Oregon will no longer accept Washington dismantler bill of sale instead of vehicle title

Oct. 18, 2019

SALEM – Oregon DMV will no longer accept a dismantler’s bill of sale from the state of Washington in place of a vehicle title when applying for a title in Oregon as of Oct. 21, 2019.

Starting Oct. 21, if you wish to apply for an Oregon vehicle title for a vehicle from Washington, you must submit a Washington title. Oregon will reject any application with a Washington dismantler’s bill of sale in lieu of a title. Oregon DMV will reject applications submitted by mail with a dismantler’s bill of sale if they are postmarked Oct. 21 or later.

Washington does not issue salvage titles. In Washington, the legal owner of a totaled vehicle, or the insurance company, must surrender the title within 15 days of a vehicle’s destruction or settlement of its status as totaled. The vehicle may be subsequently sold with a notarized bill of sale – typically for dismantling.

Oregon DMV has been accepting the Washington dismantler’s bill of sale as an ownership document in lieu of a title or salvage title when the bill of sale states, “the title was surrendered to the Department of Licensing in accordance with RCW 46.12.70 (Washington law)” or similar language. However, dismantlers’ bills of sale are not state-issued and are not secure documents.

As of Oct. 21, Oregon will accept a Washington dismantler’s bill of sale under only one condition: It will be accepted in lieu of title as an ownership document only when submitted with an Oregon Dismantler’s Vehicle Notice to Driver and Motor Vehicle Services, Form 270, for the purpose of adding a dismantler stock indicator on the vehicle record.

For information on how to obtain a Washington title, the customer can review the Washington Department of Licensing website at https://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/salvageabandon.html.

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please call DMV Customer Assistance at 503-945-5000 or in Portland at 503-299-9999, or call the DMV number listed in your local directory.

Any time you need to visit Oregon DMV, please first check www.OregonDMV.com to find business hours, locations and wait times for most offices, and to make sure you have everything you need before your visit. You also can do some DMV business from home at OregonDMV.com.

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