Sell Your Junk Car in Columbia, SC — Free Towing, Cash at Pickup
Getting rid of a dead car in Columbia starts with one phone call to 1-800-935-8652, not a drive across the Midlands. We buy vehicles that quit for good, vehicles that still crank but failed the last repair estimate, and vehicles that have sat beside a carport since somebody meant to get back to them. There is no lot here and no paperwork counter to stand at. Tell us the year, make, model, and whether the car still rolls and steers, and you get a real number in a few minutes, paid in cash when the flatbed loads. One thing to settle up front: Columbia straddles a county line. Most of the city sits in Richland County and part of it reaches into Lexington County, and the junk-vehicle rules that apply to your yard change depending on whether your address is inside the city limits or outside them. Give the dispatcher the street address, not just the neighborhood name.
Call 1-800-935-8652 for a free offer on your vehicle in Columbia. Free towing, cash on pickup.
How to sell a junk car in Columbia
Call first and be blunt about condition, because the quote is built entirely out of what you describe: does it crank, does it roll, does it steer, are all four tires still on the rims, is the catalytic converter still underneath, and has anybody already pulled the battery, the wheels or a door. Then describe the approach. Columbia’s older blocks were platted long before a 30-foot flatbed existed. Shandon, Melrose Heights and Wales Garden have deep narrow lots, big street oaks and rear drives a wrecker can enter but cannot turn around in. Olympia and Granby Hill were built as mill housing, so the lots are tight and curb space fills early. Arsenal Hill and Wheeler Hill sit on grades steep enough that the winch angle actually matters. Out toward Lake Katherine, Forest Hills and the Kings Grant side there is usually driveway room, though gated subdivisions need a code or somebody to meet the driver at the entrance. Last item: find the South Carolina title. If it is missing, say so on the first call instead of on pickup day.
What is a junk car worth in Columbia?
Plan on $150 to $700 for a junk vehicle around Columbia, with weight setting the floor. A full-size pickup, van or body-on-frame SUV that still has its engine and transmission sits at the top of that band. A four-cylinder sedan that has already been picked over sits near the bottom. Anyone who quotes a firm figure before asking what the vehicle is is guessing. Two things lift an offer above bare scrap weight. The first is resellable parts, and Midlands cars generally keep more of them than cars that spent twenty winters on salted northern roads, so rockers, brake lines and suspension components here stay worth pulling for longer. The second is the catalytic converter, and in South Carolina it is worth more to you bolted to the car than cut off it. State law classifies a catalytic converter as a nonferrous metal, makes it unlawful for anyone other than a permitted secondary metals recycler to buy a used detached converter, and makes it unlawful to possess, transport or sell one without a permit plus documentation including the VIN of the vehicle it came off. Sell the car whole and none of that lands on you.
Title and paperwork rules in South Carolina
If the title is gone, deal with that first rather than last. South Carolina titles are handled by the state, not by a county clerk, so there is only one office in the chain. You file SCDMV Form 400, the Title and/or Registration Application, and check the DUPLICATE TITLE box in Section 1; the current version is Rev. 12/2025. The duplicate title fee is $15, paid by check or money order made out to the SCDMV, and the application does not have to be notarized. The owner signs in ink, and the SCDMV states that electronic or digital signatures are acceptable. Mail it to SCDMV, ATTN: Titles, PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016-0024, or walk it in. Columbia has two branches, 1630 Shop Rd and 228-A O’Neil Court, and both open at 8:30 a.m. most weekdays but not until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, which catches people out. Same-day expedited duplicates are in-branch only and cost an extra $20. One trap to check before you apply: if a lien is still showing on the record, the SCDMV mails the duplicate to the lienholder instead of to you, so clear the release first.
