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

Title and register the vehicle before you drive it on a public road or highway from taking delivery of the vehicle from the seller. The Department publishes no fixed number of days and no late fee. It states the duty as a condition of driving: a Tennessee resident who buys a used vehicle from another Tennessee resident "must title and register the vehicle in their name prior to operating the vehicle upon a public road or highway", and "should title and register the vehicle in their name as soon as possible, to ensure that their interest in the vehicle is protected" (Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 55-3-119, 55-4-101(b)(1)). If you cannot title at once, a $10 Temporary Operation Permit covers 30 days.

How much does a title transfer cost in Tennessee?

The base title fee is $14. The $5.50 state fee for issuing a certificate of title plus the $8.50 county clerk fee for receiving and forwarding the application (raised from $5.50 on 1 July 2022 by Public Chapter 1003). It excludes sales and use tax, the $26.50 standard passenger plate fee, county wheel taxes and any additional county fees, all of which are charged separately. Two Revenue help-desk articles still quote an $11 title fee; see the state limitations. The county clerk collects 7% Tennessee state sales tax on the sale price when the title is transferred, plus the local option tax on the first $1,600 and the 2.75% state single article tax on the portion between $1,600.01 and $3,200 — unless your transfer is on the Department's published exemption list below.

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

Sometimes required. A Tennessee title assignment is not notarized — none of the Department's own forms carries a notary block — but a notary is needed to fix a spoiled assignment, to prove a buyer never took the vehicle, to support a Certification of Ownership or a Temporary Operation Permit, and on an incoming out-of-state title whose home state required one.

Transferring a vehicle title in Tennessee

Issued by Tennessee Department of Revenue, Vehicle Services Division — certificates of title and registrations are issued over the counter by the 95 County Clerks. Choose your situation below — the buyer’s and seller’s obligations are listed separately, and every answer links to the official source.

Title fee: $14base title fee
Deadline: See ruleTitle and register before you drive the vehicle on a public road or highway
Documents: 3incl. RV-F1315201
Where: Countytax office, in person

The seller signs the assignment on the back of the Tennessee certificate of title and hands it over; the buyer takes that title to the county clerk in the county where they live and files the Multi-purpose Application for Title and Registration (RV-F1315201). Tennessee sets no number of days, but you must title and register before driving the car on a public road. Expect 7% state sales tax on the price, the local option tax on the first $1,600, the 2.75% state single article tax on the next $1,600, a $14 title fee and $26.50 for a standard passenger plate, plus county fees.

8 things this answer does not settle

Two current Department of Revenue publications give different title fees. The Lien Notation page breaks the title charge down as a $5.50 state fee plus an $8.50 county clerk fee, the Duplicate Title page says $14, and form RV-F1315201 says "$14.00 title fee" — but help-desk articles LIEN-10 and VT-6 still say $11. This record uses $14, which matches Notice #22-11 raising the county fee to $8.50 from 1 July 2022. Ask your county clerk what they will actually charge before you post a payment.
The Department's own pages disagree on the state single article tax rate: VTR-34 says "the state single-article tax at the rate of 2.25 percent", while SUT-13 and the December 2023 County Clerk Sales and Use Tax Manual both say 2.75% on the portion of the price between $1,600.01 and $3,200. This record uses 2.75%, the figure carried in the tax manual's worked examples.
County charges cannot be enumerated here. Every fee page the Department publishes ends with "additional county fees may apply", counties and some cities set their own local option sales tax rate (capped at 2.75%), and many counties levy a wheel tax. There is no statewide schedule of county clerk fees or wheel taxes on tn.gov, so the totals in this record are state-level figures only.
Tennessee's title authority publishes no statewide statement that vehicle emissions testing has ended. The Department of Environment and Conservation's vehicle inspection programme pages no longer resolve, so the "no emissions test" answer here rests on the Department of Revenue's own required-document lists, which ask for no emissions certificate, and on Metro Public Health's notice ending the Davidson County programme on 5 February 2022.
Two changes are legislated but not yet in force and are not reflected in the step lists: proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence for an initial registration from 1 January 2027 (Notice #26-15), and proof of financial responsibility with an application for an initial registration from 1 July 2027 (Notice #26-16).
Several of the Department's answers live on its Revenue Help site (revenue.support.tn.gov), which sits behind a bot challenge. The links are correct and load in a browser, but an automated freshness check may report them as blocked rather than broken.
County charges are not included in the figures above. Local option sales tax rates, county wheel taxes and county clerk service fees are set locally and Tennessee publishes no statewide schedule of them.
Tennessee sets no number of days for a private-sale title transfer, so there is no late penalty to quote — the duty is framed as a condition of driving the vehicle.

