How to sign your car title in Tennessee
Step-by-step. Where to sign, what fields to fill, how to handle a missing title, and what we’ll need at pickup.
What’s different in Tennessee
Most states require the title signed at sale. If you've lost yours, your DMV will issue a replacement (typically $5-$50, 1-2 weeks). For non-running vehicles, the buyer often needs to coordinate the title transfer separately from pickup. Tell us your situation up front and we'll walk you through it.
Signing your title in Tennessee, step by step
The same five steps work in most states; this page calls out anything specific to a junk-car sale.
- 01Locate the title
If you have it: skip to step 2. If not, request a duplicate from your state DMV — typically $5-$50 and 1-2 weeks for the replacement to arrive.
- 02Sign the title as the seller
On the back of the title, sign in the field labeled 'Seller's Signature' or 'Transferor.' Print your name where indicated. Use blue or black ink. Don't sign more than once.
- 03Fill in the buyer information
When selling to us, we'll send you the legal name and address to write in the buyer fields. Don't leave them blank — an open title can be considered void in some states.
- 04Record the odometer reading
Required on most titles for vehicles under 10 years old. Read the odometer accurately — falsifying it is a federal offense, and we verify at pickup.
- 05Hand the signed title to the tow driver
We collect the signed title at pickup. Don't mail it ahead, don't give it to anyone but our authorized tow driver, and keep a photo of it for your records.
No title? You still have options.
Most states issue duplicate titles for $5-$50 and 1-2 weeks. We can wait. Tell us your situation up front.
If the title is genuinely lost and you can’t recover it, some states allow a bonded title — you post a surety bond covering the vehicle’s value, and the state issues a clean title. We’ve worked with this in multiple states.
For very old vehicles in some states, a notarized bill of sale plus your registration is sometimes accepted. Submit an offer and tell us what paperwork you have — we’ll let you know if it works in Tennessee.
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