Columbia abandoned and inoperable vehicle rules
Inside the city limits, Columbia treats the vehicle itself as the nuisance. Section 8-31(d)(7) of the Code of Ordinances declares any motor vehicle that is unregistered, inoperable, derelict or abandoned a public nuisance, on a highway or right-of-way and on public or private property alike, unless it is stored inside a completely enclosed permanent structure. A tarp, an open carport or a back corner of the lot does not meet that standard. The clause also reaches Section 302.8 of the International Property Maintenance Code, 2021 edition, adopted at Section 5-151, and Section 8-34 bars letting a nuisance continue on property you control. Enforcement sits with the Code Enforcement Division of the Columbia Police Department, 1136 Washington Street, (803) 545-3430; for a vehicle on the street, call 803-545-3500. Section 8-36 gives you written notice and a specified reasonable time to clear the property. Section 8-39 lets the city abate it and serve a notice of assessment payable within 30 days, after which the cost becomes a lien filed with the county clerk of court. Section 8-35 makes each day a separate misdemeanor, and the general penalty under Section 1-5 runs up to $500 or 30 days. Outside the city, Richland County Section 17-10(g) allows 30 consecutive days with an inoperable vehicle on a residential or commercial lot unless it is kept in a garage or carport, and it exempts parcels of three acres or more in the RU Rural district along with dealerships, repair shops and licensed junk and scrap operations.
How fast can you sell a junk car in Columbia, SC?
Selling a junk car in Columbia starts with a call to 1-800-935-8652, not a trip to a lot, and a driver meets you wherever the car sits, from Shandon to a Lexington County driveway across the river. Columbia’s own clock is not a fixed day count: Code of Ordinances Section 8-36 lets a code officer set a specified reasonable time to clear an unregistered, inoperable or abandoned vehicle before Section 8-39 lets the city tow it and bill the cost as a lien. That is slower than scheduling a pickup. Call before the notice runs, and the paperwork, not the car, decides the pace.
| Where Columbia's SCDMV counter is | Both Columbia branches, Shop Road and O'Neil Court, push their Wednesday opening back an hour, to 9:30 a.m. source |
|---|---|
| Municipal ordinance and its clock | Columbia's Sec. 8-36 skips a fixed day count: the code officer's notice just gives whatever time is reasonable to clear the car. source |
| Local penalty for missing the notice | Sec. 8-39 lets the city tow the car and lien the cost; Sec. 8-35 fines each day separately. source |
| County fee that outlives the sale | The Richland County Treasurer keeps billing vehicle tax past the sale date, until the plate itself is cancelled. source |
| Who answers a junk-car complaint in Columbia | Columbia PD's own Code Enforcement Division, not the county, fields nuisance-vehicle complaints at (803) 545-3430. source |
| Emissions testing in Richland County | Richland County has no vehicle emissions test to clear; SCDMV only wants a title and a paid tax receipt to register. source |
Areas of Columbia we tow from
We tow anywhere in Columbia and across Richland County, and into the Lexington County side of the metro. That covers downtown, the Vista and the BullStreet District; Elmwood Park, Cottontown and Earlewood north of Elmwood Avenue; Eau Claire, Hyatt Park and the North Main corridor; Shandon, Rosewood, Melrose Heights and Historic Waverly on the east side; Olympia, Granby Hill and Wheeler Hill below the university. We work the interstates that organize the Midlands, I-20, I-26 and I-77, along with SC-277, Two Notch Road, Garners Ferry Road and Broad River Road. We also pick up in Forest Acres, Arcadia Lakes, Dentsville, St. Andrews, Irmo, Blythewood, Cayce, West Columbia and Lexington. Where the car sits within the metro has no effect on what we pay. Access changes which truck we send, so mention a shared drive, a rear alley or a gate code when you call.
- Shandon
- Rosewood
- Olympia
- Granby Hill
- Earlewood
- Elmwood Park
- Cottontown
- Eau Claire
- Hyatt Park
- Arsenal Hill
- Wheeler Hill
- Melrose Heights
Official South Carolina sources
- SCDMV — Columbia, Shop Road Branch
- SCDMV — Columbia, O'Neil Court Branch
- Columbia Police Department — Code Enforcement Division
- City of Columbia — Code of Ordinances
- Richland County Treasurer — Vehicle Tax
- SCDMV — Vehicle Registration Requirements
Last reviewed 2026-10-06 against South Carolina state and Columbia city sources. Fees change.