Do this first

Check the certificate of title the seller hands you: it must be signed in ink in the seller's assignment block, with no white-out and no erasures. Tennessee does not accept electronic signatures on titles, and white-out or an erasure automatically voids the certificate.
File the Multi-purpose Application for Title and Registration (RV-F1315201) with the county clerk in the county where you live, surrendering the assigned Tennessee certificate of title.

Your checklist

Check the certificate of title the seller hands you: it must be signed in ink in the seller's assignment block, with no white-out and no erasures. Tennessee does not accept electronic signatures on titles, and white-out or an erasure automatically voids the certificate.Official page
File the Multi-purpose Application for Title and Registration (RV-F1315201) with the county clerk in the county where you live, surrendering the assigned Tennessee certificate of title.RV-F1315201Official page
Bring proof of identification and proof of residency: one document from the Department's List A (photo driver license, birth certificate, unexpired passport, military ID) or two from List B, plus two residency documents such as a current utility bill, bank statement, lease or Tennessee voter registration.Official page
Pay the sales tax the clerk calculates: 7% state tax on the full sale price, your county's local option rate on the first $1,600, and the 2.75% state single article rate on the portion between $1,600.01 and $3,200.Official page
Pay the $14 certificate of title fee ($5.50 state plus $8.50 county clerk), the $26.50 standard passenger plate fee if you need a plate, and any county fees or wheel tax the clerk adds.Official page
Bring a copy of the current registration for the plate you want to move onto this car if you are transferring a Tennessee plate you already hold; otherwise the clerk issues you a new plate.Applies when: You already have a registered Tennessee plate you want to transfer.Official page
Do not drive the car on a public road until the title and registration are in your name — Tennessee law requires titling and registration before operating the vehicle on a public road or highway.Official page
If the title is not available yet, apply in person at the county clerk for a 30-day Temporary Operation Permit on form RV-F1314401 with a notarized bill of sale and the $10 fee; one further 30-day permit can be issued if the problem is still unresolved.Applies when: The seller cannot produce the assigned title at the time of sale.RV-F1314401Official page
Expect the printed certificate of title by post rather than over the counter: title transactions are batched to print overnight and most titles are in the mail within 24 to 48 hours of processing.Official page

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The seller's checklist

Sign the assignment on the back of your Tennessee certificate of title in ink and give the title to the buyer. An electronic signature on a title is not accepted in Tennessee.Official page
Never use white-out or erase anything on the certificate of title — that voids it and you will have to buy a duplicate before the sale can go through. Correct a misspelling by drawing a line through it, writing the correct information, and giving the buyer a notarized statement from whoever made the error to file with the application.Applies when: You made a mistake while filling in the assignment.Official page
Take your license plate off the car. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-4-118(a) the registration expires the moment you transfer your interest in the vehicle, so the plate stays with you, not the car.Official page
If the plate went with the car anyway, cancel it: complete the Vehicle License Plates Cancellation form (VS-09162021) ticking "Vehicle sold or traded in with license plate attached" and email it to VS.CallCenter@tn.gov.Applies when: The license plate left with the vehicle.VS-09162021Official page
If the buyer signed the title but never took the car, draw a line through the buyer's name on the assignment and prepare a notarized affidavit stating the buyer did not take possession — no further titling on that vehicle can happen without it.Applies when: The sale fell through after the title was signed over.Official page

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Both of you, together

Complete the Odometer Disclosure Statement (RV-F1317001) together for any vehicle of model year 2011 or newer: the seller prints their name and certifies the reading with no tenths in Section A, then both parties sign and date Section B.Applies when: The vehicle is model year 2011 or newer.RV-F1317001Official page
If the reading is not the actual mileage, complete the Odometer Discrepancy Statement (RV-F1310801) as well — the seller explains the discrepancy, the buyer certifies they understand it — or the titling transaction will be delayed.Applies when: The seller has ticked "Not Actual Mileage" on the odometer disclosure.RV-F1310801Official page

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Documents and official forms

The Tennessee certificate of title, properly assigned by the sellerVT-1 requires "A valid certificate of title properly assigned". A notarized bill of sale is not a substitute — "A properly endorsed title showing all chain of title is needed to show requisite ownership of a vehicle."
RV-F1315201Multi-purpose Application for Title and Registration (RV-F1315201)Filed with the county clerk in the buyer's county of residence.
Proof of identification and proof of residencyOne document from List A or two from List B for identity; two documents for residency, or one from each list.

