How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in Arkansas?

60 calendar days from the date of transfer shown in the title assignment, or the date a prior lien was released, whichever is later. Registration penalty of $3.00 for each 10-day period or fraction of one, capped at the full year registration fee for the vehicle per year, plus a penalty of 10% of the sales tax due. Trailers, mobile homes, ATVs and motorboats run on a 30-calendar-day clock instead. Penalties are not due if the vehicle has not been operated in Arkansas after the time allowed for registration, but you must complete an affidavit of non use, form 10-300, at a revenue office.

How much does a title transfer cost in Arkansas?

The base title fee is $10. The certificate of title fee alone. Registration by vehicle weight, the $2.50 validation decal, state and local sales tax, and any lien filing fee are charged on top. An extra $10.00 buys an expedited title, applied for in person at the Central Revenue Office in Little Rock and available for pick-up in three business days; the ordinary title takes a minimum of three weeks. Sales or use tax on a vehicle is paid by the purchaser at the revenue office when they apply for title and registration, not to the seller. The state rate is 6.5% (7% for Texarkana residents), but Act 1013 charges no state tax at all on a used vehicle selling for less than $4,000 and cuts the state rate to 3.5% from $4,000 up to $9,999.

Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in Arkansas?

Sometimes required. Arkansas does not notarise the ordinary title transfer. DFA's own statement of the rule is that the seller prints the buyer's name in the assignment on the back of the certificate of title and that seller and buyer both sign and print their names - no notary is mentioned, and none of the application, odometer, lien release, inheritance or beneficiary forms carries a notary block.

Transferring a vehicle title in Arkansas

Issued by Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Motor Vehicle (DFA). Choose your situation below — the buyer’s and seller’s obligations are listed separately, and every answer links to the official source.

Title fee: $10base title fee
Deadline: 60 daysfrom the date of transfer shown in the title assignment, or the release date of a prior lien, whichever is later
Documents: 7incl. 10-381
Where: State officein person

The seller prints the buyer's name in the assignment on the back of the Arkansas title, and both parties sign and print their names there - DFA lists getting that wrong as one of the state's most misunderstood rules. The buyer then has 60 calendar days from the date of transfer to title and register the vehicle at any state revenue office, carrying the assigned title, a bill of sale showing the full purchase price, an odometer disclosure, proof of current-year county assessment, proof that personal property taxes are paid, and proof of Arkansas liability insurance on the VIN. The title fee is $10.00 and registration runs $17.00 to $30.00 by weight plus a $2.50 decal; state sales tax is 6.5%, but no state tax is charged on a used vehicle under $4,000 and the rate is 3.5% from $4,000 to $9,999. Miss the 60 days and it costs $3.00 for every 10-day period plus 10% of the sales tax.

6 things this answer does not settle

Three current DFA publications describe the vehicle sales tax differently and the difference is worth real money. The Recent Changes in the Law page and the DSMV FAQ both apply Act 1013: no state tax below $4,000, 3.5% from $4,000 to $9,999, 6.5% at $10,000 and above. The Vehicle Tag Renewal page states a flat 6.5% (7% in Texarkana) on any vehicle with a gross purchase price of $4,000 or greater and does not mention the 3.5% band at all. The currently posted gross receipts rule, 26 CAR 30-701, still sets the no-tax threshold at $2,500 and mentions no reduced rate. On a $5,000 used car those readings differ by about $150, so confirm your band with the revenue office before you budget.
DFA publishes no vehicle emissions requirement, and no Arkansas page read for this record says whether an emissions test is ever required for titling or registration. The absence is recorded as unpublished rather than as 'not required'.
The Motor Vehicle Registration Fee Schedule carries no printed effective date, so the $10.00 title fee, $1.00 tag transfer fee and $0.50 lien filing fee cannot be dated from the document itself. The $10.00 title fee is independently confirmed by DFA's Replacement Titles page and its DSMV FAQ.
This record covers passenger vehicles and light trucks. Trailers, mobile and manufactured homes, ATVs and motorboats run on a 30-calendar-day registration clock rather than 60, and Class 2 through 8 trucks have their own fee schedule and their own tag transfer rules.
What the seller does with the license plate at the moment of sale is not published. The only plate instruction DFA gives for a purchase is that the buyer may bring the current registration certificate for a vehicle they already own and move that plate across for $1.00, which implies the plate does not travel with the car - but DFA does not say so in terms.
The lien filing fee appears twice in DFA's own material at two different figures: $0.50 on the Motor Vehicle Registration Fee Schedule and '$1 fee per direct lien' on the counter checklist. The first appears to be the charge within a titling transaction and the second a standalone filing, but DFA does not say so.

