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Selling or junking a car in Nebraska

What Nebraska requires when you sell or junk a car: signing the title, selling without one, duplicate titles, release of liability and plates. Each answer links to the official source.

Checked against official sources in October 2026 · Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Driver and Vehicle Records Division. Titles and plates are handled at County Treasurer offices.

How do I sign over a car title in Nebraska?

Every owner named on the title signs in the Seller's section, with original signatures. Any open lien must first be released on the face of the title by the lienholder and County Official. The seller completes the Odometer Certification. The buyer's name, address and signature must be filled in at the sale, because an 'open title' is illegal and will be confiscated. A signature in the wrong place or any alteration mutilates the title, and a duplicate is then needed. Spouses cannot sign for each other. The seller gives the buyer a bill of sale or a completed Department of Revenue Form 6. Odometer exemptions: model year 2010 and older, 2011 and newer once over 20 years old, and vehicles over 16,000 lbs. The buyer must title the vehicle within 30 days.

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

Generally no. Under Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-140, a buyer gets no ownership without an assigned title, except for a parts vehicle sold on the DMV's Parts Vehicle Bill of Sale or a pre-1940 vehicle sold under 60-142.01. Anyone transferring a vehicle must first have a title in their own name; failing to do so is a Class IV felony (licensed dealers are exempt). To junk a vehicle, all owners assign the title to 'JUNK' and surrender it to a County Treasurer or the DMV, getting a duplicate first if it was lost. After that, the vehicle can be sold only for parts or scrap, using the Parts Vehicle Bill of Sale with the seller's signature notarized.

How do I get a duplicate title in Nebraska?

Use Form RV-707a, Application for Duplicate Certificate of Title. The fee is $14.00. All owners on the title sign under oath, though only one spouse needs to sign when the spouse box is checked. File it at any County Treasurer's office.

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

You can report the sale online for free using the DMV's 'Report Sale of Vehicle – Notice of Transfer' service at https://eDmv.Nebraska.gov/TAP/?link=NoticeOfTransfer.

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

Plates do not go to the buyer; the registration expires when ownership transfers. The owner may move the plates to another vehicle by applying within 30 days of buying it (Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-395). Or the owner can return the registration, plates and decals to the County Treasurer with an Application for Refund within 60 days of the sale. When a vehicle is junked, the registration, plates and tabs go to the County Treasurer.

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

A junk vehicle can't operate on any highway and is worth only scrap or parts. All owners assign the title to 'JUNK' and surrender it to a County Treasurer or the DMV; an open lien needs the lienholder's permission. The DMV records the junked status and destroys the title, which can never become active again. The vehicle is then transferred on the notarized Parts Vehicle Bill of Sale. A late-model vehicle (7 model years old or less, or worth over $12,500) with repair costs over 75% of retail value needs a Salvage title ($10 fee). A repaired salvage vehicle needs an inspection and gets a 'Previously Salvaged' title.

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

A vehicle left unattended on private property for more than 7 days without the property owner's permission is an abandoned vehicle (Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-1901), and the abandoned-vehicle title is issued to the law enforcement agency, not the property owner. A tower that removes a vehicle from private property must notify local police within 24 hours and send the owner a certified-mail notice within 15 days of the tow. After at least 90 days unclaimed, the tower may use a storage-repair lien, wait 30 days after its notice letter, then sell the vehicle.

Official sources

  1. Nebraska DMV - Transfer of Ownership
  2. Nebraska DMV - Odometer Certification
  3. Nebraska DMV - Duplicate Certificate of Title
  4. Nebraska DMV - RV-707a Application for Duplicate Certificate of Title
  5. Nebraska DMV - Junked Title
  6. Nebraska DMV - Parts Vehicle Bill of Sale
  7. Nebraska DMV - Online Services
  8. Nebraska DMV - Registration Refunds and Credits
  9. Nebraska DMV - Salvage Titles
  10. Nebraska DMV - Abandoned Vehicles
  11. Nebraska DMV - Vehicles Left Unattended on Private Property
  12. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-140
  13. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-142
  14. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-142.01
  15. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-395
  16. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-1901

This guide summarizes public rules and is not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Driver and Vehicle Records Division. Titles and plates are handled at County Treasurer offices. before you sell.

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