Oak Creek: selling a junk car when the title is gone

Scrap paperwork versus road paperwork

Which path you take decides which papers you need.

• Scrap. Print Junk on the title. Lost it? Junking can proceed without one. That step runs one way only: no future title or plates for that car, even after repairs. The statute then gives the owner of a junk vehicle 10 days to inform WisDOT and surrender the title.
• Road. You must hold title in your own name; only licensed dealers can sell cars titled to someone else. To replace a lost one, file Form MV2119, the Wisconsin Title or Registration Application, and pay the $20 fee state law sets. Hand the new title to your buyer even if the old one resurfaces, and destroy the old one. Buyers who intend to drive have two business days to title and register.

Selling with no title goes deeper on both.

Who files the seller notification

Statute 342.41 makes the seller file a notification after selling to another individual, and junk sales on a bill of sale are included. Report four things within 30 days: sale date, price, buyer identity, VIN. The online form serves individuals only. Expect it to request your birth date, a driver license or state ID number, the final four of your SSN and the car's VIN. Business-titled cars go another way; see titled to a business. MV2928, WisDOT's selling instructions, carries an optional bill of sale, and our bill of sale page covers the wording.

Plates

Wisconsin plates follow the owner, so remove them. Unexpired plates can go onto a comparable vehicle that you, a spouse or a partner owns; otherwise slice them up. Unused registration is not refunded, and the DMV will not accept returned plates.

Local rules in Oak Creek

Oak Creek's vehicle ordinances did not appear online, so none are quoted here, and the city might have more. Statewide, leaving a car so it seems abandoned is illegal. Away from first-class cities, local government sets the time limit, and each municipality may adopt removal rules. Cars kept out of ordinary public view are not abandoned under chapter 342. After a tow, the owner is billed for abandonment, impound and disposal.

Milwaukee County is among the seven emission-testing counties, with test reminders sent by WisDOT.

Neighbors

South Milwaukee sits 3.0 miles off in a straight line. Caledonia and Franklin are both 5.7. See Wisconsin for state rules.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or fill in the form online. We need the make, model and year, approximate miles, if it runs, and whether a title still exists. Pickup happens where the car is parked, from a home driveway to a work lot or a mechanic's yard.