Do this first

Before money changes hands, read the assignment section on the back of the Arkansas title. DFA's published rule is that 'the seller/transferor of a vehicle must print the buyer's/transferee's name in the assignment section on the back of a certificate of title and the seller and buyer must sign and print their names in the appropriate sections of the title assignment.' Do not accept a title with your name left blank.
Look at the control number printed on the back of the seller's Arkansas title. If it is 3003001 or greater, the bill of sale and odometer statement printed on the title are enough as long as they are fully completed. If it is less than 3003001, ask the seller to complete form 10-313, the State of Arkansas Vehicle Bill of Sale / Odometer Disclosure Statement, as a separate sheet to accompany the title.

Your checklist

Ticks are saved in this browser only. Nothing here is sent to us or filed with any agency.

The seller's checklist

Fill in the assignment section on the back of the Arkansas certificate of title: print the buyer's name in it, then sign and print your own name in the appropriate section. DFA singles this out as a rule people get wrong.Official page
Give the buyer a bill of sale stating the VIN, the date of sale, the full purchase amount and any trade-in details, signed by both of you. DFA's checklist calls for exactly that, and the buyer cannot establish the taxable price without it.Official page
Tell the Office of Motor Vehicle you have sold the vehicle. The Notice of Transfer of Ownership of a Motor Vehicle can be handed in at the Ragland Building, Room 1100, 1900 West 7th Street in Little Rock or posted to the Records Unit at P.O. Box 1272; DFA also runs an online Transfer Vehicle Ownership service. Ark. Code Ann. 27-14-911 makes this optional, but it is what records that you delivered an endorsed title and are no longer liable for how the vehicle is driven.Notice of Transfer of OwnershipOfficial page
Hold on to the current registration certificate for the vehicle you have just sold if you plan to move its license plate to a replacement vehicle - that certificate is what DFA asks for at the counter, and the transfer costs $1.00.Official page
Keep the signed bill of sale if you are replacing this vehicle. Sell within 60 days either side of buying the replacement and the proceeds come off the taxable price of the new one; if you have already registered and paid the tax, the sale must fall within 45 days of that purchase and you claim it back on a Claim for Sales or Use Tax Refund form instead.Bill of Sale (Credit for Vehicle Sold)Official page

Ticks are saved in this browser only. Nothing here is sent to us or filed with any agency.

Both of you, together

Complete the odometer disclosure together. The seller states the reading with no tenths and ticks 'EXCEEDS MECHANICAL LIMITS' or 'WARNING - ODOMETER DISCREPANCY' if either applies, then both of you sign and print your names - on the back of the title where its control number is 3003001 or greater, otherwise on form 10-313. DFA requires it for vehicles less than 20 years old.10-313Official page

Ticks are saved in this browser only. Nothing here is sent to us or filed with any agency.

Documents and official forms

The Arkansas certificate of title, with the assignment on the back completed - the buyer's name printed in it and both parties' signatures and printed namesDFA's checklist puts it as 'Current Title signed by seller and buyer'.
10-381A signed Vehicle Registration Application, form 10-381All owners must sign where names are joined by 'AND'.
An invoice or bill of sale showing the full purchased price, the VIN, the date of sale and both signatures, including any trade-in informationTrade-in information must include the VIN of the trade-in vehicle and the amount of the trade-in allowance.
10-313A fully completed odometer disclosure signed by both buyer and sellerOn the back of the title where its control number is 3003001 or greater; otherwise on form 10-313 as a separate sheet.
Proof from your county assessor that the vehicle has been assessed or listed for assessment for the current yearAll privately owned vehicles are assessed as individual personal property, reported to the county assessor between January 1 and May 31.
Proof that the personal property taxes due by the previous October 15th have been paidEither your receipt from the county tax collector, or certification of payment stamped on your assessment papers.
Proof of liability insurance on the VIN being registered and titled, meeting Arkansas liability requirements

Also required in some cases

You financed the purchase and a new lien is to be recorded.

A signed copy of the lien contract (retail installment contract)

You want to transfer that vehicle's license plate to the car you have bought.

