vehicle Anti-Theft Inspected."

Insurers have a duty too. After paying out on collision, fire or water damage, the insurer must obtain a flood title, a salvage title or a non-repairable certificate. Exempt: cars aged ten or more whose value is $1,500 or under. Our salvage title guide has more.

Tennessee's abandoned-vehicle rules

The Revenue Department lists five ways a car becomes "abandoned":

• It is more than four years old and has sat on public land for over 10 days.
• It is plainly falling apart and has sat on public land for over 3 days.
• Illegal parking on public land has lasted beyond 48 hours.
• It has stayed on someone's private land without their okay beyond 48 hours.
• It has been stored or left at a lot for over 30 straight days.

An "immobile" vehicle is separate. That is one that cannot move by itself because of a crash, a breakdown, weather or some other emergency.

A car dumped on your land is not yours to sell. The state says private individuals are "NOT allowed" to use its abandoned-vehicle sale process, and ownership gets checked through the Revenue Department. Read car abandoned on your property.

Towed in Tennessee

The clock starts when a tow firm takes custody. Within 3 business days it must send the Department a Request for Verification of Ownership by mail. Once the answer comes back, it has 3 more business days to contact the owner and any lienholder. Checks on out-of-state cars get 15 days.

Storage fees are capped. Past 60 days, the firm needs the owner's or lienholder's consent to keep charging. Miss the 3-day check or the 6-day notice and the cap drops to six days of storage.

Notices travel by registered mail and allow at least 10 days from delivery. If that time passes with no reply or payment, the firm may advertise an auction, held at least 15 days after the first ad runs. See towed or impounded.

Emissions testing is over

No Tennessee county tests tailpipes now. Hamilton, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson stopped in January 2022. Davidson County, home of Nashville, stopped on February 5, 2022, once Metro Council voted it out.

Late tags are forgiving too. Renew within 90 days after expiration and your renewal month stays put. Wait 91 days or longer and the new year runs from the day you renew. We saw no back fees.

Selling in Tennessee: four steps

1. Locate the title. Lost? Get the $14 duplicate.
2. Request an offer. Say whether the engine turns over, and give us the pickup address.
3. Sign, then print your name in the assignment box.
4. Unscrew the plate and keep it.

Largest Tennessee cities

These six lead the state by Census population. We pick up free in all of them.

Every Tennessee town we cover

Town pages explain local rules. Twenty of them quote that town's own junk-vehicle code.

Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Johnson City, Jackson, Hendersonville, Smyrna, Spring Hill, Kingsport, Bartlett, Gallatin, Lebanon, Collierville, Cleveland, Columbia, Brentwood, Mount Juliet, Germantown, Cookeville, Oak Ridge, Morristown, Maryville, Bristol, Shelbyville, Farragut, East Ridge, Tullahoma, Springfield

Got a Tennessee car question? Phone (877) 421-6008.

Cities and towns in Tennessee

• Bartlett
• Brentwood
• Bristol
• Chattanooga
• Clarksville
• Cleveland
• Collierville
• Columbia
• Cookeville
• East Ridge
• Farragut
• Franklin
• Gallatin
• Germantown
• Hendersonville
• Jackson
• Johnson City
• Kingsport
• Knoxville
• Lebanon
• Maryville
• Memphis
• Morristown
• Mount Juliet
• Murfreesboro
• Oak Ridge
• Shelbyville
• Smyrna
• Spring Hill
• Springfield
• Tullahoma