How to Sign Over a Car Title to a Junk Car Buyer (2026)

On this page

Before you sign: three checks that save the title
How to fill out a car title, step by step
What to write as the buyer when you sell to Peddle, CarBrain or a yard
Notary, release of liability and plates by state (2026)
The odometer section on a junk car
Signed the title wrong? How to fix it
Never hand over the title before you’re paid
Your next step

Here is how to sign over a car title to a junk buyer: print and sign your name exactly as it appears on the front, in the seller lines only, fill in the sale date and odometer, and let the buyer’s exact legal name go in the buyer line at the handoff. In Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina and Louisiana, sign in front of a notary. Then hand the title over only when the check is in your hand, and file your state’s sale notice the same day.

Quick answer

Seller lines onlybuyer's name goes in at the handoff

Peddle says it typically lets the buyer fill in the buyer information, because errors there can void a title. Sign where your state says, skip correction fluid entirely, and notarize only in states that require it.

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Before you sign: three checks that save the title

Most title problems start before the pen hits paper. Take two minutes on these.

1. Is it the right title, and is it paper? Peddle wants the most recently issued title. Its help center says it needs the physical paper title to price the car as titled, so an electronic title has to be converted by your state first. If your car only has an e-title, you can also answer “I don’t have a title” in the offer flow and Peddle may find a buyer using other documents.

2. Is it in your name, with no open lien? Peddle says the titled owner has to complete the ownership paperwork and nobody else can do it for them. CarBrain’s FAQ says only the legal owner can sign the title and sell the car, and it requires a title in the seller’s name. A bank listed as lienholder has to release its lien first. If the title is lost or held by a lender, start with our guide to selling a junk car without a title.

3. Whose names are on the front? Read the owner line. Alabama’s title rule is a clear example of the usual pattern: owners joined by “and” (or by nothing) both have to sign the assignment, while owners joined by “or” or “and/or” need only one signature. Other states word it differently, so check yours. If an owner on the title has died, read how to junk a car when the owner has died before anyone signs.

How to fill out a car title, step by step

The layout differs by state, but the seller’s job on the back (the “assignment of title”) is almost always the same set of boxes.

Find the seller section. It is usually labeled “assignment of title by owner,” “transfer of title by seller” or similar. Don’t touch the lienholder release or the dealer reassignment blocks.
Print your name exactly as it appears on the front. Georgia’s instructions tell each seller to print and sign under “seller,” and if jointly owned, each seller must print and sign.
Sign on the seller signature line. In a notary state, stop here and sign in front of the notary, not at the kitchen table.
Write the sale date and price. Texas wants the date of sale on the signed title. Use the real price from your accepted offer. Georgia warns that altering the purchase date can bring a $10 penalty.
Fill in the odometer. Whole miles, no tenths (more on this below).
Leave the buyer name and address for the buyer, unless your notary or state says otherwise. See the next section.
Photograph the finished back of the title before you hand it over.

What to write as the buyer when you sell to Peddle, CarBrain or a yard

This is the line people get wrong most, and online buyers make it confusing because the company that sends the tow truck is often not the company that ends up owning the car.

What Peddle says

Peddle’s help center says it typically recommends letting the buyer complete the buyer information themselves, to avoid errors that may void your title. It adds that some notaries may require that information, so in that case contact your buyer to confirm the details before you go to the notary. The buyer does not need to be at the notary, because the notary only verifies the seller’s identity. Peddle also says most tow drivers can’t sign paperwork on behalf of your buyer, so don’t expect the driver to countersign as the buyer.

Peddle publishes a Title Guide by State with a signing page for every state and DC. In October 2026 those links redirected to a page that asked us to pass a human-verification check, so we couldn’t read the state pages and don’t quote them here. Ask Peddle support or your carrier for your state’s instructions before you sign.

What CarBrain says

CarBrain’s FAQ says that for some cars it first asks for a signed photocopy or scan of the title and a scan of the owner’s driver’s license, to check that the names and signatures match and that the title is signed in the appropriate places. When the tow truck comes, it needs the properly signed original. Its FAQ sends you to state-by-state instructions on its title transfer page, so follow those, and if the buyer line is unclear, ask CarBrain before you write anything.

Selling to a local junkyard

Ask the yard for its exact legal business name as it should appear on the title, and write it in at the counter or let the yard’s staff fill it in while you watch. In Georgia, the DOR says delivering or accepting a title signed without the purchaser’s name entered is a misdemeanor (a fine of up to $100 or up to 30 days in jail per title). Don’t hand anyone a signed title with the buyer line empty and walk away.

Don't guess the buyer's name in a notary state

A notarized assignment with the wrong buyer name is hard to undo. In North Carolina, fixing it takes Form MVR-28, which every party to the bad assignment (seller, buyer and any lienholder) has to complete. Get the buyer’s exact legal name in writing before you book the notary.