Frequently asked questions
How much will I get for a junk car in Columbia?
Most junk vehicles here fall between $150 and $700. Weight sets the baseline, so a full-size pickup, van or body-on-frame SUV with the drivetrain still in it lands near the top and a stripped four-cylinder sedan lands near the bottom. Whether the catalytic converter is still attached moves the number more than almost anything else. Call 1-800-935-8652 with the year, make, model and a list of what is already missing and we will give you an actual figure instead of a range.
Can the City of Columbia make me remove an inoperable car from my own yard?
Yes. Section 8-31(d)(7) of the Columbia Code of Ordinances declares any motor vehicle that is unregistered, inoperable, derelict or abandoned to be a public nuisance, and it applies on private property, not just on the street. The only listed way out is storing the vehicle inside a completely enclosed permanent structure. Note the word unregistered: a car that runs fine but has dead tags sitting in the driveway can still put you in violation.
What happens after Columbia code enforcement sends a notice?
Under Section 8-36 the chief of police or housing officer issues written notice requiring you to clear the property within a specified reasonable time, and inoperative or unregistered motor vehicles are named in that section. If you do not act, Section 8-39 lets the city abate the condition, then serve a notice of assessment you must pay within 30 days. After that the city can file a lien with the county clerk of court. Section 8-35 also makes each day a separate misdemeanor offense.
My address is Columbia but I am outside the city limits. Which rules apply?
Richland County’s rules do. Section 17-10(g) of the county code says a motor vehicle that cannot operate legally or cannot move under its own power may not be stored on a residential or commercial lot in the unincorporated county for more than 30 consecutive days unless it is kept in an enclosed garage or carport. Parcels of three acres or more in the RU Rural district are written out of that subsection, as are dealerships, repair shops, towing services and licensed junk and scrap businesses. Subsection (h) gives you 30 days to cure after written notice before a misdemeanor charge of up to $500 or 30 days attaches. Richland County’s Ombudsman line is 803-929-6000.
I lost the title. How do I replace it before you pick the car up?
File SCDMV Form 400, the Title and/or Registration Application, with the DUPLICATE TITLE box checked in Section 1. The fee is $15 by check or money order to the SCDMV. It does not need to be notarized. Mail it to SCDMV, ATTN: Titles, PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016-0024, or take it to the branch at 1630 Shop Rd or 228-A O’Neil Court. In-branch same-day expedited service costs another $20. If a lien is still on the record, the duplicate goes to the lienholder.
Should I cut the catalytic converter off and sell it separately for more?
No, and in South Carolina that can become a criminal problem. State law lists catalytic converters as nonferrous metals, makes it unlawful for anyone except a permitted secondary metals recycler to buy a used detached converter, and makes it unlawful to possess, transport or sell one without a permit and documentation that includes the VIN of the vehicle it came from and proof of your ownership interest. When the converter goes with the whole car, it is simply part of the vehicle and none of that applies.
Do I have to do anything about the license plate and insurance?
Yes, and skipping it is how people end up with an SCDMV problem months later. When you sell a vehicle you must complete the Notice of Vehicle Sold, SCDMV Form 416, and turn in the plate with the License Plate Surrender, SCDMV Form 452, either by mail to Blythewood or at any branch. You also need to cancel the South Carolina liability insurance on that vehicle. If the plate is already expired, there is nothing to decommission.
Do you tow in Olympia, Eau Claire and out past the Richland County line?
Yes. We cover the whole city plus Richland County and the Lexington County side of the metro, including Forest Acres, Arcadia Lakes, Dentsville, St. Andrews, Irmo, Blythewood, Cayce, West Columbia and Lexington. Mileage inside the metro does not change what we pay you. What it changes is scheduling and equipment, so tell us if the car is behind a Granby Hill shotgun lot, on a Wheeler Hill grade, or inside a gated subdivision that needs an entry code.
Ready to get rid of it? Call 1-800-935-8652 and we will quote your car in Columbia over the phone, tow it free, and pay you cash at pickup.
Cash for junk cars across South Carolina