RV Removal Without a Title — Washington Owner’s Guide
Don't have the RV title? Here's how to clear that hurdle in WA.
Four legal paths · most faster than people expect · we'll walk you through it.
Why this matters
No paperwork, no haul.
Washington State law treats every RV, trailer, and motorhome as a titled vehicle. To legally dispose of one, the registered owner — or a designated representative — needs documentation showing the right to release it. Without it, no licensed wrecker or scrap facility will accept the vehicle, and no hauler can move it to one. The good news: there are four legitimate paths, and the right one depends on your situation.
Quick gut check: If your RV is damaged, inoperable, and only worth scrap — start with Path 1 (Junk Vehicle Affidavit). It's the fastest by a wide margin. The other three paths exist for everything else.
Four legal paths
Pick the one that fits your situation.
Ranked fastest to slowest. Click any card to jump to the full process.
1
Best for · Damaged or inoperable
Junk Vehicle Affidavit
WSP or your sheriff comes out, verifies the VIN, and stamps the affidavit. The fastest path for any RV that's 3+ years old, extensively damaged, and only worth scrap.
Timeline: 3–10 business days
Cost: Usually free
2
Best for · Lost title, still serviceable
Duplicate Title from WA DOL
You own the RV but lost or never received the title. Fill out two DOL forms, pay a small fee, and the replacement title arrives in about a week.
Timeline: 8–10 business days
Cost: ~$35.50
3
Best for · Someone else's RV on your property
Abandoned Vehicle Report
A former tenant, guest, or previous owner left it behind. File an abandoned-vehicle report with local police, wait the statutory notice period, then dispose under that authorization.
Timeline: ~3–4 weeks
Cost: Usually free
4
Best for · Informal purchase, seller unreachable
Bonded Title (last resort)
You bought the RV but never got proper paperwork and the seller has vanished. Buy a surety bond worth 1.5× the appraised value, then apply through DOL. Slow and costly — usually not the right call for scrap-value RVs.
Timeline: 4–8 weeks
Cost: $100–$300+ bond premium
Not sure which path fits? Call (206) 722-4285 or text us a photo of your RV — we'll tell you straight up which one to start.
Path 1 Junk Vehicle Affidavit — the fastest path
Best for:
3+ years old, inoperable, scrap-value only
Timeline:
3–10 business days
Cost:
Usually free (some jurisdictions ~$30)
What you do:
1
Call the Washington State Patrol (WSP) VIN Inspection line, or your local sheriff or police department, and request a
junk vehicle inspection
.
2
The officer comes to your property, verifies the VIN, confirms the RV qualifies as "junk" under RCW 46.55.230, and stamps a
Junk Vehicle Affidavit
(DOL form TD-420-005 or local equivalent).
3
You sign the affidavit as the owner-in-possession.
About hauling on this path: Junk B Gone is not a licensed Hulk Hauler, so a licensed partner tows the RV away whole. Nothing gets dismantled on your property. Call us and we'll set it up.
Path 2 Duplicate Title from WA DOL
Best for:
You own it, title is lost, RV is still serviceable
Timeline:
8–10 business days
Cost:
~$35.50 + any back registration
What you do:
1
Fill out a
Vehicle Title Application
(DOL form TD-420-001) and an
Affidavit of Loss / Release of Interest
(TD-420-040).
2
Submit in person at any WA vehicle licensing office, or by mail to the DOL.
3
Pay the duplicate title fee — currently around $35.50. Check
dol.wa.gov
for the latest pricing.
4
Wait about 8–10 business days for the replacement to arrive.
Once your duplicate title arrives, we haul the RV away whole with standard paperwork — same as if you'd had the original in hand the whole time.
Path 3 Abandoned Vehicle on your property
Best for:
Former tenant, guest, or previous owner left it
Timeline:
~3–4 weeks total
Cost:
Usually free (some admin fees)
What you do:
1
Call your local police or sheriff's office and file an
Abandoned Vehicle Report
under RCW 46.55.085.
2
The officer documents the vehicle, runs the VIN, and notifies the registered owner of your intent to remove.
3
Wait the statutory notice period — typically 15 days for non-hazardous vehicles.
4
Receive written authorization to dispose, then we can remove the RV under that authorization letter.
Most of the timeline is just the statutory waiting period — the legwork on your end is one phone call and a short report.
Path 4 Bonded Title — last resort
Best for:
Informal purchase, seller unreachable, no other path applies
Timeline:
4–8 weeks
Cost:
$100–$300+ bond premium
What you do:
1
Get an appraisal of the RV's current value.
2
Purchase a
surety bond
for 1.5× that value through a licensed surety company.
