What paperwork does a junk car sale need in Indiana?

The title, or a BMV certificate of authority in its place. If the title is lost, the BMV reissues it for $15; the certificate costs $4 and needs proof the car is yours, such as your current registration. Cars under 15 model years old must have one of the two by law. We'll confirm which route fits your car on the call.

I only have the registration. Which answer do I pick in the form?

Pick "I have registration only." It's there for exactly that case.

Does the car need to be in my name?

A duplicate title goes to the owner shown in BMV records, and the certificate of authority needs proof the car is yours. If the title or registration is in someone else's name, say so on the call and we'll talk through it before anyone books a tow.

Is it legal to sell a car without a title in Indiana?

For scrap, Indiana has a set process built around a BMV form called a certificate of authority. Our guide on junking a car without a title in Indiana explains it, with the Code sections.

Sell a Junk Car Without a Title in Hammond

No title? We can still help. For a junk car sale, Indiana wants one of two documents: the title itself, which the BMV will reissue as a $15 duplicate, or a $4 BMV certificate of authority, which you apply for by showing the car is yours (the BMV’s own example of that proof is a current registration). If the car is under 15 model years old, the law requires one of those two. Let us know which papers you’ve got, whether a bill of sale, the registration or an insurance card, and we’ll work out the route with you on the call.

We cover the tow, and you’re paid when the car is picked up.

Can you sell a junk car in Hammond without the title?

Yes, with the right paper. Indiana wants either the title, which the BMV reissues as a $15 duplicate, or a $4 BMV certificate of authority, applied for with proof such as your current registration. Tell us which papers you have, and Cash for Junk Cars Hammond will say on the call which route fits your car.

Answering the title question in the form

The first part of our form asks “Do you Have Title?” with three answers. Here’s how to pick:

Yes: the title is in your hands, in your name, and you can sign it over.
No: there’s no title, or you can’t find it. Tell us on the call what you do have (bill of sale, registration, insurance card).
I have registration only: the registration is all you have.

Pick the one that’s true today, not the one you hope will be true by pickup. If the title turns up later, that only makes the sale easier.

What Indiana law says

Indiana’s rules apply to every buyer in the state, and they’re the reason we ask about paperwork before booking a tow.

The short version: Indiana has a BMV form called a certificate of authority that lets an owner whose title is lost, faulty or destroyed sell the car to a salvage recycler for scrap without getting a new title. It costs $4. The Code also sets out what a buyer has to record when a car changes hands without a title, and it treats cars under fifteen model years old more strictly.

We’ve written that up properly, with the Code sections and the BMV checklist, in what Indiana law says about junking a car without a title. Read it if you want to know why we ask the questions we ask.

When a duplicate title is the better move

If the car is titled to you and the paper is just lost, a duplicate title from the BMV costs $15 and needs your photo ID.¹ You can apply online, at a branch, at a kiosk, at a partial service provider or by mail. With the duplicate you have every option, including selling to us with a plain “Yes” on the form.

Our guide to getting a duplicate after a lost Indiana title covers the ways to apply and the two things a duplicate can’t fix.

If one of these sounds like yours

“It’s registered to me but the title is gone.” Answer “I have registration only.” Your current registration is the kind of proof of ownership the BMV’s certificate of authority application asks for, or you can order a $15 duplicate title.

“I bought it with a bill of sale and never titled it.” Tell us the date on the bill of sale and whose name is on the title it came with. The sale still needs the title or a certificate of authority, so we’ll go over which route fits.

“There’s still a loan showing on the title.” That’s a lien, and it changes things. Read selling a car with a lien in Indiana first.

“It was my father’s car.” Tell us whose name is on the papers, and we’ll go over it before anyone books a tow.

Ready when you are

Our offers don’t expire, so if you decide to get the duplicate title or the certificate of authority first, the number will still be there when the paperwork is.

The form on this page takes about a minute: the car first, then your contact details. Cash for Junk Cars Hammond calls back with an offer, and if you take it, we arrange the free tow from anywhere in Hammond.

Indiana BMV, Duplicate Title Application. ↩

Questions

What paperwork does a junk car sale need in Indiana?: The title, or a BMV certificate of authority in its place. If the title is lost, the BMV reissues it for $15; the certificate costs $4 and needs proof the car is yours, such as your current registration. Cars under 15 model years old must have one of the two by law. We'll confirm which route fits your car on the call.
I only have the registration. Which answer do I pick in the form?: Pick "I have registration only." It's there for exactly that case.
Does the car need to be in my name?: A duplicate title goes to the owner shown in BMV records, and the certificate of authority needs proof the car is yours. If the title or registration is in someone else's name, say so on the call and we'll talk through it before anyone books a tow.
Is it legal to sell a car without a title in Indiana?: For scrap, Indiana has a set process built around a BMV form called a certificate of authority. Our guide on junking a car without a title in Indiana explains it, with the Code sections.