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Title Transfer

Title Transfer Fee & Rules by state

The title fee itself is small - $15 in California, $28–$33 in Texas - but the transfer is where deadlines live, and deadlines have teeth. Buyers typically get 10 to 30 days to file; miss it and penalties stack on both the transfer and the unpaid sales tax. Sellers carry the mirror risk: until the state records the transfer, the car's tolls, tickets, and accidents legally point at them.

51 jurisdictionssources linked

Pick your state

Where are you registering?

Every figure is checked against that state's own DMV, tax office or comptroller - and the source is linked on the page.

Side by side

Title transfer fee and deadline in every state

The title fee itself, with any processing fee the state attaches to it, and how long a buyer has to file before penalties start. The sales tax due at transfer is on each state's page - it is the larger number almost everywhere.

Arizona comes in lowest at $4.00 and Wisconsin highest at $214.50, a spread of $210.50. The median jurisdiction pays $15.00.

Cheapest first

Title fee, and the deadline to file

51
  1. 1ArizonaTitle fee · Deadline: 15 days$4.00
  2. 2New MexicoTitle application fee · Deadline: 30 days → +$20$5.00
  3. 3North DakotaCertificate of title · Deadline: 30 days$5.00
  4. 4UtahTitle fee · Deadline: 60 days$6.00
  5. 5ColoradoTitle application fee · Deadline: 60 days from purchase$7.20
  6. 6MinnesotaTitle fee · Deadline: 10 business days$8.25
  7. 7KentuckyTitle application fee · Deadline: 15 days from sale$9.00
  8. 8MississippiTitle application fee · Deadline: 30 business days$9.00
  9. 9ArkansasTitle application fee · Deadline: 60 days$10.00
  10. 10HawaiiOwnership transfer fee · Deadline: 30 days (60 if lienholder is out of state)$10.00
  11. 11KansasTitle fee · Deadline: 60 days from purchase$10.00
  12. 12NebraskaTitle fee · Deadline: 30 days$10.00
  13. 13South DakotaTitle application fee · Deadline: 45 days$10.00
  14. 14MontanaTitle application fee · Deadline: 40 days$12.36
  15. 15IdahoTitle fee (statutory base) · Deadline: 30 days from sale$14.00
  16. 16TennesseeTitle fee · Deadline: 30 days of purchase$14.00
  17. 17MissouriTitle fee + Title processing fee · Deadline: 30 days from purchase$14.50
  18. 18AlabamaTitle application fee · Deadline: 20 calendar days$15.00
  19. 19AlaskaTitle transfer fee · Deadline: 30 days from sale$15.00
  20. 20CaliforniaTitle transfer fee · Deadline: 10 days$15.00
  21. 21IndianaTitle application fee · Deadline: 45 days from purchase$15.00
  22. 22MichiganTitle fee · Deadline: 15 days from sale$15.00
  23. 23South CarolinaTitle fee · Deadline: 45 days$15.00
  24. 24VirginiaTitle fee · Deadline: 30 days$15.00
  25. 25West VirginiaTitle application fee · Deadline: 30 days$15.00
  26. 26WyomingCertificate of title · Deadline: 65 days$15.00
  1. 27GeorgiaTitle application fee · Deadline: 30 days$18.00
  2. 28OhioCertificate of title · Deadline: 30 days$18.00
  3. 29ConnecticutTitle fee · Deadline: 30 days from purchase$25.00
  4. 30OklahomaTitle fee + Ownership transfer fee · Deadline: ≈ 2 months from sale$28.00
  5. 31TexasTitle application fee · Deadline: 30 days$28.00
  6. 32NevadaTitle fee · Deadline: 30 days from sale$28.25
  7. 33Washington D.C.Title fee · Deadline: See state page$30.00
  8. 34MaineTitle application fee · Deadline: 30 days$33.00
  9. 35WashingtonTitle application fee + Office service fee (title) · Deadline: 15 days$33.00
  10. 36DelawareTitle fee · Deadline: 30 days$35.00
  11. 37IowaTitle transfer fee · Deadline: 30 days$35.00
  12. 38New HampshireTitle application fee (state) · Deadline: 20 days from purchase$35.00
  13. 39VermontCertificate of title · Deadline: See state page$42.00
  14. 40New YorkTitle certificate fee · Deadline: See state page$50.00
  15. 41Rhode IslandTitle fee · Deadline: 20th of next month$53.50
  16. 42New JerseyTitle fee · Deadline: 10 working days$60.00
  17. 43North CarolinaCertificate of title · Deadline: 28 days$66.75
  18. 44LouisianaCertificate of title · Deadline: 40 days (30 for out-of-state)$68.50
  19. 45PennsylvaniaCertificate of title · Deadline: 20 days$72.00
  20. 46MassachusettsCertificate of title · Deadline: 10 days$75.00
  21. 47FloridaTitle fee · Deadline: 30 days$75.25
  22. 48OregonTitle fee (20–39 combined MPG) · Deadline: 30 days$106.00
  23. 49IllinoisTitle fee · Deadline: 20 days$165.00
  24. 50MarylandTitle fee · Deadline: See state page$200.00
  25. 51WisconsinTitle application fee · Deadline: Promptly - no fixed day count$214.50

