Junk Title (2026): Meaning, Rules and How to Sell One

On this page

What is a junk title?
Junk title vs salvage title vs rebuilt title
Can you drive, register or sell a junk title car?
What a junk title does to value
How to sell a junk title car
Your next step

A junk title is a state brand saying a car can’t be repaired for the road and is worth only parts or scrap. In Texas, Nebraska and Illinois that brand is permanent, so the car never gets a road title again. You can still sell it, and the check is usually scrap-yard money.

Quick answer

Parts and scrap onlypermanent in TX, NE and IL

The federal NMVTIS statute defines a junk automobile as one that cannot operate on public roads and has no value except as parts or scrap. As of September 2026, a complete car brings about $140–$200 per ton at most US yards, per iScrap’s crowd-sourced yard reports.

Top junk car buyers right now

Free online quotes. Free towing. Compare two offers before you say yes.

What is a junk title?

A junk title is a label on a car’s title record saying the vehicle is beyond repair for road use. The federal definition (49 U.S.C. 30501) is a car that cannot operate on public roads and has no value except as a source of parts or scrap. AAMVA, the DMV administrators’ association, uses the same test and also counts flood-damaged vehicles as junk.

NMVTIS, the federal title database, calls that label a brand, and once a state applies one, it becomes a permanent part of the car’s NMVTIS record. People use “junk title” for two different things.

A brand on the car. The state records the vehicle as junk or nonrepairable. An insurer’s total-loss decision can trigger it, but owners can too. Colorado counts a car as nonrepairable when the owner designates it scrap or parts, and California has individuals report a car to the DMV as junk before dismantling it.
Junking your own title. When you scrap a car, you surrender the title so the state can close the record. Nebraska requires each owner of record to surrender the title for a junk vehicle. Kentucky county clerks stamp the title “JUNKED”, which the Scott County Clerk says prevents future property tax assessments on the car.

Insurers must report a salvage or total-loss decision to NMVTIS whether or not they pay a claim, and junk yards report every car they take in at least monthly.

What states call a junk title

Names change at the state line. These are the ones we read in September 2026.

Texas. A “Junk” brand means the vehicle cannot safely run on US roads and has no resale value except parts or scrap. Texas also issues a Nonrepairable Vehicle Title.
Nebraska. A “junked” title, surrendered to a county treasurer or the DMV. Once surrendered, it cannot return to active status.
Kentucky. A “JUNKED” stamp from the county clerk, plus a notarized affidavit.
Missouri and Illinois. A junking certificate. Illinois says a title is not issued again for that vehicle (625 ILCS 5/3-117.1).
Pennsylvania. A car sent to a scrap metal processor is designated nonrepairable and may not be rebuilt or retitled.
California. A Non-Repairable Vehicle Certificate ends road use permanently.

Junk title vs salvage title vs rebuilt title

Junk is the dead end. Salvage and rebuilt are two stages of one road back to the street. Names and rules shift by state, so check your DMV’s exact wording.

	Junk	Salvage	Rebuilt
What it means	Not repairable for the road. Parts or scrap only	Repair cost plus salvage value tops the car’s pre-damage value	A salvage car repaired and passed by the state
Trigger example	Damage beyond repair, or the owner designates it scrap	Texas: repairs over 100% of value. New York: 75%, newer cars only	Repairs done, inspection passed
Road use	No. Texas says never title or register it	Not until it is rebuilt and inspected	Yes, with the brand kept
Retitle it?	No in TX, NE, IL. Exceptions: CA revival, MO 90-day undo	Yes, after repair and inspection	Already retitled
What it’s worth	Weight and parts	Wikipedia says roughly 65–75% below estimated value	Still branded, and buyers price that in

Salvage follows the federal definition, and states set their own thresholds. Texas titles a repaired salvage car “Rebuilt Salvage”, and New York uses “REBUILT SALVAGE: NY”. Not every totaled car gets a brand, either. New York brands only vehicles 8 model years old or newer, so an old totaled car there may never get a salvage title.

Our totaled car guide covers the salvage side.

Can you drive, register or sell a junk title car?

Not drive or register. Selling is fine, with limits.

Driving and registering a junk title car

TxDMV says a junk vehicle should never be titled or registered and may only be sold as parts or scrap. Nebraska says a title surrendered as junk cannot go back to active status. Missouri will only issue a junking certificate for a car another state already junked, even if that state later changed the label (RSMo 301.227). For a car junked in Missouri itself, the same statute lets the original applicant rescind within 90 days and apply for a salvage title.

California is the outlier. Its DMV says a vehicle reported as dismantled and then restored is a Revived Junk Vehicle you must register again, with a junk receipt or statement of facts, a vehicle verification or CHP inspection, and a safety systems inspection. The Non-Repairable Certificate does not allow this.

