How to Sell a Junk Car in New York: Title Rules, Forms, and Payout

To sell a junk car in New York, sign the title over to a licensed dismantler or scrap processor (or hand over the transferable registration for a 1972 or older car), complete an MV-912 bill of sale, then remove your plates and surrender them to the DMV before you cancel insurance. If the title is lost, order a replacement with form MV-902 first; it costs $20.00 by mail or in person.

Do you need a title to sell a junk car in New York?

It depends on the model year. The New York DMV uses a title certificate for cars, trucks, and motorcycles from model year 1973 or newer. For model year 1972 or older, New York does not issue titles at all; the proof of ownership is a New York transferable registration, and it must be the original or a certified copy, not a photocopy.

The buyer side makes that proof non-negotiable. Under Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 415-a, a certified scrap processor may buy a recognizable vehicle only from specific sources, including a registered dealer, an insurance company, a government agency, or a person whose name is on the title or other ownership document for that vehicle. Breaking that rule is a class A misdemeanor for the processor, so a legitimate New York yard will not take a car with no paperwork. Dismantlers also have to keep proof of ownership for every vehicle in their possession.

What if your New York title or registration is lost?

Replace it before you call buyers. For a 1973 or newer vehicle, use form MV-902, Application for Duplicate Certificate of Title.

• By mail, send the MV-902, a photocopy of your ID, and $20.00 payable to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.
• In person, bring the MV-902, proof of identity, and $20.00 to a DMV office. The title is mailed to you afterward.
• Online ordering works if you own the vehicle, have a current US address on file, and the vehicle is registered and titled in New York. You cannot order online if a title was processed in the last 15 days or if you need to remove a lien. Online orders placed before 8 p.m. are printed the next business day.

For a 1972 or older vehicle, request a duplicate transferable registration at a DMV office using form MV-82. If the DMV cannot issue one, the owner can apply for form MV-353, the Certification of New York State Registration for Transfer of Non-Titled Vehicle, which carries a $10 fee. If neither route works for your situation, our guide to selling a junk car without a title covers what is left and what it costs you.

New York junk car forms, fees, and deadlines

These are the New York documents most junk car sales touch. Fees are DMV amounts as of October 2026.

Form or step	Who handles it	Fee	Timing
Title (1973+) or transferable registration (1972 and older)	You (seller)	None to sign	At the sale
MV-912, Vehicle Bill of Sale	You and buyer	None	At the sale
MV-902, duplicate title	You, if the title is lost	$20.00 mail or office	Before the sale
MV-353, registration certification for non-titled vehicles	You, for 1972 and older without a registration	$10	Before the sale
PD-7 plate surrender	You	None by mail; $1 at county offices	Before insurance is cancelled
FS-6T, plate surrender receipt	DMV mails it to you	None	Allow 21 days

How to fill out the New York bill of sale

Sign the transfer section of the title and also sign an MV-912 bill of sale. The DMV says an acceptable bill of sale includes the year and make, the VIN, the date of sale, the purchase price, and the names and signatures of both buyer and seller. The buyer keeps the original for titling and you keep a photocopy.

That photocopy matters more in New York than in some states, because the DMV's seller guidance does not list a separate notice-of-sale filing. The bill of sale with a date and the buyer's business name, together with your plate surrender receipt, is your proof of when the car stopped being yours. When you sell to a licensed dealer, the dealer's Retail Certificate of Sale (MV-50) is your proof of sale instead.

How to surrender your New York license plates

Remove the plates before the car leaves, then surrender them before you cancel the liability insurance. The DMV is direct about the order: if you cancel insurance first, it will suspend the registration and can suspend your driver license.

1. Remove the plates, frames, fasteners, and windshield stickers.
2. Complete a PD-7 for each set of plates.
3. Mail them in an envelope, not a box, to NYS DMV, 6 Empire State Plaza, Room B240, Albany, NY 12228. The postmark date counts as your surrender date. Or bring them to a DMV office; county-run offices charge a $1 processing fee.
4. Keep the FS-6T receipt the DMV mails to the registration address, along with any refund. Allow 21 days.

Once the FS-6T arrives, call your insurer and cancel coverage on the car.

Totaled car with a New York salvage certificate

If the car went through an insurance total loss, it may carry a Salvage Certificate (MV-907A) instead of a title. New York treats a vehicle as salvage when it was transferred to or acquired by an insurer and, among other triggers, repair costs exceed 75% of its pre-damage retail value. The DMV treats the MV-907A as proof of ownership for that car, so it is the document you hand the buyer. Paperwork labeled parts only, non-repairable, scrapped, or destroyed means the car will never be retitled, which is fine when the buyer is a junkyard.

What New York yards will ask you for

Expect any New York salvage yard to want the ownership document in your name and photo ID that matches it. New York licenses the businesses on the buying end: vehicle dismantlers, scrap processors, itinerant vehicle collectors, mobile car crushers, and salvage pools all register with the DMV as junk and salvage businesses. Ask any buyer for its DMV facility number before pickup.

Leave the catalytic converter on the car. Section 415-a treats a catalytic converter as a major component part, and dismantlers must report the number of converters they take in every sixty days. A whole car with its converter is the simplest sale and the part adds to the yard's offer, as our catalytic converter value guide explains.

How much will a New York junkyard pay?

Junkyards in New York work out offers from weight, the current scrap price, completeness, and resellable parts, minus whatever the buyer spends to tow the car away. For realistic ranges and how yards build a number, see what your junk car is worth in 2026, then get three written quotes and ask each whether towing is included.

How to find a New York yard that buys junk cars

Browse our New York junkyards and salvage yards page or search the full salvage yard directory by city. Whether a yard turns up there or in a "junkyards near me" search, ask it for its DMV facility number, what ownership document it needs for your model year, and how it pays. If you want buyers to come to you, request a quote for your car.

On pickup day, hand over the signed title or transferable registration and the MV-912, keep your copy, and put the plates and PD-7 in the mail the same afternoon.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the New York State DMV before you sell.

Sources

• New York State DMV: Buy, Sell, or Transfer Vehicle Ownership (accessed October 2026)
• New York State DMV: Acceptable Proofs of Ownership for Vehicles (accessed October 2026)
• New York State DMV: Replace a Title Certificate (accessed October 2026)
• New York State DMV: Proof of Ownership Is Not Available (accessed October 2026)
• New York State DMV: Surrender, Return, or Turn In Your Vehicle Plates and Registration (accessed October 2026)
• New York State DMV: Salvage Vehicles (accessed October 2026)
• New York State DMV: Junk and Salvage Businesses (accessed October 2026)
• New York State Senate: Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 415-A (accessed October 2026)