Sell your car in Cincinnati: running, damaged, flooded or won't start
If you sell privately in Cincinnati, the buyer who answers may live in Covington or across the Indiana line, and their state wants its own inspection before it titles your car. Selling to us keeps the whole sale under Ohio's rules: you get a straight cash offer online, and our team comes to pick the car up.
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From the curb to pickup in Cincinnati
- Check for unpaid tickets. Look the car up by plate or VIN on the city's citation portal and settle anything open before the fine grows.
- Get your offer. Fill in the form on this page. Still paying off a loan? The sale settles it with your lender, you receive the difference, and the lien is released so the title can transfer; selling a car with a loan has the details.
- Book the pickup. Have the title, your photo ID and both keys ready when the truck arrives.
Where we pick up around Cincinnati
Pickup covers the whole city, from Westwood and Price Hill on the West Side to Hyde Park and Mt. Washington on the east, plus Norwood and Blue Ash. To the north it reaches Forest Park, Fairfield, West Chester, Mason and Loveland, and up to Hamilton. If the car is in a downtown garage or on a tight Over-the-Rhine street, say so when you book, so the right truck shows up.
Title office: Hamilton County titles cars through the Clerk of Courts Auto Title Division, which has four offices: Downtown at 1001 Main St., Hamilton Avenue, Red Bank Rd and Evendale. Plates are a separate stop at the Ohio BMV. Only the Hamilton Avenue office opens on Saturday, 8 AM to 12:30 PM, and for the Downtown office the Clerk lists 8 to 10 AM as the best time to avoid long lines.
What a buyer from across the river has to do first
A Northern Kentucky buyer has an extra stop before the title office. Kentucky's title rules ask for proof of a passed sheriff's inspection before a county clerk titles a vehicle from another state. In Kenton County, the sheriff's office does it in Covington and Independence for $15. The buyer brings the car, the original title and a driver's license, and a deputy checks the VIN against your Ohio title and records the miles.
Kentucky also won't issue its own residents a transit tag to drive an out-of-state purchase home; its rules say the seller's state should provide the temporary registration. An Indiana buyer needs a VIN inspection as well, free at a BMV branch or up to $5 from a police officer. Sell to us and none of that lands on you. If your own car still carries a Kentucky or Indiana title, see selling a car with an out-of-state title.
Cash for your car in Cincinnati
Cincinnati police count a car as overtime-parked once it has sat on a street unmoved for more than 24 hours, or 36 hours if it shows a valid plate or sticker, unless a sign sets another limit. A car three or more years old, badly damaged and worth $1,500 or less counts as a junk vehicle once it has sat more than 48 hours on a street, and one parked in the same place for more than 30 days is presumed inoperable (Cincinnati Police procedure 12.275).
A tow ends at the city impound lot at 3425 Spring Grove Ave. The Impound Unit charges $190 for the tow and $25 a day for storage, before tax, paid in full and in person. A car without valid plates or stickers can only leave that lot on a certified wrecker, and one left unclaimed for 20 days may be sold at public auction.
Selling before it gets that far is the simpler route. We make cash offers on cars that are old, damaged, flooded or won't start, and pickup comes to where the car is parked. If you want cash for junk cars in Cincinnati, here is how to sell your junk car.
A flooded or badly damaged car has its own guide, selling a flood- or crash-damaged car, and selling a totaled car covers what follows once the insurer declares a total loss. If it won't start because the engine seized or overheated, see selling a car with engine problems.
How a Cincinnati parking ticket grows
- •Unpaid after 14 days, a ticket picks up an extra $10; after 21 days the base fine doubles, to a maximum of $100 for most violations (source)
- •Unpaid tickets can get a car booted, towed or impounded, and in some cases its registration privileges suspended (source)
- •To contest one, request a hearing within 14 days, online, by mail or at the Parking Violations Bureau, 805 Central Ave., Suite 110 (source)
Asked by Cincinnati sellers
Is there a safe place in Cincinnati to meet a private buyer?
The front of a police district station. In 2023 the Cincinnati Police Department said you are welcome to exchange items in front of its districts and that the area is under surveillance. Stations include 310 Ezzard Charles Dr. (District 1), 3295 Erie Ave. (District 2), 2300 Ferguson Rd. (District 3), 4150 Reading Road (District 4) and 150 East Freedom Way downtown.
My car doesn't run and sits in my driveway. Can the city make me move it?
It can if the car is unlicensed or inoperable and can be seen from the street, the sidewalk or a neighbor's property. Police enforce Cincinnati Municipal Code 511-31 on complaints: an officer who confirms a violation gives the owner 72 hours to move the car before a citation, and a second offense is a misdemeanor (police procedure). Parking it on the front lawn is a separate zoning complaint, handled by the city's code enforcement division.
I got a Health Department notice about a junk car on my property. What happens next?
Junk cars on private property go to the Health Department, which issues a civil notice and allows 168 hours to ask for an appeal. If the car still hasn't moved, the department asks Police Impound to tow it, and that tow needs no court order and no consent from the owner. The Health Department then issues a fine (same procedure).
I made a mistake signing my title over. Where do I fix it in Cincinnati?
At any Hamilton County Clerk of Courts title office. The Clerk's auto title FAQ says to bring the Ohio title, your driver's license and $18 for a replacement title, and a deputy clerk can notarize your signature for another $1. Keep a copy of the assigned title before you hand it over.
Whether the buyer comes from Kentucky, Indiana or down the street, you sign the title the Ohio way, and our Ohio selling guide shows how.