Can you junk a car without a title in Indiana?

Yes, if you do it the way Indiana allows. A licensed automotive salvage recycler can buy a car that has no title when the seller hands over a certificate of authority, a $4 form from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles that stands in for the title when the car is going to scrap.¹² The car’s age matters too, and so does a quicker fix that’s easy to overlook: a duplicate title.

This guide sticks to what the Indiana Code and the BMV say. If you’re selling in Hammond and want to know what we accept, that part is kept separate, near the end.

Can you junk a car without a title in Indiana?

Yes, with a certificate of authority. Indiana’s BMV issues it to an owner whose title is lost, faulty or destroyed, and a salvage recycler may accept it in place of the title when buying the car for scrap or parts. The fee is $4. Buying a car under 15 model years old with neither document is a felony.

That last line is the one that shapes every phone call about a car with no title. It’s why a careful buyer asks about paperwork before talking price. They aren’t being difficult; the law puts the risk on them.

What Indiana Code 9-32-9-29 says

The section that governs this is IC 9-32-9-29. Under subsection (a), a salvage recycler (or its agent) may buy a motor vehicle without a certificate of title when all four of these hold:¹

1. The vehicle is at least fifteen model years old.
2. The purchase is only for dismantling or wrecking it, to recover scrap metal or sell parts.
3. The recycler records the purchase the way subsection (b) requires.
4. The seller presents a certificate of authority under IC 9-22-5-18.

Two more parts of the same section matter to a seller:

• Subsection (e): the recycler may apply for the certificate of authority on your behalf, for a car of any age, collecting what it needs at the point of sale.¹ The BMV’s own packet says the same and names the form sections a recycler fills in.³
• Subsection (d): buying a vehicle less than fifteen model years old without a title or certificate of authority is a Level 6 felony.¹

So the rule of thumb: an older car can go to scrap with the certificate in place of the title. A newer car can too, but nobody sensible will take one with neither.

Getting a certificate of authority

Indiana Code 9-22-5-2 lets two kinds of people apply: someone who owns a vehicle whose title is “faulty, lost, or destroyed,” and someone on whose property an abandoned vehicle was left.⁴ The BMV’s checklist for the application lists what goes in the envelope:³

• State Form 55018, Certificate of Authority, Disposal of a Motor Vehicle.
• Proof of ownership. The packet’s own examples are a current registration or an insurance settlement.
• State Form 39530, Physical Inspection of a Vehicle or Watercraft, only if the car has no VIN. A police officer completes it.
• Proof of lien release, if there’s a lien. It has to be signed by the lienholder’s agent and show the titled owner’s name, the release date, and the year, make and VIN.
• The $4 fee, by card, check, electronic check or money order.

The packet is a mail-in checklist addressed to the BMV’s central office title processing in Indianapolis. If the BMV finds enough credible evidence of ownership, it mails or emails the approved certificate, whichever you picked on the form. Miss a document and the whole application is rejected, so check the list twice.³

On timing, the Code gives the BMV five business days to process an electronic application.² We couldn’t find a stated turnaround for mailed ones, so we won’t guess.

What the buyer writes down at the sale

This part surprises people. Buying without a title isn’t a handshake deal in Indiana. The recycler has to keep a record of each such purchase for at least five years, including:¹

• your name, date of birth and address, and a copy of a valid ID;
• the vehicle’s description and VIN, and what was paid;
• the signed certificate of authority, with your certification that you have the right to sell and that there are no liens;
• photographs or video of your face and of the vehicle.

No valid ID, no sale. The Code says so directly.¹ Have your driver’s license or state ID ready on pickup day, and don’t be thrown when someone takes a photo.

Why a newer car is harder

Read subsection (d) again from the buyer’s side. A recycler that takes a car under fifteen model years old with no title and no certificate of authority commits a Level 6 felony.¹ A buyer who waves that away on the phone is telling you something about how they run the rest of the deal.

For a newer car, the realistic paths are a duplicate title in your name, or a certificate of authority, before the tow truck arrives.

The easier route: a duplicate title

If the car is titled to you and you just can’t find the paper, a duplicate title is often simpler than any of the above. The BMV charges $15, you need an unexpired photo ID, and you can apply online, at a branch, at a BMV Connect kiosk, at a partial service provider or by mail.⁵ With a title in hand, you can sell the car to anyone, for any purpose. Our guide to getting a duplicate after a lost Indiana title walks through it.

Two situations change the plan:

• There’s a loan on the car. A duplicate can’t remove a lien, and the certificate of authority needs a lien release. Start with selling a car that still has a lien.
• The car isn’t in your name and you can’t prove ownership. The BMV’s answer, when none of its title processes fit, is a court order.⁶

How we handle cars without a title

This is how we apply the law above as a buyer.

If you want to start there, the no-title page covers the Hammond side of it, or you can go straight to cash for junk cars in Hammond and send the car’s details.

Footnotes

1. Indiana Code 9-32-9-29, purchase of a vehicle for scrap metal or parts. Text read on FindLaw, current as of January 1, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

2. Indiana Code 9-22-5-3, application and $4 fee for a certificate of authority. FindLaw, current as of January 1, 2026. ↩ ↩²

3. Indiana BMV, Certificate of Authority application checklist (PDF). ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Indiana Code 9-22-5-2, who may apply for authority to dispose of a vehicle. FindLaw, current as of January 1, 2026. ↩

5. Indiana BMV, Duplicate Title Application. ↩

6. Indiana BMV, Special Titling Circumstances, court order titles. ↩

Questions

How do I get rid of a junk car without a title in Indiana?

Get paperwork that stands in for the title. If the car is in your name, a duplicate title from the BMV costs $15. If you only want the car scrapped, the BMV's certificate of authority costs $4 and lets a licensed salvage recycler take the car without a title.

How do I get a title for a vehicle that has no title in Indiana?

If the title was lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed, the owner applies for a duplicate. If you can't show ownership through any of the BMV's title processes, the BMV says you need a court order.

Will a junkyard buy a car with no title?

A licensed automotive salvage recycler in Indiana can, when the seller presents a certificate of authority in place of the title. The recycler also has to record your ID, a photo of you and the car, and a signed statement from you.

Can I get in trouble for selling a car with no title?

The felony in IC 9-32-9-29 is written for the buyer who takes a newer car with no title or certificate of authority. As the seller you sign a statement that the car is yours to sell and has no liens, so both need to be true.