BillOfSale.app finds 11 states require bills of sale for private car sales

A 50-state review by BillOfSale.app found wide variation in private used-car sale rules, including bill-of-sale requirements, notarization, deadlines and taxes. The findings could help sellers and buyers avoid paperwork mistakes that can delay title transfer or registration.

Why it matters: - Private-car sale rules vary sharply by state, and a missed step can delay title transfer, registration or both. - BillOfSale.app said its review found that rules often change based on conditions such as missing title information, sale price reporting or vehicle value. - The company also said it corrected its own state guides after the review.

What happened: - BillOfSale.app published a review of used-car private-sale rules in all 50 states, checked in September 2026 against official state motor vehicle, revenue and legislative sources. - The review found 11 states require a bill of sale for an ordinary private sale. - The review found 25 states require a bill of sale only in certain situations, such as when the sale price is not written on the title or the vehicle has no title. - The review found 12 states do not require a bill of sale. - The company could not confirm the rule from official sources in Delaware and Illinois. - In Delaware, the state code and the motor vehicle agency's guidance point in different directions.

The details: - A notary is part of an ordinary private sale in seven states. - Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wyoming require notarization of the title assignment. - Louisiana and Oklahoma allow the notarized document to be either the title or a bill of sale. - Eight more states require a notary only in certain situations. - Official sources show no notary step for an ordinary sale in 26 states. - The notary rule could not be confirmed from an official source in nine states. - Calendar-day deadlines run from 10 days in California and Massachusetts to 60 days in Arkansas, Colorado and Kansas. - Four states count business days instead. - Georgia requires a private-sale buyer to register the vehicle within seven business days. - Wisconsin requires a buyer who will drive the car to title and register it within two business days. - Eight states set no fixed day count. - In several of those states, the vehicle must be titled or registered before it is driven. - Maryland ended its notarized bill-of-sale route for some below-book-value private sales on Oct. 1, 2026. - Montana removed the requirement to notarize title signatures effective Oct. 1, 2025. - Private-party vehicle sales are not taxed at the state level in Arizona, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire and Oregon. - Alaska has no state sales tax, though local taxes may apply. - Georgia charges a one-time title ad valorem tax. - North Carolina charges a highway use tax. - Some states tax the higher of the sale price or a book value. - The full state-by-state findings are available in BillOfSale.app's report.

Between the lines: - The biggest source of confusion is not the existence of rules, but the exceptions that apply only in certain situations. - A document that is required in one state can be optional next door, which makes cross-state guidance easy to get wrong. - BillOfSale.app said its own prior guides were wrong in places, including a claim that 42 states require a bill of sale. - The company also said it had misstated notary, deadline or tax rules for many states.

What's next: - State rules can change, so sellers and buyers need to recheck official guidance before completing a private sale. - BillOfSale.app is positioning its state-by-state guides as a reference for title transfer, notarization and tax requirements. - The company offers a free bill-of-sale generator with a light watermark and a paid option that removes the watermark.

The bottom line: - Private used-car sales are governed by a patchwork of state-specific rules, and the details matter as much as the bill of sale itself.