What to do with your plates after junking a car in Illinois
This guide from Junk Car Company, a Chicago junk car buyer that handles the paperwork questions, sets out what the Illinois Secretary of State's forms say about license plates on a junked car, and says plainly where those forms stop.
What do I do with my license plates when I junk my car in Illinois?
Take the plates off before the car is towed. If the car already left with the plates on, file the Secretary of State's Vehicle License Plates Revocation Request (VSD 851), which lists "Vehicle towed/junked with license plates" as a reason. Revocation doesn't clear your name from the vehicle record, so also mail the Seller's Report of Sale.
Before the tow truck comes
Two screws per plate, usually. Bring a screwdriver out with you, because rust on a car that’s been sitting can make them stubborn, and you don’t want to be wrestling a bolt while the driver waits. Take the front plate if your car has one, and peel off anything with your name on it while you’re there, like a parking sticker.
Why bother? Because the plate is tied to your registration, not to the steel it’s bolted onto. When the car goes, the registration record for that plate is still yours.
If the car already left with the plates on
It happens: a relative arranged the tow, or the plates were rusted on. The Secretary of State’s Vehicle License Plates Revocation Request (VSD 851, March 2021) exists for exactly this. Among its reasons to check is “Vehicle towed/junked with license plates,” along with “Vehicle sold/traded in with license plates attached.”
The form asks for:
- the plate number, VIN, make and year
- each registered owner’s name, current address, phone and driver’s license number
- the reason for revocation (check one)
- the signature of each registered or titled owner
It warns that a request missing the owner and vehicle information, the reason or the signatures won’t be processed. It goes to the Secretary of State’s Special Plates Division in Springfield.
Revoking the plate isn’t the whole job
Read the last line of VSD 851 carefully: “Revocation of the license plate does not remove your name from that particular vehicle record.” That’s what the Seller’s Report of Sale (VSD 703) is for. It tells the Secretary of State you sold or released interest in the vehicle and, in the form’s words, “will release your responsibility for the vehicle.” Our Illinois bill of sale guide covers VSD 703 with the rest of the seller’s paperwork.
Keeping the plates for your next car
If you’re replacing the junk car, the Secretary of State lists a form for moving plates, the Request for Transfer of Vehicle Registration License Plates (VSD 707), on its title and registration forms page. We haven’t printed the transfer fee here because we couldn’t open the page that states it. Check with the Secretary of State at 800-252-8980 before you go.
Where Junk Car Company comes in
Whether you sell to us with the title or with registration only, unscrew the plates before the car goes and the plate question is settled before it starts. The rest of the sequence is in how junking a car works in Illinois, and you can get an offer whenever you’re ready.
Sources
- Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle License Plates Revocation Request (VSD 851)
- Illinois Secretary of State, Seller's Report of Sale (VSD 703)
- Illinois Secretary of State, Title and Registration Publications and Forms (lists VSD 707)
State pages and forms change. Check the linked source before relying on a fee or deadline. This guide is general information, not legal advice.