Also required in some cases

The vehicle is a used vehicle of model year 2011 or newer.

RV-F1317001Odometer Disclosure Statement (RV-F1317001)

The odometer reading is not the actual mileage.

RV-F1310801Odometer Discrepancy Statement (RV-F1310801)

The buyer is moving a Tennessee plate they already hold onto this vehicle.

Copy of the current registration for the plate being transferred

The selling price is 75% or less of the vehicle's fair market value.

RV-F1301201Affidavit of Non-Dealer Transfers of Motor Vehicles and Boats (RV-F1301201)

Someone other than the registrant signs or submits the application.

RV-F1311401Power of Attorney for Vehicle Transactions (RV-F1311401)

A misspelling on the assignment had to be struck through and corrected.

Notarized statement from the party who made an error on the title assignment

Deadlines

DeadlineTitle and register before you drive the vehicle on a public road or highway from taking delivery of the vehicle — BuyerTennessee publishes no day count and no late fee. Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 55-3-119 and 55-4-101(b)(1) make titling and registration a condition of driving the car on a public road, and the Department adds that you should do it "as soon as possible, to ensure that their interest in the vehicle is protected".

Fees and taxes

Charge	Amount	Paid by
Base title fee	$14The $5.50 state fee for issuing a certificate of title plus the $8.50 county clerk fee for receiving and forwarding the application (raised from $5.50 on 1 July 2022 by Public Chapter 1003). It excludes sales and use tax, the $26.50 standard passenger plate fee, county wheel taxes and any additional county fees, all of which are charged separately. Two Revenue help-desk articles still quote an $11 title fee; see the state limitations.	Buyer
Certificate of title fee	$14$5.50 state title fee plus the $8.50 county clerk fee for receiving and forwarding the application. Excludes sales tax, plate fees, county wheel tax and any additional county fees.Help-desk articles LIEN-10 and VT-6 still quote $11; the Department's Lien Notation and Duplicate Title pages and form RV-F1315201 give the $14 figure used here.	Buyer
Tennessee state sales tax	7%Varies by the total sale price of the vehicle.Applied to the whole sale price and collected by the county clerk at the time of title transfer.Official calculator	Buyer
State single article tax	2.75%Varies by the portion of the sale price between $1,600.01 and $3,200 — a maximum of $44 on any vehicle.A state tax only; this slice of the price is not subject to local tax. Article VTR-34 gives the rate as 2.25%, which conflicts with SUT-13 and the County Clerk tax manual.Official calculator	Buyer
Local option sales tax	VariesVaries by your county's (and sometimes your city's) local option rate, applied only to the first $1,600 of the sale price; the rate cannot exceed 2.75%.The County Clerk tax manual's worked example uses Davidson County's 2.25% rate, giving $36 on the first $1,600. Rates are set locally and vary.Official calculator	Buyer
Standard license plate and registration fee	$26.50Standard passenger vehicle plate; a motorcycle plate is $19.50. County registration fees are additional and vary. All-electric vehicles pay $200 extra and hybrids $100 extra, but only at renewal.	Buyer
County wheel tax and other county fees	Not publishedCounties, and some cities, levy a wheel tax collected by the county clerk, and every Department fee page ends with "additional county fees may apply". The Department publishes no statewide schedule of county wheel taxes or clerk fees, so ask your own county clerk.	Buyer
Temporary Operation Permit	$10Per 30-day permit, plus any applicable county fees. Only needed if you must drive before the title can be transferred.	Buyer

The county clerk collects 7% Tennessee state sales tax on the sale price when the title is transferred, plus the local option tax on the first $1,600 and the 2.75% state single article tax on the portion between $1,600.01 and $3,200 — unless your transfer is on the Department's published exemption list below.

Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer

Inspection: Not requiredThere is no routine safety inspection or VIN check in a Tennessee title transfer — the Department's required-document lists contain none — but a vehicle being titled through the Certification of Ownership route needs its VIN verified by a law enforcement officer or a licensed dealer.
Emissions: Not requiredNo emissions certificate appears anywhere in the Department of Revenue's published requirements for titling or registering a vehicle in Tennessee, and Davidson County — the last county running a programme — stopped requiring one for titling, registration and renewal on 5 February 2022.
Notarization: Sometimes required
Only if a mistake had to be corrected on the title assignment — the party who made the error supplies a notarized statement.
Only if the buyer signed the title but never took the car — the owner supplies a notarized affidavit before any further titling.
Only if you need a Temporary Operation Permit, which must be supported by a notarized bill of sale in a casual and isolated sale.
A Tennessee title assignment is not notarized — none of the Department's own forms carries a notary block — but a notary is needed to fix a spoiled assignment, to prove a buyer never took the vehicle, to support a Certification of Ownership or a Temporary Operation Permit, and on an incoming out-of-state title whose home state required one.
Odometer disclosure: Required, unless you are exempt
Exempt: model year 2010 or older.
Exempt: gross vehicle weight rating over 16,000 pounds.
Exempt: the vehicle is not self-propelled.
Both seller and buyer must disclose the mileage of any used vehicle of model year 2011 or newer, on the Odometer Disclosure Statement (RV-F1317001) or in the odometer block of the title. Older and heavier vehicles are exempt, on the published list below.

What happens to the plates

The plate belongs to the person, not the vehicle: "Whenever the owner of a registered vehicle transfers or assigns the owner's title or interest to the vehicle, the registration of the vehicle shall expire" (Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-4-118(a)), so the seller keeps or cancels the plate and the buyer registers in their own name.

The seller keeps the plates
The seller surrenders the plates
The buyer supplies a plate registered in their own name
The buyer gets new plates

A buyer who already holds a registered Tennessee plate may move it to the newly bought vehicle by bringing "a copy of the current registration if transferring your license plate" (VT-1); otherwise the clerk issues a plate at the standard passenger fee of $26.50 ($19.50 for a motorcycle). If a plate went out of the seller's hands with the vehicle — sold, traded, towed, scrapped, donated or repossessed with the plate attached — the registered owner cancels it on form VS-09162021, emailed to VS.CallCenter@tn.gov. All-electric and hybrid vehicles carry an extra registration fee at renewal.

How to submit

In person at a county office

Title and registration are one errand at one counter in Tennessee: you file a single application for certificate of title and registration with the county clerk in the county where you live, and where nothing is outstanding the clerk hands over the plate the same day.

Official state links

Source: Tennessee Department of Revenue, Vehicle Services Division — certificates of title and registrations are issued over the counter by the 95 County Clerks. Checked July 26, 2026. Report a correction

Common questions about Tennessee

How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in Tennessee?: Title and register the vehicle before you drive it on a public road or highway from taking delivery of the vehicle from the seller. The Department publishes no fixed number of days and no late fee. It states the duty as a condition of driving: a Tennessee resident who buys a used vehicle from another Tennessee resident "must title and register the vehicle in their name prior to operating the vehicle upon a public road or highway", and "should title and register the vehicle in their name as soon as possible, to ensure that their interest in the vehicle is protected" (Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 55-3-119, 55-4-101(b)(1)). If you cannot title at once, a $10 Temporary Operation Permit covers 30 days.
How much does a title transfer cost in Tennessee?: The base title fee is $14. The $5.50 state fee for issuing a certificate of title plus the $8.50 county clerk fee for receiving and forwarding the application (raised from $5.50 on 1 July 2022 by Public Chapter 1003). It excludes sales and use tax, the $26.50 standard passenger plate fee, county wheel taxes and any additional county fees, all of which are charged separately. Two Revenue help-desk articles still quote an $11 title fee; see the state limitations. The county clerk collects 7% Tennessee state sales tax on the sale price when the title is transferred, plus the local option tax on the first $1,600 and the 2.75% state single article tax on the portion between $1,600.01 and $3,200 — unless your transfer is on the Department's published exemption list below.
Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in Tennessee?: Sometimes required. A Tennessee title assignment is not notarized — none of the Department's own forms carries a notary block — but a notary is needed to fix a spoiled assignment, to prove a buyer never took the vehicle, to support a Certification of Ownership or a Temporary Operation Permit, and on an incoming out-of-state title whose home state required one.
What happens to the license plates in Tennessee?: The plate belongs to the person, not the vehicle: "Whenever the owner of a registered vehicle transfers or assigns the owner's title or interest to the vehicle, the registration of the vehicle shall expire" (Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-4-118(a)), so the seller keeps or cancels the plate and the buyer registers in their own name.

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.

84 official sources · last checked July 26, 2026 · How this was compiled · Report a correction