How to sell a deceased owner's car in Pennsylvania.
When the name on the title belongs to someone who has died, the question is not whether you can sell the car. It is who is allowed to sign. PennDOT lists a different answer depending on whether there is an executor, a will, a surviving spouse or other heirs. Here is how to find yours.
Who signs the title MV-39 and the death certificate rule Plates and registration
Quick answer: In Pennsylvania the person who can sign the title for a deceased owner depends on the estate. If an executor or administrator has been appointed, that person assigns the title and proves it with a Short Form Certificate from the Register of Wills. If not, PennDOT has set procedures that let a surviving spouse, children, parents or other heirs sign, using Form MV-39 and an original death certificate.
What to do first: Find the title, find out whether the estate has an executor or administrator, and get the death certificate. Then tell us about your situation when you request your offer, and we will explain what applies to your car. Do not let anyone take the car on a handshake or a note.
- PennDOT's proof of death is an original death certificate. Copies are not acceptable. Form MV-39 can instead be completed by the attending physician or funeral director.
- With an executor or administrator, the title is assigned by that person, with a Short Form Certificate from the Register of Wills.
- Without one, PennDOT allows an unprobated will to pass a vehicle only to a surviving spouse, child or parent. Anyone else means the will must be probated.
- With no will, the people who sign depend on who survives: a spouse and adult children, or all heirs in PennDOT's order.
- The deceased owner's plate can be transferred only to certain close relatives. Otherwise it is not transferable.
Your situation, who signs
Who can sign the title for a deceased owner?
| Your situation | Who assigns the title | What PennDOT lists |
|---|---|---|
| Car owned jointly with right of survivorship | The surviving owner | Form MV-39 and proof of death. No title fee if the owners were spouses. |
| An executor or administrator was appointed | The executor or administrator | Short Form Certificate from the Register of Wills, plus Form MV-4ST. |
| Will not probated, car left to a spouse, child or parent | The spouse, adult child or parent named in the will | Copy of the will, Form MV-39, proof of death and Form MV-4ST. |
| No will, surviving spouse (and children) | The surviving spouse and any children 18 or older | Form MV-39, proof of death and Form MV-4ST. |
| No will, no spouse, no minor heirs | All heirs, in PennDOT's order (adult children, else parents, else siblings, and so on) | Form MV-39 signed by all heirs, proof of death and Form MV-4ST. |
| No will, no spouse, minor heirs | An administrator, a court-appointed guardian, or the person named in a small-estates court order | Letters of administration, or a copy of the guardian order, or the court order. |
Source: PennDOT fact sheet Vehicle Transfer after Death of Owner (April 2025), pa.gov. The sheet explains how a title is assigned to a new owner. It does not mention junking, so ask your buyer what they need. Fees are on PennDOT's schedule (Form MV-70S) and can change. This is general information, not legal advice.
The paperwork people miss
Proof of death: original, not a copy.
Every procedure on PennDOT's sheet asks for proof of death. PennDOT accepts either an original death certificate or the proper portion of Form MV-39 completed by the attending physician or funeral director. A photocopy of the certificate is not acceptable.
If you are ordering death certificates, ask for more than one original. You may need them for the bank, the insurer and the estate as well as the car.
Form MV-39 is PennDOT's form for assigning or correcting a vehicle title upon the death of an owner. The back of the form explains how to fill it in, and PennDOT's sheet says it must be completed as described there.
When the car is a junker
What changes if you just want it gone?
Selling a deceased owner's car as junk follows the same rule as any sale: the title has to be signed by someone with the authority to sign it. In an ordinary sale, the seller's signature on the Pennsylvania title must be notarized or verified.
PennDOT's sheet explains how to assign a title to a new owner and does not mention junking or scrapping, so do not assume the shortcut from a standard sale applies. For a car that is truly inoperable, Pennsylvania also has a separate rule for transfers to a scrap metal processor, covered in our guide to junking a car without a title. Whether it can apply when the owner has died is a question for the buyer and, if needed, PennDOT or the Register of Wills.
Never sign the title in advance, and never sign as the deceased owner. If your name is not on the title and no estate paperwork is in place, you do not have the authority yet. If the car also has an open loan, read our guide to selling a car with a lien first.
A simple order of operations
Five steps before the tow truck.
Do these in order. Each one removes a reason a buyer might turn the car down at the curb.
- 01
Find the title and check for a loan
Look at the front of the title for a lienholder. If a loan is open, the lender holds the title and has to be dealt with first.
- 02
Find out if there is an executor or administrator
If the estate has one, appointed by the Register of Wills, that person assigns the title and carries the Short Form Certificate.
- 03
Get the original death certificate
Order originals. PennDOT does not accept copies. Alternatively, the physician or funeral director can complete the proper portion of Form MV-39.
- 04
Match your situation to PennDOT's procedure
Use the table above, then read Form MV-39's back page. Fees and exact steps are on PennDOT's pages, not ours.
- 05
Tell the buyer before pickup
Say that the owner has died, who is signing and in what role. Ask what they need and get the offer and its conditions in writing.
Bring to the signing
Documents to gather before you sign anything.
- The Pennsylvania title, still unsigned.
- An original death certificate, or Form MV-39 completed by the physician or funeral director.
- For an executor or administrator: the Short Form Certificate from the Register of Wills.
- For an unprobated will: a copy of the will naming the spouse, child or parent who receives the car.
- Your photo ID, and a notary or authorized PennDOT agent if notarization or verification is needed.
- Any registration, insurance or loan papers you can find.
Authorized agents and notaries may charge their own fees. That cost is usually the seller's and is separate from your offer.
After the car is gone
What to do with the owner's plate.
PennDOT's sheet says the deceased owner's registration plate can be transferred only to the spouse, children, parents, parents-in-law, children-in-law, step-children or step-parents of the deceased, and a transfer fee applies. For anyone else, the plate is not transferable.
If the plate is not being transferred, PennDOT's rule after a title transfer is to remove it and return it to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Return Tag Unit, P.O. Box 68597, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8597. A returned plate is marked as a dead tag on the vehicle record, which helps protect against vehicle fraud. If the insurance is cancelled, PennDOT's insurance rules also set a 30-day deadline for the plate: see what to do with your license plate after junking a car in Pennsylvania. For the full list of what to take off the car, see our pre-pickup checklist.
Common questions