Notary, release of liability and plates by state (2026)

We read these on state DMV pages, state statutes and county title offices in October 2026. Where a cell says “not verified,” the official site blocked us or didn’t say, and that is not a yes or a no. Illinois is left out because its Secretary of State site blocked every check we tried. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm with your DMV before you sign.

State	Notarize seller’s signature?	Seller’s notice after the sale	Plates
Texas	No	Vehicle Transfer Notification (VTR-346), within 30 days, online or by mail	Seller may remove and keep them
California	No step listed for the seller’s signature	Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (REG 138), within 5 calendar days	Generally stay with the car
Florida	No	Notice of sale (HSMV 82050) within 30 days, per Fla. Stat. 319.22	Seller removes them
New York	Not stated on the pages we read	No sale notice found. Turn in plates with Form PD-7	Seller removes, transfers or surrenders
Pennsylvania	Yes	None found. Buyer files within 20 days of notarization	Seller keeps them. Never give to the buyer
Ohio	Yes	Not verified	Not verified
Georgia	Not mentioned by the DOR	Cancel the registration online (DRIVES) or with Form MV-18J	Seller keeps them
Kentucky	Yes	None general found	Seller keeps them (since January 2024)
North Carolina	Yes, on a North Carolina title	No sold notice. Surrender the plate if you don’t transfer it	Seller surrenders or transfers
Louisiana	Yes, title assigned before a notary	Notice of Vehicle Transfer, online	Not verified
Arizona	Not verified	Sold notice, free and online, per ADOT	Seller transfers, surrenders or files a destruction affidavit within 30 days

Where the notary rule comes from

Pennsylvania: PennDOT says the seller’s signature must be notarized or verified on the Pennsylvania title. Its FAQ describes both seller and buyer signing in front of a notary.
Ohio: Franklin and Lorain County clerks of courts say the seller’s signature on the assignment must be notarized. A licensed dealer on the deal is an exception.
Kentucky: The state’s title page says the seller must sign the back of the title in the presence of a notary.
North Carolina: NCDMV says a North Carolina title “must also be notarized” when it changes hands.
Louisiana: The OMV lists a current title “assigned before a notary by seller to purchaser.”
Texas and Florida: The TxDMV title manual says title assignments and odometer disclosures do not require notarization. Florida’s title procedure says notarization is not required in the seller’s section even if the form has a spot for it.

Peddle says the notary fee is yours, not the buyer’s. CarBrain’s title page shows a map of states that require notarization, but we couldn’t read it this month, so we don’t repeat it.

Release of liability: file it the day the car leaves

The release of liability (California’s name for it) or sale notice tells the state the car stopped being yours on a specific date. California’s DMV says that if you don’t know the buyer’s name you can enter “unknown,” but the record may not update, which could weaken the protection. So ask your buyer for the name and address that went on the title. Peddle says it emails a confirmation of the transaction after pickup, which you can use as proof of sale for post-sale paperwork. Our how to junk a car guide covers the rest of pickup day.

The odometer section on a junk car

Fill it in if the title has the box. Federal rules (49 CFR 580.17) exempt model year 2010 and older vehicles, and 2011 and newer vehicles once they are 20 years old. In 2026 that means a 2011 or newer car still needs a mileage reading. New York’s title brochure and California’s DMV manual say the same thing in their own words.

Write whole miles. Georgia says not to include tenths.
If the odometer has rolled past its limit (99,999 on a five-digit unit), Georgia says to check the box for “in excess of its mechanical limits.”
If it is broken, replaced or doesn’t show the real miles, check the “not actual mileage” box rather than inventing a number.

Pennsylvania lists a corrected mileage disclosure as an unacceptable correction that forces a duplicate title, so get this number right the first time. Write down the reading before the battery dies, or photograph the cluster. Peddle’s terms also say the odometer is one of the things checked against your answers at pickup.

Signed the title wrong? How to fix it

Peddle’s help center says some states offer extra documents to correct certain errors, but not every state or carrier accepts them. Its advice: contact your carrier to see whether the error can be fixed, and if not, get a duplicate title or talk to Peddle’s team. Here is what each state’s official page says.

State	What counts as ruined	The fix
Texas	White-out or liquid paper on any title document	Draw one line through the error and write the correct info. A wrong line can get an arrow. An altered sale date or erased buyer name needs a statement of fact signed by the seller
California	Any erasure or lined-out information	Statement of Error or Erasure (REG 101)
Florida	Signing the wrong section, or an altered buyer name	An affidavit stating the error. For an altered buyer name, a notarized or perjury-clause affidavit, or a duplicate title (HSMV 82101)
New York	Any cross-outs, alterations or erasures	Duplicate title on MV-902, $20
Pennsylvania	Erasures, white-out, correction tape, changed mileage	Single line through, “completed/signed in error,” notary’s initials and a notarized affidavit. Anything else needs a duplicate (MV-38O)
Ohio	Erasures and alterations void the assignment	Replacement title through the county clerk ($15 in Lorain County)
Georgia	Correction fluid, tape or erasures	Light line through, correct info above it, and Form T-11 Affidavit of Correction. Ruined titles need a new one ($8)
Kentucky	White-out, scratch-outs or marked-out info	A notarized affidavit with the new information
North Carolina	Incorrect assignment of title	Form MVR-28, signed by all parties before a notary, no fee

