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

15 calendar days from delivery of the vehicle (not the date written on the title, if the two differ). A $50 penalty is charged on the 16th day and $2 for every day after that, capped at $125. Failing to apply within 45 days of delivery is a misdemeanor, and RCW 46.12.650(8) makes it a separate continuing offense for each further day.

How much does a title transfer cost in Washington?

The base title fee is From $15. Varies by whether you are titling only or titling and registering at the same visit. The certificate of title application fee itself is a flat $15, on top of which DOL charges a filing fee of $6.50 (title only) or $12.50 (title with registration), a service fee of $18 (title only) or $29 (title with registration) and a $0.75 license service fee. Use tax, license plates and vehicle tabs are separate again. Washington charges use tax when you transfer a privately bought vehicle into your name, calculated on the vehicle's fair market value from Price Digests rather than on what you paid, at the sales tax rate for the buyer's address plus the 0.3 percent motor vehicle sales and use tax.

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

Sometimes required. Washington notarises the application, not the title. The buyer's Vehicle Title Application must be signed in front of a notary public or, more usually, in front of the vehicle licensing agent at the counter, who certifies the signature instead; a seller signing the release section printed on the title itself needs no notary at all.

Does the seller have to notify the title authority in Washington?

Yes. Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). 5 business days from the date the vehicle is sold, gifted, traded, donated, turned over to an insurer or wrecking yard, or otherwise disposed of. Until the Report of Sale is properly filed, DOL's record still shows you as the owner and you can be held liable for towing charges and for the civil and criminal liabilities the new owner incurs.

Transferring a vehicle title in Washington

Issued by Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). Choose your situation below — the buyer’s and seller’s obligations are listed separately, and every answer links to the official source.

Title fee: From $15varies — details under fees
Deadline: 15 daysfrom delivery of the vehicle
Documents: 5incl. TD-420-001
Where: Agent officeauthorized third party

Washington splits this transaction in two: the buyer has 15 calendar days from delivery to apply for a new title, and the seller has 5 business days to file a Report of Sale. Miss the buyer's deadline and you pay $50 on the 16th day plus $2 a day up to $125; miss the seller's and you stay on the hook for the new owner's tickets, tolls and towing bills. The surprise for most people is the notary rule: the seller's signature on the back of the title needs no notary, but the buyer's Vehicle Title Application does - which is why DOL tells you not to sign it until you are standing in front of the licensing agent.

7 things this answer does not settle

DOL states the odometer rule three different ways on three current pages. The Vehicle title application instructions page gives the full federal test (model year 2010 and earlier exempt 10 years after 1 January of the model year; model year 2011 and later exempt 20 years after). The buy-and-register page shortens this to '2011 or newer' versus '2010 or older', which gives the same answer in 2026. The Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest page instead says a disclosure is required for 'a motor vehicle that is 20 years old or newer, unless exempt', which read literally would catch 2006-2010 vehicles that the other two pages exempt. This record follows the instructions page.
Washington does not publish a total cost for a title transfer anywhere. DOL's own advice is to 'Contact a vehicle licensing office to learn how much it will cost to transfer ownership of your new vehicle into your name.' The individual statutory fees in this record are published, but use tax is assessed on a Price Digests valuation you cannot look up yourself, and regional transit authority tax and local transportation benefit district fees vary by address.
Most Washington vehicle licensing offices are privately run subagent offices rather than state counters. DOL publishes the statutory fees but not each office's payment rules; its own pages warn that not all offices accept debit or credit and tell you to bring cash or a check.
This record covers ordinary passenger vehicles. Mobile and manufactured homes, snowmobiles, off-road vehicles, commercial vehicles above 12,000 lbs and vessels follow different rules in the same chapter and were not researched here.
DOL does not publish a single total for a private-sale transfer and tells you to phone a vehicle licensing office for the figure. The fees listed here are each published separately; use tax is the piece you cannot work out in advance, because it is assessed on a Price Digests valuation rather than on what you paid.
The $18 Report of Sale fee is the figure DOL publishes for the paper form. It does not publish what the online filing costs, though RCW 46.17.050 requires the same fees and DOL's own page says the online report is processed after you pay.
Whether the seller's plates can be moved to another vehicle depends on the plate and vehicle type - DOL only says a car plate must go to another car and a truck plate to another truck, and does not publish a full compatibility table.

