Junk Car Paperwork in Washington

Documents we accept

Bring one of these three documents to the pickup. Our driver checks it before loading the vehicle.

• Title

  The certificate of title, signed over by the owners shown on it. This is the simplest option.

• Affidavit in Lieu of Title

  A written statement that the title is lost, stolen, destroyed or damaged. The owner's signature must be notarized or certified.

• Junk Vehicle Affidavit

  Used by a property owner to clear an abandoned junk vehicle, after the legal notice process. See how it works.

Selling a junk car without a title

A missing title is the most common question we get. You usually still have options.

1. Call us first

   If the vehicle is registered in your name in Washington, call (206) 941-0612. We will tell you what we need for your situation before you go to a licensing office.

2. Use the Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest

   Washington DOL accepts an Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest or an Affidavit in Lieu of Title when the title cannot be found. The same form can replace a lost title or release your interest in a vehicle you are selling.

3. Get it signed properly

   Every owner on the record has to sign. You can have the signatures notarized, or sign in front of a vehicle licensing agent, who can certify them instead.

4. Or order a replacement title

   DOL says a replacement title can take 4 to 8 weeks. A quick title is faster but costs more. For a junk car, the affidavit is usually the quicker route.

More than one owner, or a loan on the car

Washington DOL says all legal and registered owners shown on the title must sign the release of interest. In practice:

• If two people are listed as owners, both need to sign.
• If a bank or lender is listed as the legal owner, its release of interest is needed as well. Contact the lender before the pickup.

After the sale: Report of Sale and license plates

• File a Report of Sale within 5 days

  Washington DOL asks sellers to file a Report of Sale within 5 days of the sale, not counting weekends and state holidays. File online or at a vehicle licensing office. DOL lists the fee as $18.

  DOL explains that filing protects you from being liable for towing charges or civil and criminal liabilities connected to the vehicle after you sell it.

• Take your license plates off

  DOL says sellers are legally obligated to remove the plates. Transfer them to another vehicle of the same kind, or turn them in at a vehicle licensing office.

  It protects you from parking tickets, toll bills and camera tickets tied to that plate.

• Clear out the car

  Remove personal items before pickup, including the registration and any proof of insurance in the glove box.

  Once the car is gone, call your insurance company about the policy on that vehicle.

Abandoned junk car on your property

If someone left a junk vehicle on your property, Washington has a set process in RCW 46.55.230:

1. Inspection

   A law enforcement officer or other authorized person inspects the vehicle and confirms it is only worth about the value of its parts.

2. Notice to the owners

   You receive the registered and legal owner information and mail them a notice.

3. 15 days unclaimed

   If nobody claims the vehicle more than 15 days after you mailed the notice, you can dispose of it or sign an affidavit of sale that is used as a title document.

4. Call us for the pickup

   With that Junk Vehicle Affidavit in hand, call (206) 941-0612 and we will tow it away for free.

Pickup day checklist

• Have your Title, Affidavit in Lieu of Title or Junk Vehicle Affidavit ready.
• Make sure every owner who needs to sign has signed.
• Take out personal items, the registration and proof of insurance.
• Take the license plates off.
• Be there when the driver arrives, so you can hand over the paperwork and get paid in cash.
• Within 5 days, file your Report of Sale with DOL.

More Washington guides

Each of these guides goes deeper on one situation covered above.

• What to Do After You Junk Your Car in Washington

  The tow truck is gone, but you are not done yet. How to file the Report of Sale, what to do with your plates, insurance and tabs, and why it protects you.

• How to Sell or Junk an Inherited Car in Washington

  Who is allowed to sign, when you need probate, how the DOL Affidavit of Inheritance works, and how to junk a loved one’s car without extra trips to the licensing office.

• Can You Sell or Junk a Car With a Lien in Washington?

  Still owe on the car, or paid it off and never got the title? How the lender’s release works in Washington, and what to do before you sell or junk it.

• Catalytic Converter Stolen? Your Options in Washington, Including Selling the Car

  What to do in the first 24 hours, what Washington’s 2022 catalytic converter law changed, and how to decide between repairing the car and selling it as it is.

• Junk It, Sell It or Donate It: How to Decide in Washington

  Repair, sell, trade, donate or junk? A plain comparison of speed, effort, paperwork and money, plus what the IRS really allows for a donated car.

Common questions

Official sources

• Washington DOL: Sell a vehicle (Report of Sale, plates, lost title)
• Washington DOL: Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest
• WAC 308-56A-500 (definition of Affidavit in Lieu of Title)
• RCW 46.55.230 (junk vehicles on private property)

This guide summarizes Washington DOL guidance as of October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees can change, so check dol.wa.gov or a vehicle licensing office for your situation. See also how our pickup works and how your offer is worked out.