Selling or junking a car in Illinois

How do I sign over a car title in Illinois?

The seller fills in and signs the 'Assignment of Title' section on the Illinois title and dates it when the sale is final. Every seller and buyer signs and prints their name. The seller must certify the odometer reading as actual mileage, over mechanical limits, or not actual mileage. A separate Odometer Disclosure Statement (VSD 333) is also available. The seller gives the assigned title to the buyer when the vehicle is delivered (625 ILCS 5/3-112(a)). The buyer must apply for a new title within 20 days (3-112(b)). Illinois titles do not need to be notarized.

Can I sell or junk a car without a title in Illinois?

Illinois law has no exception based on vehicle age. A licensed scrap processor may not take a vehicle, junk vehicle or cowl without one of these ownership documents: a Certificate of Title, Salvage Certificate, Junking Certificate, Secretary of State Junking Manifest, Certificate of Purchase, Uniform Invoice (between licensees only) or similar proof. For an unlicensed seller, the processor must also record two forms of ID, one of them a driver's license or state ID, and keep the records for 3 years (625 ILCS 5/5-401.3). An owner with no title should get a duplicate title or apply to the Secretary of State for a junking certificate. A junking certificate lets the holder possess and transport the junk vehicle and transfer it by endorsement. A Junking Manifest from the Secretary of State counts as evidence of ownership, can be transferred only to a licensed scrap processor, and lets the vehicle go to the processor before the junking certificate arrives (3-117.1(a)).

How do I get a duplicate title in Illinois?

Use the Application for Vehicle Transaction(s), form VSD 190, and include the current odometer reading. The fee is $50; expedited service, offered at some Secretary of State facilities, costs $30 more. The original title must be lost, stolen or mutilated. The application must list the exact VIN and the last plate number. Mail it or deliver it to the Secretary of State. A duplicate is not issued within 15 days of an original title or within 30 days of an earlier duplicate. If there is a lien, the lienholder's name stays on the new title unless you send a lien release letter, proof the lien was paid, or a court order.

Do I need to file a release of liability in Illinois?

Yes. Complete the Seller's Report of Sale (VSD 703) immediately after the sale and mail it to the Secretary of State's Vehicle Services Department. The SOS says this releases the seller's responsibility for the vehicle, but it does not by itself transfer ownership. Under the statute, a seller who has delivered the vehicle and done the required title steps is not liable as owner for damages from later operation of the vehicle (625 ILCS 5/3-112(e)).

What do I do with the plates after selling a car in Illinois?

Plates stay with the seller. In Illinois, plates belong to the owner, not the vehicle. Remove them before delivering the car. They can be moved only to another vehicle you own (or, with form VSD 707, to a spouse or child).

What happens to the title when a car is junked or salvaged in Illinois?

Anyone who possesses a junk vehicle must, within 15 days, surrender the title (or salvage certificate, certificate of purchase or out-of-state ownership document) to the Secretary of State with an application for a junking certificate. The owner does not have to surrender the title if there is no lienholder, or if the owner has a valid lien release and matches the title record. After a junking certificate is issued, the vehicle can never be titled again (3-117.1(a)). A licensed scrap processor or automotive parts recycler that receives a properly assigned title must send it to the SOS within 15 days with a Junk Vehicle Notification (form VSD 325). That processor or recycler does not need its own junking certificate, and the vehicle can never be titled again (3-117.2). An SOS FAQ lists the junking certificate fee as $0 and the salvage certificate fee as $20. Junk and salvage vehicles may not be driven on public roads, which is a Class A misdemeanor (3-117.1(e)). Destroying or transferring the title of a junk or salvage vehicle without authority is a Class 3 felony (3-117.1(c)).

What can I do about an abandoned vehicle on my property in Illinois?

Leaving a vehicle on private or public property in public view is illegal, except on the property of the vehicle's owner or bailee. A law enforcement agency with jurisdiction may authorize removal from private property after a waiting period of 7 days or more. A vehicle may be removed right away if it is found to be a hazardous dilapidated motor vehicle under municipal law (625 ILCS 5/4-201(b)). A towing service may start processing an unclaimed vehicle as abandoned by asking the SOS for a record search up to 10 days after the tow. This does not apply to tows ordered by police (4-201(c)).

Official sources

1. 625 ILCS 5/3-117.1 When junking certificates or salvage certificates must be obtained
2. 625 ILCS 5/3-117.2 Junk vehicle notification
3. 625 ILCS 5/5-401.3 Scrap processors required to keep records
4. 625 ILCS 5/3-112 Transfer
5. 625 ILCS 5/4-201 Abandonment of vehicles prohibited
6. IL SOS - Duplicate Titles
7. IL SOS - Seller's Report of Sale (VSD 703)
8. IL SOS - Buying or Selling a Vehicle in Illinois
9. IL SOS - Transferring Plates
10. IL SOS - Junk Vehicle Notification Form (VSD 325)
11. IL SOS - Vehicle Services FAQ
12. IL SOS - Expedited Title Service
13. IL SOS - Title and Registration Publications and Forms (VSD 190, VSD 292, VSD 333)

This guide summarizes public rules and is not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department before you sell.