Junking a Car That Is Not in Your Name in Washington

Under RCW 46.12.650, a seller must release interest on the title or an approved form, hand over the title or most recent ownership evidence, give an odometer statement if one is required, and report the sale. DOL also says all legal and registered owners shown on the title must sign the Release of Interest.

The rules bind the buyer as well. A licensed hulk hauler like us must have the right paper before moving a car:

• RCW 46.79.020 lets a hauler transport a junk vehicle to a scrap processor upon obtaining the title, a release of interest from the owner, or an affidavit of sale from a landowner who complied with the junk vehicle law.
• WAC 308-65-080 lists the documents a hauler can acquire a vehicle on and says they must be in the hauler’s possession at all times while the vehicle is transported.
• RCW 46.79.070 lists grounds for fining a licensee, including removing a vehicle without both the property owner’s written permission and department-approved documentation.

So when a hauler asks whose name is on the title, that question comes from the law. A buyer who does not ask is one you should be careful with. Our red flags guide covers what else to check.

Each of these has its own rules. Start with the row that sounds like yours.

Most of the situations above come down to one of three moves.

1. The named owner signs

   This is the simplest route when the person is alive and willing. They release interest on the title. If the title is lost, DOL says an Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest or an Affidavit in Lieu of Title can stand in for it at sale. WAC 308-56A-265 says a signature releasing interest that is not on the title must be notarized or certified, so an owner who cannot be at the pickup may be able to sign that way.

2. You become the owner first

   If you bought the car or were given it, apply for a title in your name, then sell it as yours. RCW 46.12.530 says applying takes the most recent title or satisfactory evidence of ownership. If ownership is truly in doubt, RCW 46.12.680 offers other routes, with limits. Ask the Department of Licensing (DOL) which applies to you.

3. Someone with legal authority signs

   That can be a person holding a power of attorney, a court-appointed guardian, an estate’s representative, or a person named in a court order. WAC 308-56A-320 says a court order can transfer title, though a security interest is removed only if the order says so.

When a car is worthless and the owner is out of the picture, a shortcut can feel fine. These are the ones to avoid.

• Do not sign the owner’s name. Under RCW 46.12.750, a false statement on a title application or transfer, or forgery, is a class B felony, with a fine of up to $5,000, up to 10 years in prison, or both.
• Do not write on or change the title. WAC 308-56A-215 says alteration or erasure voids a title unless satisfactory documentation is given.
• Do not sell a car without following the title rules. RCW 46.12.520 makes that illegal.
• Do not have a car hauled off because the owner stopped answering. WSP’s guide says, “You cannot sell or assume ownership of vehicles or vessels” found or presumed to be abandoned on your property or elsewhere. For a left-behind car on your land, the answer is no, unless it qualifies and goes through the junk vehicle process in RCW 46.55.230.
• Do not leave the car somewhere to be rid of it. RCW 46.55.105 makes the last registered owner prima facie liable for removal, storage and disposal costs, and if law enforcement has an abandoned car removed, that owner can also face a littering infraction.

If a family or money dispute is behind the title problem, talk to an attorney before anything moves. A car that has left cannot easily be put back.

We need one of these: a Title, an Affidavit in Lieu of Title, or a Junk Vehicle Affidavit. Our paperwork guide explains each one. When the name is not yours, we also need to understand how you came to have the car. A short call saves everyone a wasted trip. Have this in front of you:

• The exact name or names on the title or registration, including any lender.
• The plate number and VIN, if you can read them.
• Every paper you have: title, bill of sale, registration, receipts, a power of attorney, a court order.
• How you got the car, and when.
• Whether the named owner can be reached and is willing to sign.

Whether we can buy a car that is not in your name depends on the details, so we do not promise it. Call us at (206) 941-0612 and tell us what you have, and we will tell you whether we can take it. If there is no title but the car is registered in your name in Washington, the no-title page applies, so call and we will try to help.

If the paperwork is settled and we can take it, the process is short: free towing, cash at pickup, and you file your Report of Sale afterward.