Nevada car title guide for selling or junking a car

Selling or junking a car in Nevada, step by step

1. Find your title (or replace it). If the title is lost or damaged, request a duplicate from the Nevada DMV using Application for Duplicate Nevada Certificate of Title (VP 012).
2. Pay off any loan. If a lender is listed on the title, it must release the lien before the car can change hands. See our guide to junking a car with a lien.
3. Sign the title over at pickup. In a private sale the seller has to hand the buyer a properly signed-off title; a bill of sale by itself is not enough. The seller keeps the plates, and the DMV's selling guide also says to cancel the registration and file a Vehicle Resale Notification through MyDMV.
4. Deal with your plates. Nevada sellers keep their plates and can reuse them on another vehicle, release them to another person with Form SP-67, or surrender them to the DMV.
5. File the Vehicle Resale Notification. Sellers report the sale online within five days, which records that they no longer own the vehicle. The DMV can share this information with wreckers, tow operators and other interested parties.

How to sign over a title in Nevada

In a private sale the seller has to hand the buyer a properly signed-off title; a bill of sale by itself is not enough. The seller keeps the plates, and the DMV's selling guide also says to cancel the registration and file a Vehicle Resale Notification through MyDMV.

Official page: dmv.nv.gov. For general tips on avoiding mistakes, see how to sign over a car title.

Lost title? Getting a duplicate in Nevada

Owners of Nevada-titled vehicles get a duplicate by mailing Form VP 012 or bringing it to a DMV office; duplicates cannot be ordered online.

• Form: Application for Duplicate Nevada Certificate of Title (VP 012) — download
• Available online: no
• Official page: dmv.nv.gov

More background: how to get a duplicate title before junking.

Vehicle Resale Notification

Sellers report the sale online within five days, which records that they no longer own the vehicle. The DMV can share this information with wreckers, tow operators and other interested parties.

• Can be filed online: yes
• Official page: dmvapp.nv.gov

Why it matters: release of liability when selling a car.

License plates after you sell

Plates stay with you, the seller, not the car. Nevada sellers keep their plates and can reuse them on another vehicle, release them to another person with Form SP-67, or surrender them to the DMV.

Source: dmv.nv.gov

Junk and salvage titles in Nevada

Salvage vehicles can be sold only to a licensed rebuilder, wrecker or dealer, not to a private person. Non-repairable vehicles are only good for parts or scrap and can only change hands between licensed wreckers, dismantlers and recyclers.

Official page: dmv.nv.gov. Background: salvage vs. rebuilt vs. junk titles.

Selling a car without a title in Nevada

A buyer who has no title and cannot reach the previous owner can apply for a bonded title through the DMV's Title Research section, which requires an affidavit, a vehicle inspection and a surety bond kept in force for three years.

Official page: dmv.nv.gov

Official sources

• Nevada DMV — homedmv.nv.gov
• Selling or transferring a vehicle titledmv.nv.gov
• Duplicate or replacement title (Application for Duplicate Nevada Certificate of Title (VP 012))dmv.nv.gov
• Application for Duplicate Nevada Certificate of Title (VP 012) formdmv.nv.gov
• Vehicle Resale Notificationdmvapp.nv.gov
• License plates after a saledmv.nv.gov
• Junk and salvage vehiclesdmv.nv.gov
• Selling without a titledmv.nv.gov

Summarized from official Nevada government websites in October 2026. Fees and procedures change; always confirm with the Nevada DMV before you sell. This guide is general information, not legal advice.