The four mistakes we hear about most

Signed on the wrong line. Don’t sign again on the right line. Line it out once (in states that allow it) and use the state’s affidavit, or ask the buyer whether it will accept the title with a correction form.
Crossed out or scribbled over. New York won’t take it at all. In Pennsylvania and Georgia, a single neat line plus the affidavit is the only fix they accept.
White-out. Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Kentucky all reject it. Plan on a duplicate title.
Wrong buyer name, or the title is in someone else’s name. A wrong buyer name usually needs the affidavit (Florida, North Carolina) or a duplicate. A title in another person’s name can’t be fixed by you signing it: the titled owner signs. If a previous owner signed it over to you but you never retitled it, Peddle says some carriers accept it as is and some need the title in your name first.

Never hand over the title before you’re paid

The signed title is the car, as far as anyone else can tell. Peddle says you’re paid at pickup in exchange for your signed title and keys, once the vehicle is secured. CarBrain says the tow truck brings your check and needs the properly signed original title then. That is the order: payment, then title.

Sign at the handoff when you can. Peddle allows unattended pickups if your carrier agrees, but then the titled owner has to sign in advance and payment is mailed later (7 to 10 business days by check, 1 to 3 for ACH, per Peddle). That’s a trade-off, not a default.
Send a scan, not the original, if CarBrain asks for one in advance. Its FAQ says the scan is only used to verify names and signatures.
Check the offer at pickup. If the driver says the price changed, you can decline before you sign. Peddle says canceling is free. More on that in our Peddle review.
Keep proof. Photograph the signed title, the driver, the truck and the odometer, and keep the bill of sale if your state requires one.

Your next step

Check your state’s row in the tables above and confirm the notary rule with your DMV.
Request offers and get the buyer’s exact name before you sign.
Sign the seller lines at the handoff, take the check, and file your sale notice that day.

Comparing buyers first? Our sell my junk car guide lines up the options, and the CarBrain review covers its title rules in more detail. If your title is branded, read what a junk title means before you sign.

Get a free offer before you sign anything

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FAQ

What do I put as the buyer on my title when I sell to Peddle?

Peddle's help center says it typically recommends letting the buyer complete the buyer information to avoid errors that can void the title. If your state requires a notary and the notary wants the buyer line filled in, contact your buyer first and copy the name exactly. Don't guess at a company name. Georgia, for one, makes handing over a title assigned with the buyer's name blank a misdemeanor, so the name goes in at the handoff.

Do I need to notarize my title to sell to a junkyard?

Only in some states. Official pages we read in October 2026 say the seller's signature must be notarized in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina and Louisiana. Texas and Florida say no notary is needed on the seller section. Peddle says the buyer does not need to be at the notary, and the notary fee is yours. Ask your DMV if your state is not on that list.

What happens if I signed my title in the wrong spot?

Don't sign again somewhere else and don't use correction fluid. Most states fix it with a lined-out error plus an affidavit, or a duplicate title. Georgia uses Form T-11, North Carolina MVR-28, California REG 101, and Pennsylvania a notarized affidavit with the notary's initials. New York won't accept any cross-outs, so you need a duplicate (MV-902, $20). Tell your buyer before pickup, since Peddle says not every carrier accepts correction forms.

Can I use white-out on a car title?

No. Texas says it does not allow white-out or liquid paper on any title transfer document. Pennsylvania, Georgia and Kentucky say the same about white-out or correction tape, and Ohio's assignment form says erasures and alterations void it. A title with white-out on it usually means applying for a duplicate before anyone will buy the car.

Do I give my license plates to the tow driver?

Usually not. Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Kentucky and Arizona keep the plates with the seller, and New York wants them turned in with Form PD-7 unless you move them to another car. California is the main exception: its DMV says plates generally stay with the vehicle. Peddle tells sellers to be ready to remove the plates when the carrier arrives.

Can I sign over a title that is in someone else's name?

No. Peddle says the titled owner must complete the ownership paperwork and nobody else can do it for them, and CarBrain requires a title in the seller's name. If the previous owner signed the back over to you but you never retitled it, Peddle says some carriers accept that and some need the title in your name first.

Do I have to fill in the odometer on a junk car?

Fill it in if the title has the box, even on a junk car. Federal rules exempt model year 2010 and older vehicles, and 2011 and newer ones once they are 20 years old, so in 2026 most 2011 and newer cars still need a reading. If the odometer is broken or wrong, Georgia's instructions say to check the box saying the reading is not the actual mileage.

Sources we checked

Written and fact-checked by the Junk Car Worth team. Prices and buyer policies checked October 2026. How we estimate value.

How to Sign Over a Car Title When You Junk or Sell Your Car

Before you sign: three checks that save the title

How to fill out a car title, step by step