3
Apply for a bonded title through the DOL. It's "provisional" for 3 years before becoming a clean title.
Honest take: For a junk-grade RV worth less than $1,000 in scrap, Path 1 (Junk Vehicle Affidavit) is almost always the better choice. Path 4 is slow and the bond premium often exceeds the RV's scrap value.
Day of service
What we need in hand to haul.
One of the following on the day we arrive. We can hold your quote for up to 60 days while you complete the paperwork.
- The original title, signed over to you and ready to release
- A duplicate title (Path 2)
- A stamped Junk Vehicle Affidavit from WSP or local law enforcement (Path 1)
- An Abandoned Vehicle authorization letter (Path 3)
- A bonded title (Path 4)
Our end
Once your paperwork's good, we handle the rest.
You don't need to find a wrecker, a scrap yard, or a separate hauler. From the moment your documentation is in order, here's what we do.
- Clear out whatever is inside the RV, so it leaves empty.
- Have our licensed towing partner haul the RV away whole. Propane, batteries, fluids, and refrigerants are handled at a licensed facility, not in your yard.
- One point of contact through the whole job. No multiple appointments, no shuffling between vendors.
- Photos before and after, and we leave the area swept and ready for whatever comes next.
Truck size matters
A bigger truck. Fewer trips. More for your money.
A "full load" only means something if you know the size of the truck. Our beds run 12 to 16 feet long, all 8 feet wide and 5 feet tall, and we often load above the rails and tarp it down. For the biggest jobs we send our 24-foot truck.
More capacity means most projects fit in one load. No second trip charges, no "we'll have to come back tomorrow." You get the same work done for less.
-
Junk B Goneour biggest truck, 24 × 8 × 5 ft
960 ft³
-
Junk B Goneour 16-foot truck, 16 × 8 × 5 ft
640 ft³
-
Busby Junk Removal12 × 8 × 5 ft
480 ft³
-
1-800-GOT-JUNK10 × 8 × 5 ft
400 ft³
-
Tick-Tock Junk RemovalAbout 8 × 6 × 8 ft, our measurement
384 ft³
-
Pickup truck8 ft bed
68 ft³
Bars are drawn to volume and show the bed only. Busby's and 1-800-GOT-JUNK's sizes are the truck dimensions each company shows on its own website. Tick-Tock publishes no size, so theirs is our own measurement.
- 2.4×The room of a 1-800-GOT-JUNK truck, in our 24-foot truck
- 60%More room than 1-800-GOT-JUNK, in our 16-foot truck
- $0Hidden fees
Important
Not legal advice.
This guide summarizes Washington State requirements as of 2026. Title and disposal law can change, and individual situations may have wrinkles we can't cover here. For complex cases — lienholders, out-of-state titles, inheritance, divorce-related ownership disputes — we recommend a quick call to the WA DOL at (360) 902-3770 or a consultation with an attorney. We'll work with whatever documentation your situation requires. Call us at (206) 722-4285 and we'll figure out a path forward together.
Frequently asked
Questions we hear every week.
Which path is fastest if my RV is just sitting there rotting?
If it's 3+ years old, damaged, and inoperable — Path 1 (Junk Vehicle Affidavit). WSP or your local sheriff comes out, verifies the VIN, stamps the affidavit, and you're typically done in 3–10 business days.
I bought the RV from someone on Craigslist with no paperwork. Now what?
If you can still reach the seller, ask them to file a duplicate title (Path 2) and sign it over. If they've ghosted you, you're looking at Path 4 (Bonded Title) — which is expensive enough that for low-value RVs it's often cheaper to wait until it qualifies as a junk vehicle and use Path 1.
A previous tenant left their RV on my property. Can I just have it hauled?
Not without paperwork. File an Abandoned Vehicle Report (Path 3) with local police. After the 15-day notice period and the authorization letter, we can take it out. Call us and we'll walk through the timing with you.
Do you provide the Junk Vehicle Affidavit yourselves?
No — that's a law-enforcement function. Only WSP, a sheriff's deputy, or a local police officer can stamp it. We can help you figure out who to call in your jurisdiction.
How long will you hold my quote while I do the paperwork?
Up to 60 days. If your situation takes longer than that, give us a quick call and we'll re-confirm pricing — it usually doesn't change.
Can you remove an RV that won't roll?
Yes. Flat tires, seized axles, rusted in place: it gets winched onto a flatbed and leaves in one piece. That's the most common case on the abandoned and junk-affidavit paths, and nothing gets dismantled on your property.
Not sure which path fits? Let's figure it out together.
One quick call and we'll tell you which document you need and roughly how long it'll take. No pressure, just an honest read on your situation. Once the paperwork is sorted, our junk RV removal crew hauls it away.