Short answer: An auto wrecker or wrecking yard is a salvage yard that takes cars apart and sells the used parts. The catch is that "wrecker" also means a tow truck, so a search for wreckers near you can return towing companies. "Auto wrecking" or "auto wreckers" in a name usually means parts, and "wrecker service" usually means towing. Our directory has 137 published listings that look like wrecking yards by name, and 79 of them are in Western states.
Last checked: November 1, 2026. Counts come from our directory of 3,629 published listings. What each yard offers comes from its own website.
What does auto wrecker mean?
A wrecking yard buys damaged or worn-out cars, takes them apart and sells what still works. It is a salvage yard with a different word on the sign. Wikipedia's entry on the term lists "wrecking yard" as the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian word, and "junkyard" as the American one. In the US, our listings show it is mostly a Western habit, though not only that. We cover the differences between junkyards and scrap yards in junkyard vs salvage yard vs scrap yard. The same business under another name is in our post on auto dismantlers.
Where are wrecking yards in the US?
We counted published listings with "wreck" in the business name, which gave 142. We removed five that read as towing only, such as names ending in "Wrecker Services". That leaves 137.
| State | Wrecking yard names | All listings in that state |
|---|---|---|
| California | 47 | 300 |
| Arizona | 14 | 205 |
| Illinois | 9 | 239 |
| Oregon | 8 | 16 |
| Connecticut | 6 | 110 |
| New Jersey | 6 | 59 |
| New York | 6 | 68 |
| Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio | 4 each | 148, 197, 153, 32 |
| 15 other states | 1 to 3 each | Varies |
Western states hold 79 of the 137, or 58 percent, but only 22 percent of all our listings. Half of our Oregon listings have the word in the name. The counts only cover yards in our directory that use the word, so plenty of yards do the same work under other names. If you get few results, search "salvage yard" or "dismantler" too.
A walk through Turner's Auto Wrecking in Fresno by the Rocket Restorations channel, which its title describes as a classic car yard, published November 2025.
How can you tell a wrecking yard from a tow company?
Dictionary.com's entry for wrecker describes a vehicle for towing wrecked or stalled cars, "also called tow car, tow truck", and Wikipedia's tow truck article lists wrecker as another name for one. On a business sign it can mean either. Search engines can't tell which one you mean, so check the result before you call.
| What you see | Probably | Example from our listings |
|---|---|---|
| "Auto wrecking", "auto wreckers", "wrecking yard" | Parts yard | Most of the 137 |
| "Wrecker service" and nothing else | Towing | Five left out of our count |
| Both words together | Could do both | Fleming Auto Salvage and Wrecker Service in Panama City, Florida, offers 24-hour towing and buys junk cars |
| Parts search, cut sheets, a part warranty on the site | Parts yard | Seymour Auto Wrecking in Connecticut |
| 24-hour dispatch and accident recovery up front | Towing first | Check whether parts are mentioned at all |
Some do both. Staunton Wrecking in Virginia sells new and used parts and runs 24-hour towing. So the fastest test is one question on the phone: "Do you sell used parts off the cars you have?"
Which wrecking yards can you start with?
These are examples by region, not a ranking.
| Yard | Region | What its site says | Google rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| B&R Auto Wrecking, Portland | West | Family owned since 1980, with several stores and local and nationwide delivery. Calls itself the largest independent auto recycler in the country | 3.9 from 697 reviews |
| City Auto Wreckers, Aurora, IL | Chicago area | Since 1981, foreign and domestic. Monday to Friday 8:30 to 5, closed weekends | 4.0 from 489 reviews |
| Seymour Auto Wrecking, Seymour, CT | Northeast | Family owned for more than 70 years, with a 6-month warranty | 4.8 from 441 reviews |
| Staunton Wrecking, Staunton, VA | South | New and used parts, foreign and domestic, plus towing | 4.1 from 157 reviews |
If you are searching near Sacramento, many of the listings there are on or near Recycle Road in Rancho Cordova, and our Sacramento page is the place to start. All Ford Auto Wrecking there sells used Ford parts, and Nor Cal Car & Truck Wrecking sells GM parts with a 90-day warranty on used GM engines. Both sites show a different address from our listing, so confirm before you drive. All Ford's site says 3370 Sunrise Blvd and our listing says 3723 Recycle Rd. Nor Cal's site says 3698 Omec Circle and our listing says 3780 Recycle Rd.
