Selling or junking a car in Kansas

How do I sign over a car title in Kansas?

The seller completes the assignment on the back of the title: purchase price, date of sale, odometer reading, and the seller's printed name and signature. The buyer prints and signs their own name. If the title lists owners joined by 'and', or with no connector, all of them must sign. If they are joined by 'or', one signature is enough. If the title has no purchase-price space, a bill of sale is needed (Form TR-12 includes one). The seller may sign Form TR-41, a power of attorney, to let the buyer complete the assignment. Electronic titles use Form TR-40. Any lien must be released on the title, on notarized Form TR-150, or by a letter from the lienholder. The Division does not require notarization for most Kansas title assignments, title applications and bills of sale. Lien releases and lienholder consents do need notarization. At each sale the seller must enter and certify the mileage and price, and the buyer signs to acknowledge them. Vehicles exempt under federal odometer rules are excused (K.S.A. 8-135(c)(2)(A)). The assigned title must pass to the buyer at delivery, or within 60 days if both parties agree. Otherwise the sale is void (K.S.A. 8-135(c)(7)).

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

Generally no. Under K.S.A. 8-135(c)(7), it is unlawful to buy or sell a vehicle that must be registered unless an assigned title passes between the parties within 60 days; a sale without the title is fraudulent and void. The law has no exception for older vehicles. An owner with a lost title must first get a duplicate title using Form TR-720B. If the seller never provides the title, the buyer's remedy is a court order (quiet title action), per the KDOR FAQ. Licensed salvage dealers have one narrow exception: a licensed salvage vehicle pool or dealer may apply for an ownership document without the title only for an insurance-claim vehicle taken in at the insurer's request, where the claim was closed without payment or denied and the vehicle sat unclaimed for more than 30 days after certified-mail notices (K.S.A. 8-198(i)). Otherwise a licensed salvage dealer needs a properly assigned title.

How do I get a duplicate title in Kansas?

Complete Form TR-720B (Application for Secured/Duplicate/Reissue Title), giving the year, make, VIN, owner names and current odometer reading. Submit it at any county treasurer motor vehicle office, or mail it to the Titles and Registrations Bureau, with the $10 title fee. A 'Replacement Title Transaction' can also be done online through iKan. The same form can remove a paid-off lien at the same time ($20 for replace and remove lien).

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

Optional. After the title is assigned and delivered, the seller may file Form TR-216 (Seller's Notification of Sale) with the Titles and Registrations Bureau, with the fee listed on the form. Filing creates a presumption that the vehicle was sold and transferred. It can also be filed and paid online through iKan. No filing deadline is stated. KDOR says a seller who transfers or surrenders the plate at a county treasurer office does not need to file TR-216. KDOR also suggests keeping a copy of the front and back of the assigned title.

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

Plates stay with the seller. When ownership transfers, the registration expires and the owner must remove the plate. Only the person the plate was issued to may possess it. The owner may move the plate to another vehicle for a $1.50 transfer fee, plus any difference in registration fee (K.S.A. 8-135(a)). The previous vehicle must be disposed of before the new purchase, or within 60 days after it. KDOR says to always remove plates from a vehicle you sold or disposed of.

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

Kansas has no owner-issued 'junking certificate'. An owner whose vehicle meets the salvage definition must apply for a salvage title before transferring it, and no later than 60 days after it is found to be salvage. The fee is $10, plus $2 if late (K.S.A. 8-198(d)). Otherwise the owner can attach Form TR-13 (Salvage, Nonhighway or Non-Repairable Vehicle Affidavit) to the regular title and assign it. The buyer then applies for a salvage or nonhighway title within 30 days. Selling a salvage or nonhighway vehicle without giving the buyer an assigned salvage or nonhighway title is unlawful. A nonrepairable vehicle certificate (K.S.A. 8-135c) means parts or scrap only. That vehicle can never be titled or registered again, and it cannot be sold whole to anyone except a recycler. When a licensed salvage dealer strips a titled vehicle and sends it to a scrap processor, the dealer surrenders the title to the Division with 'salvage' or 'junk' written or stamped on it. No title or registration can ever be issued again (K.S.A. 8-1,137). Out-of-state junk or destruction certificates cannot be titled in Kansas.

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

Leaving a vehicle on someone else's private property without permission is criminal trespass (K.S.A. 8-1102(b)). The property owner can ask a public agency to remove it, and the agency disposes of it under the 8-1102(a) process. That process uses certified-mail notice to the owner and lienholders, a 15-day window to reclaim, published notice, and then a public auction. The person who tows at the agency's request gets a possessory lien for towing and storage. Tow operators acting under police direction or a local private-property towing ordinance get a lien (K.S.A. 8-1103). They must notify a known owner within 15 days and may sell after 30 days once notice is given. Local ordinances set rates and other details.

Official sources

1. KDOR Division of Vehicles - Titling a used vehicle
2. KDOR Division of Vehicles - Titling FAQ
3. KDOR Division of Vehicles - Forms and Publications (iKan online TR-216 and replacement title)
4. KDOR Form TR-13 - Salvage, Nonhighway or Non-Repairable Vehicle Affidavit
5. K.S.A. 8-135 - Registration, plates, certificate of title
6. K.S.A. 8-198 - Nonhighway and salvage titles
7. K.S.A. 8-1,137 - Vehicles sold for salvage; no title may be issued
8. K.S.A. 8-1102 - Abandoned vehicles
9. K.S.A. 8-1103 - Wrecker/tow liens

This guide summarizes public rules and is not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles (titles and registration are done at county treasurer motor vehicle offices) before you sell.