The current registration certificate for a vehicle you already own

An entry in the assignment section of the title has been altered or erased.

10-308An Affidavit of Alteration, form 10-308, sworn before a notary public by whoever made the alteration

Someone else is signing the paperwork or collecting the title on your behalf.

Power of Attorney for Vehicle TransactionsA Power of Attorney for Vehicle Transactions

You missed the 60-day deadline and the vehicle has not been operated in Arkansas since it expired.

10-300An Affidavit of Non Use, form 10-300

Deadlines

Deadline60 calendar days from the date of transfer shown in the title assignment, or the release date of a prior lien, whichever is later — Buyer: Title and register within 60 calendar daysA registration penalty of $3.00 for each 10-day period or fraction of one, capped at the full year registration fee per year, plus 10% of the sales tax due. Penalties are not due if the vehicle has not been operated in Arkansas after the time allowed, but an affidavit of non use, form 10-300, must be completed at a revenue office.

Fees and taxes

Charge	Amount	Paid by
Base title fee	$10The certificate of title fee alone. Registration by vehicle weight, the $2.50 validation decal, state and local sales tax, and any lien filing fee are charged on top. An extra $10.00 buys an expedited title, applied for in person at the Central Revenue Office in Little Rock and available for pick-up in three business days; the ordinary title takes a minimum of three weeks.	Buyer
Certificate of title fee	$10The title alone. Registration, the validation decal and sales tax are charged on top. An expedited title costs $10.00 more and is picked up in three business days at the Central Revenue Office in Little Rock.	Buyer
Registration fee	From $17Varies by vehicle type and weight: $17.00 for a passenger car or motor home up to 3,000 pounds, $25.00 from 3,001 to 4,500 pounds, $30.00 at 4,501 pounds and over, and $21.00 for a half-ton, three-quarter-ton or one-ton truck or van used exclusively for personal transportation.Hybrid vehicles are charged $50.00, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles $100.00 and electric vehicles $200.00 on the same schedule.Official calculator	Buyer
Validation decal fee	$2.50Charged with the registration fee. Add 50 cents postage where the plate or decal is mailed.	Buyer
State sales or use tax on the purchase	6.5%Varies by the purchase price and whether the vehicle is new or used, plus the city and county you live in.State rate 6.5% (7% for Texarkana residents). Under Act 1013 no state tax is collected on a used motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer selling for less than $4,000, and the state rate drops to 3.5% from $4,000 to $9,999. Local city and county tax is added on top, is set by where you live, is not reduced by the Act 1013 rate, and is capped at $25.00 for each 1% of tax due. Tax is paid to the revenue office at titling, not to the seller.Official calculator	Buyer
City and county sales tax	VariesVaries by the city and county you live in, which is determined by the location you give at registration.Added to the state tax and not reduced by the Act 1013 used-vehicle rate. Each local tax is capped at $25.00 for each 1% of tax due.Official calculator	Buyer
Tag transfer fee to another vehicle	$1Only if you are moving a plate you already hold onto the vehicle you have bought. Moving up a weight class also costs the difference between the two registration fees; no refund is given for moving down.	Buyer
Lien filing fee	$0.50Charged where a new lien is recorded against the title as part of the titling transaction. DFA's counter checklist quotes $1.00 per lien for a standalone 'direct lien filing'.	Buyer

Sales or use tax on a vehicle is paid by the purchaser at the revenue office when they apply for title and registration, not to the seller. The state rate is 6.5% (7% for Texarkana residents), but Act 1013 charges no state tax at all on a used vehicle selling for less than $4,000 and cuts the state rate to 3.5% from $4,000 up to $9,999.

Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer

Inspection: Sometimes required
The vehicle carries an out-of-state title branded Salvage, Prior Salvage or a similar designation - Arkansas law then requires a VIN verification by a certified city or county law enforcement officer, the Arkansas State Police, or an Arkansas State Police designee.
Arkansas does not put an inspection in the ordinary path to a title. The one inspection DFA publishes is a VIN verification, and it is triggered by the title's brand rather than by the vehicle's age or condition.
Emissions: Not publishedNo emissions certificate appears anywhere in DFA's published list of the documents required to title and register a new or used vehicle in Arkansas, and no Arkansas page we read states one way or the other whether an emissions test is ever required. This record does not assert that Arkansas has no programme; it records that the state does not publish one in its titling materials.
Notarization: Sometimes required
Only if an entry in the title assignment has been altered: the person who made the alteration must swear an Affidavit of Alteration, form 10-308, before a notary public.
Arkansas does not notarise the ordinary title transfer. DFA's own statement of the rule is that the seller prints the buyer's name in the assignment on the back of the certificate of title and that seller and buyer both sign and print their names - no notary is mentioned, and none of the application, odometer, lien release, inheritance or beneficiary forms carries a notary block.
Odometer disclosure: Required, unless you are exempt
DFA states the requirement in federal terms: vehicles less than 20 years old must have a fully completed odometer disclosure signed by both the buyer and the seller. Older vehicles fall outside the published requirement.
If the control number on the back of the Arkansas title is 3003001 or greater the odometer statement printed on the title is sufficient; if it is less than 3003001, or an out-of-state title is being surrendered, a separate conforming odometer statement (form 10-313) must accompany the title.
DFA requires a fully completed odometer disclosure signed by both the buyer and the seller, and states the requirement in federal terms: vehicles less than 20 years old must have one.

What happens to the plates

Arkansas plates are tied to the registration rather than travelling with the vehicle: the only plate instruction DFA publishes for a purchase is that you may bring the current registration certificate from a vehicle you already own and move that plate onto the newly acquired vehicle for $1.00.

The buyer supplies a plate registered in their own name
The buyer gets new plates
The seller may move the plates to a replacement vehicle

Registration itself is charged by weight - $17.00 for a passenger car or motor home up to 3,000 pounds, $25.00 from 3,001 to 4,500 pounds, $30.00 at 4,501 pounds and over, and $21.00 for a half-ton to one-ton truck or van - plus a $2.50 validation decal.

How to submit

In person at a state title office
Online

Arkansas titles and registers in one transaction. The application is a single form, 10-381, headed 'Vehicle Registration Application' and indexed by DFA as 'Application for Title or Replacement Title', and DFA's instruction is that a motor vehicle 'must be titled and registered within sixty (60) calendar days of the date of transfer'.

Official state links

Source: Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Motor Vehicle (DFA). Checked July 31, 2026. Report a correction

Common questions about Arkansas

How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in Arkansas?: 60 calendar days from the date of transfer shown in the title assignment, or the date a prior lien was released, whichever is later. Registration penalty of $3.00 for each 10-day period or fraction of one, capped at the full year registration fee for the vehicle per year, plus a penalty of 10% of the sales tax due. Trailers, mobile homes, ATVs and motorboats run on a 30-calendar-day clock instead. Penalties are not due if the vehicle has not been operated in Arkansas after the time allowed for registration, but you must complete an affidavit of non use, form 10-300, at a revenue office.
How much does a title transfer cost in Arkansas?: The base title fee is $10. The certificate of title fee alone. Registration by vehicle weight, the $2.50 validation decal, state and local sales tax, and any lien filing fee are charged on top. An extra $10.00 buys an expedited title, applied for in person at the Central Revenue Office in Little Rock and available for pick-up in three business days; the ordinary title takes a minimum of three weeks. Sales or use tax on a vehicle is paid by the purchaser at the revenue office when they apply for title and registration, not to the seller. The state rate is 6.5% (7% for Texarkana residents), but Act 1013 charges no state tax at all on a used vehicle selling for less than $4,000 and cuts the state rate to 3.5% from $4,000 up to $9,999.
Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in Arkansas?: Sometimes required. Arkansas does not notarise the ordinary title transfer. DFA's own statement of the rule is that the seller prints the buyer's name in the assignment on the back of the certificate of title and that seller and buyer both sign and print their names - no notary is mentioned, and none of the application, odometer, lien release, inheritance or beneficiary forms carries a notary block.
What happens to the license plates in Arkansas?: Arkansas plates are tied to the registration rather than travelling with the vehicle: the only plate instruction DFA publishes for a purchase is that you may bring the current registration certificate from a vehicle you already own and move that plate onto the newly acquired vehicle for $1.00.

About this page

Everything here is a summary of procedures published by official state title authorities, with a link to the source for each answer.

Unusual ownership, probate, lien, salvage, court-order or identity situations commonly require steps beyond those listed here.

We do not file anything with any agency, and we cannot submit, expedite, or check the status of a transfer. Ticking a box on this site records your own progress in your browser and nothing more.

27 official sources · last checked July 31, 2026 · How this was compiled · Report a correction