How To Claim an Abandoned Vehicle in Indiana

Claiming, purchasing, or obtaining title to an abandoned vehicle in Indiana is a legal process governed by state law and Bureau of Motor Vehicles procedure. Compliance with notice, timing, auction, title, and supporting-document requirements is necessary. Possession of the vehicle alone does not transfer ownership unless an authorized statutory process has been completed.

What Qualifies as an Abandoned Vehicle in Indiana

Indiana uses a statutory definition that covers several distinct situations. Under the official abandoned vehicle definition, a vehicle may be treated as abandoned when it falls into one of the following categories:

• A vehicle located illegally on public property.
• A vehicle left on public property without being moved for more than 24 hours.
• A vehicle positioned on public property so that it creates a hazard or obstruction to pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
• A vehicle left on private property without the consent of the owner or person in control of that property for more than 48 hours.
• A partially dismantled or inoperable vehicle left on public property, including a vehicle missing the engine, transmission, or differential.
• A vehicle removed by a towing service or public agency at an officer's request and not claimed or redeemed within 20 days after removal.
• A vehicle that is at least 3 model years old, mechanically inoperable, visible from public property, and left on private property for more than 20 days.
• A vehicle repaired or stored at the owner's request that remains unclaimed and unpaid for more than 30 days after repair completion or the date storage began.

Indiana law therefore distinguishes among public-property abandonment, private-property abandonment, officer-directed towing, and repair or storage situations. The point at which a vehicle becomes legally abandoned depends on the applicable category.

Process To Claim an Abandoned Vehicle in Indiana

Understanding the Abandoned Vehicle Process

Indiana does not use a single process for every abandoned vehicle case. The applicable method depends on the basis for possession and the intended outcome.

For a business engaged in storing, towing, furnishing supplies for, or repairing vehicles, the BMV directs abandoned-vehicle title applications through value-based mechanic's-lien packets. A vehicle valued at $3,500 or less is processed through the under $3,500 packet. A vehicle valued at more than $3,500 is processed through the over $3,500 packet.

If the vehicle will not be titled and will instead be scrapped or otherwise disposed of without issuance of a new title, Indiana provides a separate certificate of authority form. If the vehicle was sold at auction by a city, town, or county, the BMV also recognizes a limited bill-of-sale route for title proof.

Report the Unclaimed Vehicle

Indiana does not identify a single statewide abandoned-vehicle reporting portal for all private claimants. The first required action instead depends on how the vehicle came into custody.

For completed tows, the official towing services rule requires the towing company or storage facility, not later than 3 business days after the tow, to search NMVTIS or an equivalent database and comply with the notice requirements incorporated from IC 9-22-1.

For title applications under the BMV abandoned-vehicle packets, the claimant proceeds by gathering owner and lienholder information, sending the required notices, publishing the sale notice, conducting the sale, and submitting the completed packet to the BMV Central Office.

Verify Title Records And Owner Information

Owner and lienholder information should be obtained from official BMV records before notice is sent. Indiana provides a certified records request that may be used to obtain a certified vehicle title inquiry or title history. Indiana also maintains a subscription title and lien search for authorized users.

For towed vehicles, the towing statute separately requires a database search within 3 business days after the tow. The purpose of both methods is to identify the titled owner and any lienholder of record so that notice can be sent in the manner required by law and BMV procedure.

Send Required Notices

The BMV abandoned-vehicle packets require notice to the last known address of all owners and lienholders of record. The notice must state:

• the name, address, and telephone number of the towing service or lien claimant,
• that storage charges are accruing,
• that the vehicle is subject to sale if it is not claimed and the charges are not paid, and
• the earliest possible date and location of the public sale or auction.

The method of mailing depends on value:

• For a vehicle valued at $3,500 or less, the packet allows certified mail or a certificate of mailing.
• For a vehicle valued at more than $3,500, the packet requires certified mail.

Proof of delivery or proof of mailing, together with a copy of the letter, must be included in the title packet submitted to the BMV. If the vehicle is reclaimed before sale and lawful charges are paid, the sale process does not continue.

Allow The Statutory Waiting Period

Indiana's waiting periods vary by situation. A vehicle repaired or stored at the owner's request is included within the statutory abandonment definition only after charges remain unpaid for more than 30 days after repair completion or the date storage began. The BMV's mechanic's lien bill of sale also requires the seller to affirm that the owner failed or refused to claim the vehicle within 30 days.

The sale itself may not occur immediately after advertisement. Under IC 9-22-1-23, the sale may not occur before 15 days have passed after the mailing of notice or the advertisement, whichever is later. This requirement ensures that owners and lienholders have adequate time to respond before the vehicle is offered for sale.

File Notice Of Sale, Auction, Or Transfer

Indiana does not describe a separate statewide filing step with the BMV before every private lien sale. The operative pre-sale actions are notice to owners and lienholders, publication of the sale, and compliance with the timing rules.

