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The bottom line: To sell a junk car in Louisiana, get quotes, sign the title in front of a notary, and let the buyer tow it away free. Most sales finish in two days.
If your car can’t move under its own power, you can skip the title entirely. Louisiana lets you sign an affidavit instead, but only at a licensed scrap yard or dismantler.
Peddle, Wheelzy, and CashForCars all buy Louisiana junk cars online. Most bring $200 to $1,000. Trucks and SUVs with the catalytic converter still on them go higher.
On pickup day you need the notarized title, your photo ID, and no loan on the car. You don’t need the registration or an inspection sticker.
Lost the title? A duplicate takes about a week and a half, or the next business day if you pay a little extra.
Start by getting a few numbers and compare offers from multiple buyers.
Automated assistant — general info, not legal advice
Answers come from our state paperwork data and published guides. Confirm anything binding with your state DMV.
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How to Sell a Junk Car in Louisiana, Step by Step
Six steps, and most Louisiana sellers get through them in two days. The only part that can stretch the timeline is the notary.
Sort that out early and the rest is a phone call and a tow truck.
Step 1: Get quotes from several buyers
Every quote form asks the same handful of things: year, make, model, mileage, your ZIP code, and what’s wrong with the car. You’ll also need the VIN, which sits at the base of the windshield on the driver’s side and on the sticker inside the driver’s door jamb.
Be exact about the condition. Say whether it starts, whether it rolls, and whether the catalytic converter is still on it.
That description does two jobs in Louisiana. It sets your price, and it decides which paperwork route you’re on.
Filling in one form on our compare tool takes about two minutes and puts your details in front of several buyers at once. A quote isn’t binding on either side.
How long an offer holds varies by buyer, so check the date on yours before you go shopping around.
A second and third number often differ by a couple of hundred dollars, which is real money on a car worth $500. You can compare offers from multiple buyers in one place.
Top junk car buyers in Louisiana. All three buy across the state, with the quickest pickups in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metros and along the I-10 and I-20 corridors.
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 5/5
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Process ease 15% 5/5
- Quote stays valid for 7 days
- Handles all the paperwork too
- Buys cars that are missing keys
- Pays cash or check at pickup
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 5/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 4/5
- Assists with replacement titles
- Buys cars stripped for parts
- Driver pays you before loading
- Quote often needs a phone call
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Offer amount 30% 4.5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 2/5
- Over 200 locations nationwide
- Drop off your car at any yard
- Backed by Copart auction yards
- Pays a check right at pickup
Step 2: Check your paperwork
Two documents cover almost every Louisiana junk sale: the title and your photo ID.
Title required to sell: yes
Odometer disclosure: required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, with model year 2010 and older, trailers, and vehicles over 16,000 lbs GVWR exempt
Most junk cars are old enough to be exempt, so that one rarely comes up.
Bill of sale: required unless the selling price is written on the title
Bill of sale notarization: required
You’ll be at a notary for the title anyway, so that costs you nothing extra.
Registration doesn’t come into it. An expired sticker, a lapsed plate, or years off the road won’t stop the sale.
Missing the title? Which route you take depends on whether the car can still drive. If it can’t, the affidavit route skips the title. If it can, you need a replacement.
Every form you might need
Most junk sales need no forms at all. These are all statewide OMV forms, and they come up when something is missing or the car isn’t straightforwardly yours.
Lost title
Form: Form DPSMV 1799 (Vehicle Application)
The same form carries the duplicate title affidavit. See the replacement steps.
Selling without a title
Only for cars that can’t drive. See who can accept it.
Odometer disclosure
Check the model year rule before you worry about it. See the exemption.
Notice of transfer
Form: Form DPSMV 1697 (Notice of Transfer)
This is what stops the record pointing at you. See when to file.
Inherited car
Which one you use depends on the estate. See the threshold.
Bill of sale
Form: Louisiana OMV Bill of Sale of a Motor Vehicle
Or make your own with our bill of sale generator.
Step 3: Accept an offer and book the pickup
Once you accept, the buyer hands your car to a local tow operator, and that operator calls you to set a day. Same-day pickup happens in the bigger metros. Two days is the safer plan.
Ask one question before you agree to a day: how do they handle the notary? Some send you to one first, some bring their own, and some expect it done before the truck rolls.
That answer decides your timeline, so get it up front rather than on pickup morning.
You’ll get a window rather than a set time, usually about four hours. You need to be there to sign and take the money.
Step 4: Get the car ready for the tow truck
The truck needs a clear path and about thirty feet of room. If the car is behind a gate, up against a fence, or boxed in by other vehicles, tell the buyer when you book so they send the right rig.
No keys? Say so when you request the quote. A flatbed can load the car without them, but the driver still checks the odometer and condition, so a missing set they weren’t told about can change the number.
Empty the car properly. Check the glovebox, the trunk, under the seats, and the visors, because whatever is in there leaves with the car.
Take the plates off, along with any toll tag or parking decal stuck to the windshield.
Step 5: Sign the title in front of a notary and take payment
Notarizing the seller signature on a Louisiana title is required. This is the one thing that makes selling here different from most states, and it catches people out.
The notary has to watch you sign. Signing at the kitchen table and taking the title over afterwards doesn’t work, and a tow driver can’t witness it for you.
Banks, shipping stores, and parish clerk offices all have notaries, and most charge a few dollars.
If you’d rather see the title assignment walked through box by box, our Louisiana selling guide covers the whole form.
Payment comes when the driver arrives, not before. Payment is usually cash or check. It depends on the tow company.
Hand over the title once you have the money in hand. Photograph both sides first, since that photo is your record if anything comes up later.
Step 6: Close it out with the OMV
Plates stay with the seller. You can transfer your plates to another vehicle you own, return them to your local OMV office, or destroy them, and the OMV provides an online portal to cancel a plate.
Plate transfer: $3 license plate transfer fee when moving valid plates to another vehicle you own
Dealing with the plates isn’t the same as telling the state the car is gone. Only the notice of transfer does that.
Filing deadline: Immediately
Cancel the insurance last, after the car is physically gone. Cancelling on pickup morning leaves it uncovered while it’s still sitting on your property.
Your Louisiana Junk Car Checklist
Before the Sale
At Pickup
After the Sale
What Your Junk Car Is Worth in Louisiana
Most junk cars bring $200 to $1,000. Complete trucks and SUVs land at the upper end, and small stripped sedans at the bottom.
Two things set the number. Scrap steel gets you a floor price based on weight, and reusable parts get you everything above that floor.
The exceptions run higher. A newer car that’s wrecked but complete can clear $2,000, because the engine, transmission, and body panels are all still worth resale.
The catalytic converter. This one part swings offers by $150 to $600 on its own. If it’s already been cut off, say so when you request the quote, because the driver will spot it at pickup.
Whether the car is complete. Engine, transmission, wheels, and doors all still attached means a higher number. Cars that have been picked over get scrap value and little else.
Size and weight. A full-size pickup carries more steel than a compact sedan, and that shows up directly in the offer.
Flood history. Louisiana sees a lot of water damage, and a flooded car loses most of its parts value. The wiring, electronics, and interior go first, so offers drop toward scrap weight.
Where the car sits. Cars near New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport get better numbers because there are more yards competing for them. Rural parishes see lower offers and longer pickup windows.
The year. Anything from roughly 2005 onward still has parts a yard can sell. Older than that and you’re mostly selling metal.
For a wider look at how the offers stack up, see who gives the most cash for junk cars.
Companies That Buy Junk Cars in Louisiana
All three of these buy cars that don’t run. Blown engines, dead transmissions, collision damage, missing parts, and cars that haven’t moved in years are their normal work, not an exception.
None of them charge for towing, and none of them need the car to start.
Peddle
Peddle buys junk, salvage, and non-running cars
- Quote stays valid for 7 days
- Handles all the paperwork too
- Buys cars that are missing keys
- Pays cash or check at pickup
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 5/5
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Process ease 15% 5/5
Peddle picks up across Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Monroe.
Pickup usually lands within 48 hours of accepting, and they’ll walk you through the paperwork if your title situation is messy.
