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How do you get a title for an abandoned vehicle?
I bought a new house, and it has quite a bit of property attached to it. While wandering around, I found an old car that’s been abandoned. How do I get its title?
Lauren Smith · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Congratulations on your new house! When it comes to
abandoned vehicles
, the process is a little complicated—even when they’re sitting on property you own. Your best bet is to try to contact the owner. Start by trying to find the VIN. The vehicle identification number is usually registered with your local DMV, and they should be able to use the VIN to contact the owner.
Each state’s laws are different, but local authorities almost always have to be involved with this process. In some cases, they’ll come out and tow the vehicle. If no one claims it, the car will go to auction, and then you can bid on it.
In other cases, once you reach out to the DMV, your local sheriff’s office will publish notices related to the car and try to contact the owner. If you get ahold of the owner, you can try to purchase the car and get the
title or a replacement title
.The steps to getting an abandoned car can be complicated, but getting insurance for the car shouldn’t be. Getting cheap car insurance is easy with
Jerry
. Jerry pulls quotes from the top 50 companies in under a minute and delivers the best deals right to your phone. View full answer
- Gregory R.
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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