Lowest to highest

$210.50

Held fixed: Fees as itemised by each state's title-transfer calculator at its defaults. Sales or use tax, plates and registration are left out so the column compares like with like. Figures verified July 2026; open a state for the itemised receipt and the official sources behind it.

The basics

Title Transfer basics

Each state page covers the fee, the exact deadline, the late-penalty math, and the seller-protection filing (release of liability / transfer notification) that costs nothing and saves lawsuits.

The clock starts at the signature

Transfer deadlines run from the date of sale written on the title, not from the day you get round to visiting the office. That is why a car bought at the end of a month can already be days into its window before the buyer has insured it, and why back-dating a sale date to buy time tends to create a bigger problem than it solves.

The penalty usually attaches to two separate things - the transfer itself and the unpaid sales tax - so a late filing can be charged twice over, with the tax portion accruing on a monthly schedule.

What both sides have to do

A transfer needs every owner named on the title to sign. Where two names are joined by 'and', both signatures are mandatory; where they are joined by 'or', either will usually do. Odometer disclosure is federally required for most vehicles under twenty model years old, and an incorrect reading is far harder to fix after the fact than before.

The seller's obligation does not end at the handshake. Filing the state's release-of-liability or notice-of-transfer is free, takes minutes, and is what stops the buyer's tickets, tolls and collisions from being attributed to you while the paperwork sits in their glovebox.

Liens, duplicates and out-of-state titles

A title with a recorded lien cannot transfer until the lender releases it, and the release has to reach the state - a payoff letter alone is not enough in most jurisdictions. If the lender holds the physical title, expect a wait measured in weeks rather than days.

Out-of-state titles usually add a VIN verification, and a missing title adds a duplicate application before anything else can happen. Buying without a title at all pushes the buyer into a bonded-title process that costs substantially more than the title fee and takes far longer.

Common questions

Title Transfer, answered

What do I need to transfer a title?
The signed-over title (every owner on it signs), the state's transfer/application form, proof of insurance and ID, payment for fee + sales tax - plus state-specific extras: odometer disclosure (federal, under 20 model years), smog certificate (CA), inspection (several eastern states).
I sold my car - am I done when I hand over the title?
No. File your state's seller notification (Texas: VTR-346 within 30 days; California: REG 138 within 5). It's free, online, and it's what stops the buyer's parking tickets and toll bills from landing on you while they procrastinate.
The title is lost - can I still sell?
Get a duplicate first (typically $15–$30, sometimes same-day). Selling 'on a bill of sale only' pushes the problem onto the buyer, who in most states can't register without a bonded title process that takes weeks and costs far more.
Can I drive the car before the title transfer completes?
Generally yes, provided the vehicle is insured in your name and displays valid registration - many states issue a temporary permit at the point of sale for exactly this. What you cannot do is sell it on, since you cannot transfer a title that is not yet in your name.
What is a bonded title and when do I need one?
It is the route for a vehicle whose title cannot be produced - lost by a previous owner, never signed over, or otherwise broken in the ownership chain. You buy a surety bond for a multiple of the vehicle's value, which protects any later claimant, and the state issues a title marked accordingly. It costs considerably more than a duplicate and takes far longer.
Who pays the title transfer fee, buyer or seller?
Almost always the buyer, since it is the buyer who applies for the new title. The seller's costs are usually limited to a duplicate title if theirs is missing, plus a lien release if one is recorded. Private parties can agree otherwise, but the state bills whoever files the application.
Which state has the highest title transfer fee?
Wisconsin, at $214.50 for the title alone - Title application fee. Maryland ($200.00) and Illinois ($165.00) are next. Every figure is that state's own calculator at its default county and vehicle settings, computed when the site is built; the table on this page ranks all 51 jurisdictions.
Which state has the cheapest title transfer fee?
Arizona, at $4.00 for the title alone - Title fee. New Mexico ($5.00) and North Dakota ($5.00) follow. Every figure is that state's own calculator at its default county and vehicle settings, computed when the site is built; the table on this page ranks all 51 jurisdictions.

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