If the vehicle is being disposed of without title, the transfer document is the approved certificate of authority issued by BMV Central Office. The certificate of authority packet states that an applicant possessing an abandoned vehicle must satisfy IC 9-22 notice requirements before disposal authority is granted.

Publish Auction Notice

The BMV abandoned-vehicle packets require proof that the vehicle was advertised for sale in a newspaper printed in English and of general circulation in the city or town where the lien claimant's business is located.

The advertisement must include:

• a description of the vehicle, including make, year, and VIN,
• the amount of unpaid charges, and
• the time, place, and date of sale.

A certificate or affidavit of publication from the newspaper, together with a copy of the published notice, should be retained and submitted with the title packet.

Conduct The Public Auction Or Other Authorized Sale

For the abandoned-vehicle mechanic's-lien route, Indiana uses a public auction process. The BMV's mechanic's-lien bill of sale requires certification that the vehicle was advertised for sale at public auction. The over-$3,500 packet further requires the auction company or auctioneer name, signature, and license number on the sale document.

For vehicles sold by a city, town, or county, the BMV recognizes an auction bill of sale as an ownership document in the limited circumstance described on the BMV bill-of-sale guidance page.

Complete The Bill Of Sale And Title Documents

The official BMV packets identify the principal title documents used after sale:

• Application for Certificate of Title
• Mechanic's Lien Bill of Sale
• Physical Inspection, completed by law enforcement
• Odometer Disclosure Statement, unless an exemption applies
• proof of address
• tax documentation, including ST108 or ST108E as applicable
• payment information and required fees

The BMV packets also state that mileage on these abandoned-vehicle applications is branded "Not Actual." Trailers and motor vehicles weighing more than 16,000 pounds are exempt from the odometer statement requirement.

Apply For Title

The completed abandoned-vehicle packet is mailed to the BMV Central Office Title Processing. The packets identify the filing location as:

Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles Central Office Title Processing
100 North Senate Avenue, Room N411
Indianapolis, IN 46204

The packets list these standard charges:

• $15 title application fee
• optional $25 speed title fee
• $30 administrative penalty if the packet is received 45 days after the purchase date
• 7% sales tax on the purchase price unless a valid exemption form is provided

The BMV states that title will be issued if sufficient credible evidence supports the ownership claim. Incomplete submissions are returned.

Special Rules For Salvage, Rebuilt, Or Inoperable Vehicles

Indiana applies separate salvage-title requirements to damaged vehicles. The BMV states that a salvage title is required for vehicles manufactured within the last 7 model years that have been wrecked or damaged, and a rebuilt brand requires the salvage restoration packet.

Indiana's abandonment definition also separately addresses certain mechanically inoperable vehicles left on private property and visible from public property for more than 20 days. That classification may support removal or enforcement, but the title process still requires compliance with the BMV's ownership-transfer procedures.

Maintain Records

The official packets require supporting evidence for the title application, including copies of notices, proof of mailing, publication proof, inspection records, tax documents, and sale documents. The official sources reviewed do not state a single statewide retention period that applies to every abandoned-vehicle claimant. If a specific retention rule is needed for a particular business or local governmental unit, additional agency or local requirements should be reviewed.

Indiana Storage Fees And Financial Considerations

Storage Fee Rules

Indiana regulates storage charges in both the towing statute and the BMV sale form. Under the mechanic's lien bill of sale instructions, storage charges for an abandoned vehicle may not exceed $2,000 for vehicles less than 30 feet long and $2,500 for vehicles 30 feet or more. The towing statute separately requires towing, cleanup, and storage charges to be reasonable and not exceed the storage rates permitted by Indiana law.

Towing And Recovery Charges

The towing statute requires release of the vehicle to a properly identified owner or lienholder upon payment of lawful charges. The statute also requires acceptance of cash, certified checks, insurance checks, and money orders. Acceptance of credit or debit cards is optional. For completed tows, the towing company or storage facility must complete the required record search and notice steps within the statutory time frame.

Disputes Over Charges

The official sources reviewed do not identify a separate BMV hearing process devoted solely to abandoned-vehicle storage or towing invoices. Indiana law treats violations of the towing-services article as deceptive acts, and complaints may be investigated through the Attorney General under the statutory framework reflected in the towing-services rule.

Sale Proceeds And Excess Funds

Indiana applies sale proceeds according to the type of proceeding. In the public-agency sale context, sale proceeds are credited against removal, storage, and disposal costs. In the mechanic's-lien public-auction context, the lienholder may deduct the lien amount and advertisement costs. Any surplus is paid to the owner if the owner's address or whereabouts is known. If the owner cannot be located, the surplus is paid to the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the lienholder's business is located.

Contact Information

Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles
100 North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: (888) 692-6841
Official Website: Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles