Sell your car in Baltimore: running, wrecked or dead at the curb
Start with a fast cash offer, then choose a pickup window. The driver comes to the car, so a rowhouse block in Hampden or Highlandtown with no driveway is fine. If the car has stopped running on a city street, read the next section first: Baltimore has its own clock for parked cars.
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Handing over a car on a Baltimore block
- Book the window. Pick a pickup time when you accept the offer. If the car is on a city street and can't move, take an early window, because of the street rule above.
- Plan for a new parking permit. A Baltimore residential permit works only for the plate number given when it was bought, and a new vehicle needs a replacement permit. The Parking Authority sells them at 211 N. Paca Street, in the former Lexington Market building, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Meet the driver where the car is parked. Rust you put in the description is already in the offer, so it won't come off the price when the driver sees the car. Payment happens at the handoff.
Where we pick up around Baltimore
Free pickup covers Baltimore City and the metro around it. In the city, the driver can load from the curb on a rowhouse block in Canton (21224), or from the alley behind it. If your block has permit parking or the alley is tight, say so when you book, and the driver plans around it. Outside the city line, pickup covers Baltimore County, including Towson, Dundalk (21222) and Catonsville, as well as Glen Burnie (21061) in Anne Arundel County and Columbia in Howard County.
Car gone from where you parked it? Parked cars are sometimes relocated to clear a Baltimore street for work, and in an emergency that can happen without posted signs. Call 311, or 443-263-2220 from outside the city, before you report it stolen.
Cash for your car in Baltimore
A car that won't start has a deadline on a Baltimore street. The city's Department of Transportation says a car parked in the same spot for 48 hours, or one showing signs of abandonment such as damage, missing parts or missing or expired tags, may be marked for towing once a traffic enforcement officer inspects it. Any resident can ask for that inspection through 311. If the car is deemed abandoned, a 48-hour warning is issued, and a car that still hasn't moved is towed to one of the city's two impound lots, on Pulaski Highway or the Fallsway.
So if you want cash for cars in Baltimore because yours is old, wrecked or dead at the curb, get the offer while it is still parked where you left it. If the city tows it first, the charges listed below are yours to pay. The car goes as-is, rust and dents included, and a Maryland inspection certificate isn't your job.
A towed car that nobody reclaims can go to the city's public auction 11 working days after the owner receives the city's notice, and if the sale doesn't cover the balance, a flag fee can be put on other active tags in your name. To get cash for junk cars in Baltimore before any of that starts, use our junk car offer, which comes with the same free pickup.
If the engine or transmission is why it stopped at the curb, selling a car with a blown engine or head gasket and selling a car whose transmission slips or has no reverse help you decide between paying for the fix and selling it broken. A wreck is covered in selling an accident-damaged car.
What a city tow costs
- •The tow itself is $130 for a car taken from east of Charles Street and $140 for one west of it (Baltimore City DOT)
- •On top of the tow: a $50 initial storage charge, a $40 administrative fee, and $15 a day in storage after the first two days (Baltimore City DOT)
- •The lot takes major credit cards, not cash or checks, and every unpaid parking ticket on the car is added to the release payment (Baltimore City DOT)
Asked by Baltimore sellers
Which MVA branch is closest to Baltimore?
Inside the city, it's the Maryland MVA's Baltimore City branch at 5425 Reisterstown Road. Just outside are the Essex branch at 1338A Eastern Boulevard, the Parkville branch at 8966 Waltham Woods Road and the Glen Burnie branch at 6601 Ritchie Highway NE, the MVA's own main address. All four list the same hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, and each has a 24-hour kiosk and a 24-hour tag return box. Each branch page points you to book an appointment online first. It's the office many people search for as the Maryland DMV.
What do I need to get my car out of the Pulaski Highway impound lot before I sell it?
Call 410-396-9958 first. The city's Towing Division asks you to schedule an appointment to collect a car from 6700 Pulaski Highway. Bring proof of ownership, such as a current registration card or the title, plus the owner's driver's license, state ID or passport. If the car isn't in good condition to leave, you have to arrange and pay for its tow out of the lot. A car that was stolen and recovered comes back with no towing, storage or other fees.
Baltimore booted my car. Can it still be picked up?
Unlock it first. The city can boot a car on a city street once it has three or more unpaid tickets that are all over 30 days old, and you then have 48 hours to unlock it before it is towed. The city suggests its 24/7 boot hotline, 877-590-3757, paid by credit or debit card, which lets you release the boot yourself. Do it before your pickup window.
I drive through the harbor tunnels. What happens to my E-ZPass when I sell?
Take the transponder off the windshield before pickup: E-ZPass Maryland's terms allow it only in vehicles registered on your account. Add your next car when you have it, because a trip where the transponder isn't read and the plate isn't on the account is billed as a Video Toll. At the Fort McHenry and Baltimore Harbor tunnels, that's $6 for a two-axle car instead of $3 with E-ZPass Maryland, on MDTA's posted rates as of September 2026. The Glen Burnie and Essex MVA branches host E-ZPass service if you'd rather sort it out in person.
For the MVA side of the sale, see selling a car in Maryland.