Titles from somewhere else are common on the Far South Side. People move here from Indiana, Mississippi or Michigan and never get around to an Illinois title, a family car comes up from the South, or a car bought at an insurance auction arrives with a salvage brand. When that car finally dies, the question is whether its paper still works for a junk sale in Illinois.
Most of the time it does. Here’s what the law actually says, in plain terms.
The short version
| The paper you have | What it is | For a junk sale |
|---|---|---|
| Title from another state | The other state’s certificate of title, in your name | Usually works; tell us the address printed on it |
| Illinois salvage certificate | Issued after a total loss or similar event | Works as an ownership document; the car can’t be driven on the road |
| Rebuilt title | A salvage car that was repaired and retitled | A normal title with a “rebuilt” brand |
| Junking certificate | The state’s record that the car is junk | Transfers by endorsement; no regular title is issued again |
Out-of-state titles
The Illinois Vehicle Code names “a similarly acceptable out-of-state document of ownership” alongside the Illinois title, the salvage certificate and the certificate of purchase. A scrap processor or parts recycler holding a state license under the Vehicle Code who acquires one of those, properly assigned, sends it to the Secretary of State with a junk vehicle notification within 15 days (625 ILCS 5/3-117.2). In other words, the law expects junk cars with out-of-state titles to be sold, and it says what happens to the paper afterward.
The detail that matters is the address. If another state’s title lists an Illinois address for the owner, 625 ILCS 5/3-101 wants it converted to an Illinois title before the car can change hands. So when you call, read us the state, the name and the address on the title. Sign it only where that state’s form says the seller signs, and only when the driver is there.
Salvage certificates
When an insurer pays a total loss claim, Illinois treats the insurer as the owner and the car as salvage, and a salvage certificate is issued in the insurer’s name (625 ILCS 5/3-117.1). Cars bought at an auction can also end up with one. A salvage certificate is still an ownership document, so a car that carries one can be sold.
What it can’t do is go on the road. The same section says a salvage or junk vehicle may not be driven on Illinois roads, with narrow exceptions for trips to a required inspection. That’s one more reason the tow is on us.
If the salvage car came from your own insurance claim, our guide to keeping or selling a totaled car explains when Illinois lets you keep it at all.
Rebuilt titles
A salvage car that’s been repaired can be retitled as a rebuilt vehicle; the Vehicle Code has its own application for “a certificate of title for a rebuilt vehicle” (625 ILCS 5/3-302). For a junk sale, a rebuilt title works like any other title. The brand matters to a used-car buyer, not to us.
Junking certificates
When someone holding a junk vehicle applies for it, the Secretary of State issues a junking certificate, which lets the holder possess the vehicle, transport it and transfer it by endorsement. After that, a regular title isn’t issued for that vehicle again (625 ILCS 5/3-117.1). If that’s the paper in your hand, tell us; it’s a normal part of how junk cars change hands.
When the paper doesn’t fit any of these
A title in someone else’s name, a title with a lien that was never released, or no paper at all are different problems. Our page on selling a car without a title covers them, and how to check a junk car buyer explains why an honest buyer asks about papers first.
We buy cars with all of these papers from Avalon Park to Greater Grand Crossing and across the Far South Side. Tell us the car and the paper, or call (773) 200-7724.