Sell a Junk Car in St. Paul, MN: Free Tow, Cash at the Curb

A dead car in St. Paul costs you twice. It sits there, and the city notices. Saint Paul Legislative Code Chapter 163 counts a vehicle as abandoned after 48 hours if it is disabled, not secure from entry, missing plates, or wearing plates that expired more than 90 days ago, and the Department of Safety and Inspections can have it removed from private property with a police officer along. 1-800-We-Junk-Cars gets ahead of that. Call 1-800-935-8652, give the year, make, model and condition, and we quote a number on the call. A tow truck comes to the car, the driver hands you cash, and the car leaves St. Paul the same day in most cases. There is no yard to drive to and nobody asks you to get a dead car started. Most junk vehicles here bring $150 to $700, set by weight, usable parts and whether the catalytic converter is still on it.

Call 1-800-935-8652 for a free offer on your vehicle in St. Paul. Free towing, cash on pickup.

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How to sell a junk car in St. Paul

The call is short. Year, make, model, then the condition questions that actually move the price: does it start, does it roll on its own wheels, is the converter still bolted on, has anyone stripped it. Answer plainly, because the driver checks the car against your description before paying. Then tell us where it sits, because St. Paul access is its own subject. Most of the older grid, from Frogtown across Hamline-Midway to Macalester-Groveland, has alley garages, and a car that has been dead behind one for a year is usually boxed in by a fence or a second vehicle. Dayton’s Bluff, West Seventh and Summit Hill drop hard toward the river, so a flatbed needs a straight approach on a grade. In winter the bigger risk is the street itself: the city declares snow emergencies, downtown is entirely Night Plow Route with no parking after 9 p.m. on the first night, and cars in violation are ticketed and towed. A junk car on the curb is exposed. Get the title together, or tell us it is missing, and we schedule around whichever path applies.

What is a junk car worth in St. Paul?

Weight is the base. A body-on-frame truck or a full-size van with the drivetrain in it lands near the top of the $150 to $700 range, and a small sedan with the converter already cut sits near the bottom. Two things specific to St. Paul push against that base. The first is salt. The Twin Cities metro puts roughly 250,000 tons of road salt down each winter, out of more than 400,000 tons statewide, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and it shows in rocker panels, brake lines and subframes on anything past its tenth winter here. Rusted-out cars get scrap value only, because the used parts a dismantler would normally resell are not sellable. The second thing works in your favor: the hauling leg is short. EMR runs a yard on the river at 521 Barge Channel Road and Metro Metals Recycling at 2576 Doswell Avenue in St. Anthony Park, so a St. Paul pickup does not carry the hundred-mile transport cost that quietly lowers offers in outstate Minnesota. Tell us honestly what is missing and we quote the car, not the average.

Title and paperwork rules in Minnesota

Minnesota titles through the state, not the county, and the state office is here: Driver and Vehicle Services, 445 Minnesota Street, Saint Paul, MN 55101-5187. To sell, sign the certificate of title over to the buyer. Minnesota expects the ownership transfer to take place on the title within ten days of the sale. Lost it? File form PS2067A, Application for Duplicate Title, Registration, Cab or Lien Card. The fee is $21.50, which is $7.25 for the duplicate title, a $2.25 technology surcharge and a $12 filing fee, plus an extra $1 if a deputy registrar processes it. The form does not ask for a notary; you sign a certification that you own the vehicle and have not assigned the original. You can mail it to the address above or walk it into any deputy registrar office, and most deputy registrars print same-day duplicate titles; the ones that cannot have it mailed from the central office. DVS issues the duplicate only to the owner named on the original or to someone holding power of attorney. A title that shows a lien needs a signed lien release card or a notarized lien release from every secured party before it transfers.

St. Paul abandoned and inoperable vehicle rules

The ordinance is Saint Paul Legislative Code, Title XV, Chapter 163, Abandoned Vehicles. Section 163.01 defines an abandoned motor vehicle as one that has sat more than 48 hours in any of these conditions: on public property illegally, on private property without the owner’s consent, disabled, not secure from entry, without license plates displayed, or with plates that expired more than 90 days before the inspection. Disabled means partially or completely dismantled, appearing undrivable, or missing parts essential to running, including the motor, drive train and wheels. Section 163.03 makes it a violation for anyone in control of private property, as owner, tenant or occupant, to let such a vehicle remain, and under Section 163.11 that is a petty misdemeanor. The exemptions are narrow: a vehicle inside an enclosed garage or storage building; a classic or pioneer car under Minnesota Statutes 168.10 that is kept secure and still usable; and one repair car registered to the owner or occupant, kept secure, for no more than 30 days. Section 163.04 lets the Department of Safety and Inspections remove the vehicle with police assistance and enter private property at reasonable hours to inspect and impound it. Costs not recovered at auction can be assessed against the property under Section 163.10. Report or ask at 651-266-8989, weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

How Fast Can St. Paul Declare Your Car Abandoned?

