The bottom line: To sell a junk car in South Dakota, sign the title over to the buyer and give them a bill of sale. Neither needs a notary, and no inspection is needed. If a lender holds a lien, have it released first.
You can’t sell without a title in South Dakota, even for scrap. If yours is lost, apply for a duplicate with Form 1002 at your county treasurer’s office, for $10, plus a $2 technology fee.
Take your plates off before the car leaves, since they stay with you for your next vehicle.
File Form 1024, the Seller Report of Sale, at the time of sale, online at my605drive or at your county treasurer’s office. Skipping it is a misdemeanor.
What would buyers pay for your junk car in South Dakota?Fill in one form, including whether you have the title, and see which buyers make an offer.
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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
- Buys any car in any condition, running or not
- Free towing, with no fees taken off the offer
- You can cancel before pickup at no cost
- Pays by check on the spot 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
- Buys damaged cars, even ones that can't be driven
- The engine and transmission must still be in
- Free towing, included with every offer
- Picks up within 48 hours, sometimes the same day
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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
- Owned by Copart, the salvage auction company
- Buys almost any vehicle with a motor, running or not
- Free towing, and it handles the title transfer
- Hands you a check at pickup, or mails it
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 Do You Sell a Junk Car in South Dakota?
It is six steps in South Dakota. The report of sale is the step after the truck leaves.
Step 1: Get quotes from several buyers
Quote forms ask for the year, make, model, mileage and ZIP code, and then if the car starts.
The VIN, if asked for, is on the title and on the dashboard under the windshield on the driver’s side.
Note what is broken or gone, the catalytic converter and wheels especially. The driver checks the car against the form before paying.
A form usually asks whether the wheels turn and whether the car has been in a fire or a flood. Answer both, because the driver sees the car before paying.
Get at least three quotes. None of them commits you to anything.
Step 2: Check your paperwork
Get the title and a photo ID out before you accept anything. The name on the title has to be yours, and no lender can still be listed on it.
- Title required to sell: yes.
- Bill of sale: required.
- State bill of sale form: Form 1025 (Bill of Sale).
- Odometer reading: the odometer reading is recorded on the title at transfer; federal disclosure applies to vehicles model year 2011 or newer under 16,000 pounds.
How to sign: South Dakota does not require the title assignment to a buyer to be notarized; the seller signs the assignment on the title.
Print the state bill of sale before pickup day.
Every form you might need
The bill of sale in Step 2 is for every sale. These three are for a lost title, the report after the sale, and an estate’s car.
Replacement title
Form 1002 (Duplicate Title Application)
For a South Dakota title you have lost. Fee and where.
Inherited car
When the owner has passed away. What to bring.
Step 3: Accept an offer and book the pickup
Take the offer on the buyer’s site or by phone. The buyer passes the job to a tow company near you, and that company contacts you to set a pickup window.
You meet the driver, sign the title, and take the money. If someone else will do that for you, tell the buyer when you book.
Step 4: Get the car ready for the tow truck
A car behind a gate on a ranch or down a gravel road should be described to the tow company when it calls. Shovel it out if it has been snowed in.
Take everything out of the car before the truck comes: glove box, trunk, door pockets, under the seats and the spare tire well. Take off any toll pass or parking permit.
Plates stay with you. Take them off before the truck arrives.
Lost keys do not stop the pickup, because the driver winches the car on. Tell the buyer on the form, and see our guide to selling a car with lost keys.
Step 5: Sign the title and take payment
The driver looks the car over and you sign the assignment on the back of the title. Both of you sign the bill of sale too.
You are paid before the car goes on the truck, so count the cash or read the check before it moves.
Keep any paper the driver leaves with you, and check your inbox, because some buyers email the bill of sale and the confirmation instead. The report of sale asks who bought the car: the company in your offer confirmation, not the driver.
Step 6: File the report of sale and deal with the plates
Until it is filed: failing to file the report is a Class 2 misdemeanor.
Plates: remove your plates before the buyer drives away, then transfer them to another vehicle you own.
Cancel the insurance when the report is filed and the car is gone, not on the morning of pickup.
South Dakota Junk Car Checklist
Before the Sale
At Pickup
After the Sale
What Is Your Junk Car Worth in South Dakota?
Across the country, half of all offers on old cars fall between $375 and $1,075, from our own quote data.
Nothing moves the offer more than the catalytic converter. With the converter gone, and age and mileage matched, the offer against a comparable car with it moves by about -57%. If it is missing, say so on the form.
Whether the engine starts is the next thing. Against a comparable car that drives, once age and mileage are matched, a car that won’t start moves the offer by about -46%. Our guide to selling a non-running car goes into it.
Companies That Buy Junk Cars in South Dakota
Peddle
Peddle buys junk, salvage, and non-running cars
- Buys junk cars anywhere in South Dakota
- Offer online, then it hauls the car
- Takes beaters and cars in any condition
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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 buys a car with a blown engine, a failed transmission or crash damage.
Wheelzy
Wheelzy buys cars in any condition, running or not
- Free removal from any South Dakota location
- Branches in Rapid City and Sioux Falls
- No title-transfer or removal fees in South Dakota
- Cashier's check you can cash the same day
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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
When the title is missing, get the quote from Wheelzy first, because it helps with the replacement.
CashForCars
CashForCars is owned by Copart and buys cars in any condition
- Its one South Dakota yard is in Rapid City
- Offer in 60 seconds, from the form or one phone call
- Free towing when it comes for the car
- Takes cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, RVs and boats
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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 is owned by Copart. The cars it buys in South Dakota are sold on through Copart’s auction yards.
Collect all three numbers even if the first one looks fine. When two or more buyers quote the same car on the same day through our own quote form, the highest and lowest offers are typically $314 apart.
If the car still starts and drives and has a clean title, a private sale usually pays more than a junk buyer. Our guide to selling a car privately in South Dakota covers the paperwork.
Can You Sell a Junk Car Without a Title in South Dakota?
No. South Dakota needs a title for the transfer, so the title comes before the sale.
Option 1: Get the title, then sell. Every buyer can then quote the car.
Option 2: Sell the parts. Parts sell with no title, but the rest of the car still needs one. Our guide to selling a car for parts explains how.
Getting a Replacement Title in South Dakota
What a replacement title takes in South Dakota:
- Application: Form 1002 (Duplicate Title Application)
- Where to submit: your county treasurer's office, in person or by mail
- Fee: $10, plus a $2 technology fee
- Processing time: not published by the department
Put in the application the week you start on quotes, since a buyer can quote while you wait.
Should the lost title turn up once the new one arrives, destroy the old one.
If a lender still holds the title
How the lien comes off: for a paper title the lienholder releases the lien on the title or provides a release; for an electronic lien held in the ELT system the lender releases it and the paper title is then issued.
No junk buyer can take a car that still has a lien. Ask the lender for the payoff first, because whatever the offer does not cover is yours to pay.
Our guide to selling a financed car goes into the payoff.
If your title is electronic
Titles with an active lien are held electronically and the paper title is issued once the lien is released. Since July 1, 2026 dealers can file title applications electronically through approved third-party providers, and an online private-party transfer option is being added to my605drive; the state continues to print paper titles. The driver takes a paper title, so book the pickup once you have one.
If the car is titled in another state
A Nebraska or Minnesota title works for a junk sale in South Dakota too. Put the state on the quote form.
For a lost title from another state, apply to that state. The county treasurer handles South Dakota titles only.
Selling a Junk Car That Isn’t in Your Name
The buyer pays whoever is named on the title. When that person has died, South Dakota uses Form 1013 (Succession Affidavit) for a non-probated estate, or Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration if the estate is probated.
Once the title is in your name, the junk sale is the same as any other.
Gifted car: No separate gift transfer form. The transfer must show no consideration, and the exemption is claimed at titling.
A car left on your land by a stranger is not yours to sell. The abandoned vehicle process comes first, starting with the sheriff.
Local Dismantlers vs Online Buyers in South Dakota
Selling to a local yard
A yard pays on weight at the current scrap price. A phone quote is not written down, and it can come down at the scale.
Ask if the yard picks up and whether the tow is taken off the price.
Get the yard’s business name for your bill of sale and report of sale.
Selling to an online buyer
[‘An online buyer puts its offer in writing before booking a truck, which lets you compare several. The offer includes the value of parts, not just scrap.’, ‘The pickup is done by a local tow company all the same. What differs is that the price was agreed first.’]
Our guide to how online buyers work out an offer goes through what moves the number.
When selling it yourself makes sense
A pickup or an SUV that still runs well may bring more from a mechanic or a hobbyist than from a yard. Expect weeks, and a buyer with a trailer. It also puts the advert, the calls and the title work on you instead of the buyer.
Storing a Junk Car in South Dakota
Towns and counties set their own rules on a junked car in plain view. A notice from them can end in a fine and then a tow you pay for.
Hail, snow and spring mud all work on a car that sits outside. Park it on a firm surface a truck can reach.
Our guide on how to store a junk car has more.
Pull the plates off while it waits, because they stay with you in any case.
South Dakota Motor Vehicle Resources
- Motor vehicle agency: South Dakota Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division
- Motor vehicles: South Dakota Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle
Compare instant offers before you accept one
Compare instant offers before you accept one
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to sell a junk car in South Dakota?
An offer comes back within minutes. The tow company sets the pickup day, and a ranch far from Sioux Falls or Rapid City can wait longer.
A replacement title, if needed, has to come first.
Do I have to tell South Dakota I sold the car?
Yes. The report of sale in Step 6 is due within at the time of sale of the sale.
Removing your plates releases you from liability: no, the plates stay with you; the report of sale is what documents the transfer.
Does anything have to be notarized to junk a car in South Dakota?
Title notarization: not required.
Bill of sale notarization: not required.
Does a junk car need an emissions test or an inspection to sell in South Dakota?
Emissions test to sell: no testing required.
Safety inspection to sell: not required.
Can I junk a car with expired registration in South Dakota?
Yes. A buyer needs the title, and the car rides away on a truck. You don’t need to renew it first.
Keep the lapsed registration with your records.
What happens to my junk car after I sell it in South Dakota?
Working parts are sold, fluids come out, and the shell is flattened for scrap.
The converter, the wheels and the battery are the first parts off.
What if the junk car offer changes when the driver arrives in South Dakota?
When the car does not match the form, say a missing converter or an engine that will not start, the driver can offer less. Nothing obliges you to accept the lower number.
Until you sign the title the car is still yours, so you can send the truck away and use one of your other quotes.
What paperwork should I keep after junking a car in South Dakota?
Keep your copy of the bill of sale and a photo of the signed title.
Keep the report of sale confirmation with them, since it carries the date the car stopped being yours.
Is it worth repairing my car instead of junking it in South Dakota?
Price the repair against how much it would raise the offer. If it costs more than that, junk the car.
Article Update History
The page now covers the report of sale and its deadline, and national junk car offers from Sell Car Advisor quote data.
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
"$10, plus a $2 technology fee" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
"yes" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
Title Notarization Explanation
"South Dakota does not require the title assignment to a buyer to be notarized; the seller signs the assignment on the title" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
"Form 1025 (Bill of Sale)" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
"the odometer reading is recorded on the title at transfer; federal disclosure applies to vehicles model year 2011 or newer under 16,000 pounds" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
Duplicate Title Application Form
"Form 1002 (Duplicate Title Application)" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
Release of Liability Form Name
"Form 1024 (Seller Report of Sale)" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Title Transfer Form
"Form 1013 (Succession Affidavit) for a non-probated estate, or Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration if the estate is probated" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
Conditions to Sell Without Title
"there is no exemption that lets a private seller transfer ownership without a title; the seller must first obtain a title, by duplicate if the title is lost, or under 32-3-64 if the vehicle is 11 model years or older with no existing record, or under 32-3-64.1 if it is older than 30 years with no record and no bill of sale" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
"for a paper title the lienholder releases the lien on the title or provides a release; for an electronic lien held in the ELT system the lender releases it and the paper title is then issued" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
"South Dakota Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
Electronic Title Handling Note
"Titles with an active lien are held electronically and the paper title is issued once the lien is released. Since July 1, 2026 dealers can file title applications electronically through approved third-party providers, and an online private-party transfer option is being added to my605drive; the state continues to print paper titles" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
"required" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
Penalty for Not Filing Release of Liability
"failing to file the report is a Class 2 misdemeanor" Accessed Sep. 19, 2026
Junk Car Value Statistics, Sell Car Advisor
"On this page: 4 figures from 17,628 instant cash offers, and 3 figures from same-day quotes by several buyers" Accessed Oct. 19, 2026
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