Wheelzy
Wheelzy is best for older, junk or damaged cars
- Assists with replacement titles
- Buys cars stripped for parts
- Driver pays you before loading
- Quote often needs a phone call
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 5/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 4/5
Wheelzy covers Metairie, Kenner, Bossier City, Houma, Alexandria, and Slidell along with the larger metros.
Their price stays locked at pickup as long as the car matches what you described, which is why an honest condition report pays off. Many areas get same-day pickup.
CashForCars
CashForCars runs on Copart's nationwide auction yards
- Over 200 locations nationwide
- Drop off your car at any yard
- Backed by Copart auction yards
- Pays a check right at pickup
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Offer amount 30% 4.5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 2/5
CashForCars runs through the Copart network and reaches New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport, and the surrounding parishes.
Payment is by check, and banks typically hold it for 24 hours before the money is available. They also run physical yards, so you can drop the car off yourself if you can get it there.
Get a number from all three. They price off different local networks, and the gap on the same car is often a few hundred dollars.
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Selling a Junk Car Without a Title in Louisiana
Louisiana lets you sell a scrap car without a title, but the conditions are tighter than they look.
Age has nothing to do with it. A twenty-year-old car that still starts doesn’t qualify, and a five-year-old flood total does.
That last condition is the one that catches people. It rules out a neighbour, a general towing company, or any yard that doesn’t hold the license.
Online buyers dispatch to local yards, so you can still start with a quote from them. Say on the form that you have no title, and they’ll match you with a yard that can take it that way.
Option 1: Use the affidavit. You sign a sworn statement at the yard instead of a title: Auto Hulk Affidavit (Form DPSMV 1801), provided by and signed at pickup with the licensed scrap yard or dismantler. No notary is needed for this one, which is why it’s often the fastest route in Louisiana.
Option 2: Get a replacement title first. This is your route if the car still drives, or if you’d rather sell to a buyer who isn’t a licensed yard. Allow about a week and a half.
Option 3: Sell it for parts yourself. Pulling the valuable pieces and scrapping the shell can beat a single offer, but it takes tools, space, and weeks. Our guide on how to sell a car for parts covers whether it’s worth it.
One thing to know before you choose the affidavit. The yard reports the VIN to a state database afterwards, and once it’s in there the car can never be titled or registered again in Louisiana.
That’s fine for a car headed to the crusher. It’s a problem if someone in your family was thinking about fixing it.
Learn more: How to Sell a Car Without a Title
Getting a Replacement Title in Louisiana
Here’s how it works: complete Form DPSMV 1799 with the Duplicate Title Affidavit section, have the affidavit notarized, and submit it in person or by mail to the OMV with the $68.50 title fee and $8 handling fee.
Available online: no
Processing time: typically 7 to 10 business days through the OMV in person or by mail
There’s a fast lane if you can’t wait that long.
Expedited option: yes, an expedited title processed by a Public Tag Agent is available for pickup the next business day under RS 32:707.6
The extra charge is $10 plus all other applicable fees.
Whether it’s worth doing comes down to the offer. Under about $300, the fees and the trip eat too much of it, so check the affidavit route first if the car can’t drive.
Above that, get the duplicate. Apply for it and get quotes at the same time, since your offers hold for a week anyway.
If a lender still holds the title
No junk buyer will take a car with an open lien, so this has to be cleared first.
If you paid the loan off years ago but never got the clean title, call the lender before you do anything else. That release is often the only thing standing between you and a sale.
Still owe more than the car is worth? Our guide on how to sell a financed car covers the options.
Electronic titles
Louisiana titles are paper by default, so most sellers never deal with this. Louisiana uses the Electronic Lien and Title system for lienholders only. When a lender holds the title electronically, the lien must be released and a paper title issued before the owner can sell.
That only affects sellers who still have a lender on file.
A title from another state
An out-of-state title is fine for a junk sale. You don’t have to move it to Louisiana first, and the buyer works with the document you have.
The notary rule still applies, because the sale happens here. If the title is lost, you apply to the state that issued it, not the OMV.
Selling a Junk Car That Isn’t in Your Name
Buyers need the person on the title, or documented authority to act for them. There’s no way around that, and the tow driver will check.
For a car left by someone who died, the form depends on the estate: Affidavit of Heirship for a small succession, or Letters Testamentary or a Judgment of Possession for a probated estate.
The simpler affidavit route applies when the estate is $125,000 or less in gross succession estate, or any amount when the decedent died more than 20 years ago, under Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure article 3421.
Take that document, a certified death certificate, and the original title to an OMV office, and they’ll retitle the car in your name so you can sell it.
A car someone left on your property is a different problem. You don’t own it, so you can’t sell it, and Louisiana routes that through law enforcement rather than the OMV.
Report it to your local police or sheriff and let them start the process. Our guide on an abandoned vehicle covers what happens next.
Learn more: How to Sell a Car of a Deceased Person
What Counts as a Junk Car in Louisiana
Louisiana doesn’t have a junk car label the way some states do. What it has is the auto hulk test, and that test decides your paperwork rather than your price.
A car passes that test when it can’t drive, can’t legally be on the road, and is worth more as parts or scrap than as a car. Miss any of those and you’re on the normal titled route.
Here’s how common situations sort out.
| Your car | Auto hulk? | What you sign |
|---|---|---|
| Won’t start, won’t roll, only worth scrap | Yes | Affidavit at a licensed yard, no notary |
| Wrecked and undrivable, parts still good | Yes | Affidavit, or a notarized title if you have it |
| Old and worth almost nothing, but still runs | No | Notarized title |
| Damaged but you can still drive it | No | Notarized title |
| Won’t run, and your buyer isn’t a licensed yard | Doesn’t help | Notarized title, replace it if lost |
If your car still starts and drives, you’re selling a used car, not a hulk, even if it’s rough. Our guide on a non-running car covers the grey area in between.
Local Yards vs Online Buyers in Louisiana
The two aren’t as separate as they look. Your car ends up at a Louisiana yard either way.
What you’re really choosing is who sets the price. Online, several yards bid through the platform. Locally, you’re taking one yard’s number.
Calling yards yourself can pay off if you’re near a scrap facility and the car is complete. It also means arranging the tow, and plenty of yards charge for that.
One case favours going local from the start. If you’re using the no-title affidavit, a yard can confirm its license on the phone in a minute.
Either way, get an online number first so you know what the car is worth before anyone quotes you. Our list of junk car buyers near you is a decent starting point.
Storing a Junk Car Until You Sell It
Rules on how long an inoperable car can sit in view come from your parish or city, not the state. If the car is visible from the road, a quick call to local code enforcement tells you where you stand.
Keep it off the street. A car parked on a public road with an expired plate is a much easier target for a citation than the same car in a driveway.
Put something under the engine and the transmission. Old cars leak, and a puddle of oil on a driveway is a cleanup bill later.
Hurricane season is its own reason to move quickly. A car that can’t be driven can’t be moved out of the way either, and storm water turns a $600 offer into a scrap price.
For longer stretches, our guide on how to store a junk car covers keeping the value in it.
Louisiana Motor Vehicle Resources
Motor vehicle agency: Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV)
Selling and title transfer rules: Louisiana OMV Used Title and Registration page
Report a sale: File online
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to sell a junk car in Louisiana?
Two days is normal. You get quotes in a few minutes, accept the same day, and the tow truck comes within 24 to 48 hours.
The notary appointment is what usually adds a day. If your title is lost, add about a week and a half unless you use the next-day option or the affidavit route.
Do I need a title to sell my junk car in Louisiana?
Usually. The one exception is a car that can’t move under its own power and is only worth parts or scrap.
In that case you sign this instead: Auto Hulk Affidavit (Form DPSMV 1801), provided by and signed at pickup with the licensed scrap yard or dismantler. Confirm the yard holds the right license before pickup day.
Does the title have to be notarized in Louisiana?
Notarizing the seller signature is required, and the notary has to watch you sign.
Don’t sign it in advance. A signature made before you get to the notary means starting over.
How much does a replacement title cost in Louisiana?
The cost is $68.50 plus an $8 handling fee, plus a Public Tag Agent surcharge up to $18 if processed by a tag agent.
Weigh that against the offer. On a car worth a couple of hundred dollars the fees take a real bite, and the affidavit route may suit you better if the car can’t drive.
Learn more: How to Get a Replacement Title in Your State
Does my junk car need an emissions test or safety inspection in Louisiana?
Emissions testing is not required (buyer needs a passing test to register in the five Baton Rouge-area parishes).
Safety inspection is not required (buyer needs an annual safety inspection sticker to operate).
Neither one matters when the car is going onto a flatbed.
Do I remove my license plates before pickup in Louisiana?
Plates stay with the seller, so take them off before the driver arrives.
Then move them to another car, hand them in, or cancel them through the OMV portal.
What paperwork do I file with the state after selling in Louisiana?
One form: Form DPSMV 1697 (Notice of Transfer).
There’s no fine for skipping it, but until the buyer titles the car the OMV record still points at you. That can mean tickets or taxes on a car you no longer own.
Can I sell a junk car with a loan on it in Louisiana?
Not until the lien comes off. Junk buyers won’t take a car with a lender still recorded on the title.
Pay off the balance and get the release, and a paper title follows. Peddle is a reasonable place to start once that’s sorted.
Can I sell a junk car with expired registration in Louisiana?
Yes. The title is what transfers ownership, and registration has nothing to do with it.
Years off the road won’t change the offer either. Buyers price the car on parts and weight, not on whether it was road legal.
What if I lost the keys to my junk car?
Junk buyers take vehicles without keys. Put it on the quote form so the offer accounts for it from the start.
It can lower the number, since the driver can’t start the car or read the odometer. Don’t pay a locksmith for a car you’re scrapping. Our guide on selling a car with lost keys has more.
What happens to my junk car after I sell it in Louisiana?
It goes to a yard, where the reusable parts come off and the shell gets crushed for scrap steel.
If you sold it on the affidavit, the yard reports the VIN to a state database and that VIN is finished. The car can’t be titled or registered in Louisiana again.
Article Update History
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
"yes" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, with model year 2010 and older, trailers, and vehicles over 16,000 lbs GVWR exempt" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"required unless the selling price is written on the title" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Bill of Sale Notarization Required?
"required" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Duplicate Title Application Form
"Form DPSMV 1799 (Vehicle Application)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Auto Hulk Affidavit (Form DPSMV 1801), provided by and signed at pickup with the licensed scrap yard or dismantler" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Separate Odometer Disclosure Form
"required on the title when the title includes an odometer section, and a separate Odometer Disclosure Statement (DPSMV 1606) is used when the title has no odometer section" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Release of Liability Form Name
"Form DPSMV 1697 (Notice of Transfer)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Title Transfer Form
"Affidavit of Heirship for a small succession, or Letters Testamentary or a Judgment of Possession for a probated estate" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Louisiana OMV Bill of Sale of a Motor Vehicle" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
What to Do With License Plates
"transfer your plates to another vehicle you own, return them to your local OMV office, or destroy them, and the OMV provides an online portal to cancel a plate" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"$3 license plate transfer fee when moving valid plates to another vehicle you own" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Release of Liability Filing Deadline
"Immediately" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Conditions to Sell Without Title
"the vehicle must qualify as an auto hulk under RS 32:702(3), meaning it is not self-propelled, not capable of carrying persons or property on a public highway, and its highest or primary value is its sale or transfer as parts or scrap metal, and the buyer must be a licensed secondary metal processor or automotive dismantler and parts recycler" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Title Replacement Available Online?
"no" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Title Replacement Expedited Option?
"yes, an expedited title processed by a Public Tag Agent is available for pickup the next business day under RS 32:707.6" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Expedited Title Replacement Fee
"$10 plus all other applicable fees" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"for a paper title the lienholder signs a release on the title before transfer, and for an electronic lien the lender releases it through the Electronic Lien and Title system, after which a paper title is issued before the sale can proceed" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Estate Value Threshold
"$125,000 or less in gross succession estate, or any amount when the decedent died more than 20 years ago, under Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure article 3421" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Emissions Testing Required to Sell?
"not required (buyer needs a passing test to register in the five Baton Rouge-area parishes)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Safety Inspection Required to Sell?
"not required (buyer needs an annual safety inspection sticker to operate)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