St. Paul moves faster than the rest of Minnesota on a junk car: Legislative Code Chapter 163 lets an inspector tag a disabled or unplated vehicle abandoned after just 48 hours on your property, and Ramsey County adds a $20 wheelage tax to whatever you still owe on registration. Selling beats waiting on a notice. Call 1-800-935-8652, describe the car, and we quote it on the spot, send a tow truck anywhere in St. Paul, and hand you cash before the car leaves your driveway.

Areas of St. Paul we tow from

We pick up in all 17 of St. Paul’s planning districts. On the East Side that is Dayton’s Bluff, Payne-Phalen, the Greater East Side and the Southeast district along I-94 and US-61. North of the capitol we cover Frogtown, the North End and Como, and west along University Avenue we cover Hamline-Midway, Union Park and St. Anthony Park out to the Minneapolis line. South of I-94 we work Summit-University, Summit Hill, Macalester-Groveland, Highland Park and West Seventh down to the river, plus downtown and the West Side across the Mississippi. I-35E, I-94, I-694, US-52 and Highways 5, 36 and 280 organize the routing. We also tow from Roseville, Maplewood, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Oakdale, Woodbury, West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Mendota Heights, Lilydale and Newport.

• Dayton’s Bluff
• Payne-Phalen
• Frogtown
• North End
• Como
• Hamline-Midway
• St. Anthony Park
• Union Park
• Macalester-Groveland
• Highland Park
• Summit Hill
• West Side

Frequently asked questions

How long can a car with expired tabs sit in my St. Paul driveway?

Under Saint Paul Legislative Code Section 163.01, a vehicle whose plates expired more than 90 days before an inspection is an abandoned motor vehicle once it has been in that condition more than 48 hours, even if it runs. Missing plates, a disabled condition or a car that is not secure from entry each trigger the same 48-hour test. The only ways out are an enclosed garage or storage building, a qualifying classic or pioneer car, or the single 30-day repair vehicle allowance.

What happens if the city acts on an abandoned vehicle on my property?

Section 163.04 authorizes the Department of Safety and Inspections to remove it with police assistance, and officials may enter private property at reasonable hours to inspect and impound. Allowing an abandoned vehicle to remain is a petty misdemeanor under Section 163.11. If the car is more than seven model years old, missing vital parts and has no current plate, Section 163.05 makes it immediately eligible for auction with no notice or reclaim period. Otherwise notice goes out within ten days and you have 15 days to reclaim by paying towing and storage.

Where do I get a duplicate title in St. Paul?

File form PS2067A, Application for Duplicate Title, Registration, Cab or Lien Card, with Driver and Vehicle Services. The state office is at 445 Minnesota Street in downtown St. Paul, and you can also apply at any deputy registrar office, most of which print the duplicate the same day. The fee is $21.50 by mail, made up of $7.25 for the title, a $2.25 technology surcharge and $12 filing, with a $1 surcharge if a deputy registrar processes it. No notary is required.

The title shows an old car loan. Can I still sell?

Not until the lien is cleared on paper. Minnesota DVS requires a signed lien release card or a notarized lien release from every secured party listed on the title before ownership transfers, and the front of the title shows the first lienholder and the total number of liens. If the loan was paid off years ago and you never got the release, contact the lender first. Once you have it, call 1-800-935-8652 and we schedule the pickup.

Do you tow junk cars from alleys in Frogtown and Hamline-Midway?

Yes, and alleys are where a large share of St. Paul pickups happen. Tell us on the call whether the car is in a detached garage, on a pad behind the house or blocked in by another vehicle or a fence, and whether the alley is plowed. The driver plans the approach from that. A car that rolls and steers is a quick winch; one with a seized wheel or no wheels needs a flatbed and a straight line to it.

Will a St. Paul snow emergency get my dead car towed?

It can. When the city declares a snow emergency, downtown streets are all Night Plow Routes and parking is prohibited there after 9 p.m. on the first night, and the city states that vehicles violating the parking restrictions will be ticketed and towed. A car that cannot move cannot comply. If it is on the street in November, selling it before the first declaration avoids a tow bill and impound fees on a car worth $150 to $700.

Why do Minnesota scrap yards ask for ID and a signed statement?

Minnesota Statutes 168A.1501 requires a scrap vehicle operator to record the VIN, plate, a copy of the seller’s photo identification, a copy of the title, and a statement signed under penalty of perjury that the vehicle is not stolen and is free of liens. A dealer that buys a vehicle to dismantle or destroy also reports the plate, VIN and seller’s name to DVS within ten days under Section 168A.153. Have your driver’s license and the signed title ready at pickup.

How much does rust take off a St. Paul junk car?

Rust does not change the scrap weight, but it kills the parts value that lifts a car above bare tonnage. The Twin Cities metro spreads about 250,000 tons of road salt a year, so an older St. Paul car often has rotted rockers, brake lines and subframe mounts that a dismantler cannot resell. A rust-free drivetrain, straight body panels and an intact catalytic converter are what move an offer toward the top of the $150 to $700 range.

Ready to get rid of it? Call 1-800-935-8652 and we will quote your car in St. Paul over the phone, tow it free, and pay you cash at pickup.

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Cash for junk cars across Minnesota