How to Deregister My Pennsylvania Vehicle After I Donate It?

In some states, once you sell or donate a vehicle that you have registered, you must let the state know that you no longer have the vehicle. Usually you must fill out a notice of liability release. However, Pennsylvania is not one of those states. The closest thing you can do to de-registering a car in Pennsylvania is turning in the license plates. You cannot complete a notice of liability release in Pennsylvania, but you can still protect yourself from any liability.

Sign your Pennsylvania car title in the presence of a notary.

Make a copy of the front and back of the notarized title to keep for your records. Since Pennsylvania does not perform liability releases, you may need these copies if you start to get citations in the mail for the vehicle.

Send your license plates from the donated vehicle to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Motor Vehicles, if you are not transferring the plates to another vehicle. You can mail the plates to Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Return Tag Unit - 1st Floor, 1101 South Front St., Harrisburg, PA 17104.