Selling and buying a junk title car

Selling is legal to buyers that deal in parts and scrap: licensed yards, dismantlers and scrap processors. Missouri adds a rule for sellers. If a junking certificate has been applied for or issued, you must tell any prospective buyer in writing before the sale, or the buyer can void it.

If you are the buyer, run the VIN through NMVTIS first. Its reports show brand history, insurer total-loss decisions and transfers to junk and salvage yards.

What a junk title does to value

With a junk brand, the yard pays for weight, then adds a little if the parts are worth pulling. The table below uses iScrap’s figures for September 2026: a $177.58 per ton headline for a complete car, with yard reports from June to September running $150 to $250. iScrap counts a complete car as one with its engine, transmission, catalytic converter, battery, radiator, rims and tires, and wiring harness.

Curb weight	At $150/ton	At $177.58/ton	At $200/ton
2,500 lb small car	$188	$222	$250
3,500 lb midsize	$263	$311	$350
5,500 lb full-size SUV or truck	$413	$488	$550

Those are our calculations (weight divided by 2,000, times the per-ton price), not published payouts. Yards weigh the car as delivered, and many deduct or refuse for missing parts, fluids or a missing catalytic converter. iScrap warns that selling the converter separately could make the car count as incomplete. CarBrain says junk cars average $250 to $750, a company claim on an undated page. See what junkyards pay for cars and current scrap car prices before you accept a number.

How to sell a junk title car

Find the paper. You need the title, or the junking or nonrepairable certificate, in your name. If it is lost, request a duplicate first. Nebraska requires one before you can junk a title. Our junk car without title guide covers the narrow exceptions, such as Missouri’s route for inoperable cars at least 10 model years old, which runs through a scrap metal operator that usually has to check for liens.
Clear any lien. Peddle says liens must be settled with the lienholder before the sale. CarBrain says financed owners must pay off the loan or do a collateral swap.
Disclose the brand. Peddle’s terms require you to state your title status, title state, owner names and liens truthfully, and a mismatch at pickup can change the offer. CarBrain requires a title in your name, so ask it before assuming a junk brand qualifies.
Get two or three offers. Compare a free online offer with a call to a local yard. Peddle says it charges sellers no fees and includes towing (our Peddle review has the details).
Finish the sale. Sign the title over, remove the plates if your state requires it, cancel the insurance after the car leaves, and keep a bill of sale with the VIN.

Disclose the brand in writing

In Missouri, skipping the written disclosure makes the sale voidable at the buyer’s option. Other states have their own rules. Either way, the brand stays on the NMVTIS record, whatever a buyer is told.

Your next step

Read the brand word on your title, then check your state DMV’s junk or nonrepairable page for the exact rules and fees. Confirm anything you plan to sign with the DMV first. If the title is missing, start with our no-title guide. For the full sale process, see how to junk a car, or compare routes on sell my junk car. Then request offers below.

Request a free offer for your junk title car

Free online quotes. Free towing. Compare two offers before you say yes.

FAQ

What does it mean to have a junk title?

It means the state has recorded that the car cannot be repaired for road use and is worth only parts or scrap. The federal NMVTIS statute defines a junk automobile the same way. In Texas, Nebraska and Illinois the brand is permanent, so the realistic move is selling the car to a yard, dismantler or scrap buyer. The brand also stays on the car’s NMVTIS record.

Can you fix a junk title?

Usually not. Texas, Nebraska and Illinois treat junk as permanent, and Texas nonrepairable titles issued after September 1, 2003 can never be rebuilt. Two narrow exceptions: Missouri lets the original applicant rescind a junking certificate within 90 days if the car was not previously classified as junk, and California lets a car recorded as dismantled become a Revived Junk Vehicle after inspections. Salvage is the fixable brand.

How much is a junk title in Kentucky?

The Scott County Clerk lists a $1.00 junk fee. You sign and date the original title where the clerk stamps JUNKED, pay any existing property taxes and file a notarized affidavit of junk. The same page lists $6 to salvage a title in your name and $9 plus 6% usage tax to transfer a salvage title. Confirm fees with your own county clerk.

How to get a junk title in Missouri?

Under RSMo 301.227, the purchaser of a vehicle classed as junk may apply for a junking certificate and send in the salvage title or certificate of ownership. The state issues a negotiable junking certificate that lets the holder possess, transport or transfer the car as parts, scrap or junk. Cars 26 or more model years old with only a bill of sale have a separate route that includes a stolen-vehicle check.

Can you sell a car with a junk title?

Yes, to buyers that deal in parts and scrap, such as licensed yards, dismantlers and scrap processors. Peddle’s blog lists junk among the title types it buys, and CarBrain says it needs a title in your name. Disclose the junk brand every time. It stays on the car’s NMVTIS record, and in Missouri a sale without written disclosure is voidable by the buyer.

Sources we checked

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