Do this first

Before any money changes hands, get the current Washington Certificate of Title from the seller with the release-of-interest section signed by every registered owner shown on it, and call DOL on 360-902-3770 to confirm the title is valid and clear of liens.
Fill in the Vehicle Title Application (TD-420-001) - VIN, model year, make, series or body style, colour, fuel type, use class, scale weight, odometer reading and your new registered owner details - but leave the signature blank. Every registered owner has to sign it in front of a notary public or, more simply, in front of the vehicle licensing agent, who certifies the signature at the counter instead.

Your checklist

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The seller's checklist

Sign the release-of-interest section printed on the Washington Certificate of Title and hand the title to the buyer. A signature given in that section on the title itself does not need to be notarized or certified - WAC 308-56A-265(3)(a) says so explicitly.Official page
If you cannot sign on the title - it is lost, or the release section is used up - release your interest on an Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest (TD-420-040) or a Release of Interest/Power of Attorney (TD-420-050) instead. Those signatures must be notarized, or certified by the licensing agent if you sign at the counter.Applies when: The certificate of title is unavailable or its release section cannot be usedTD-420-040Official page
Take your license plates off the vehicle at the time of sale. Washington plates stay with you, not the car: keeping them on leaves you exposed to towing charges, parking tickets, speed camera tickets and toll bills the buyer runs up.Official page
Do something lawful with the old plates: move them to another vehicle of the same kind for a $10 transfer fee, surrender them at a vehicle licensing office, post them to Department of Licensing, 1125 Washington Street SE, Olympia, WA 98504, or recycle them after removing or invalidating the tabs and bending them. Personalized, disabled parking, collector, Purple Heart and several other special design plates must be handed back rather than recycled.Official page
File the Vehicle Report of Sale within 5 business days - online at fortress.wa.gov with no login, through License eXpress, or by posting the TD-420-062 form with a $18 check payable to 'Department of Licensing'. You need the plate number, date of sale, sale price, VIN and the buyer's full name and address.TD-420-062Official page
Check what you filed before you submit it. DOL cannot edit a Report of Sale: if you get a detail wrong you have to go into an office, have the report deleted and file a fresh one.TD-420-062Official page
Strip anything personal out of the car before you hand over the keys - the registration certificate and the insurance card both carry your name and address.Official page
Once the transfer shows as done, remove the vehicle from your License eXpress account: open the vehicle, then use 'remove from list' under 'I Want To'.Official page

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Both of you, together

Complete the Vehicle/Vessel Bill of Sale (TD-420-065) together and both sign it: vehicle details, date of sale and the actual sale price, which is what DOL starts from when it works out use tax. You can skip it only if the sale price and date are written on the title itself, and each of you should keep a copy - DOL will not give you a replacement without a public records request.TD-420-065Official page
Complete the odometer disclosure in the section printed on the title, seller as transferor and buyer as transferee, if the vehicle is model year 2011 or newer. Neither of you may sign for the other, and no one may sign as both transferor and transferee.Applies when: The vehicle is model year 2011 or newerOfficial page
If the title has no usable odometer section, or the title is not available, ask the vehicle licensing office for an Odometer Disclosure Statement. DOL issues it on tamper-proof paper at the counter and states plainly that it cannot be downloaded.Applies when: The title has no odometer section, its reassignments are full, or the title is unavailableOfficial page

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Documents and official forms

Washington Certificate of Title with the release-of-interest section signed by every registered ownerThe buyer takes physical possession of it. A signature in the release section on the title itself needs no notarization.
TD-420-001Vehicle Title ApplicationSigned by every new registered owner in front of a notary public or a vehicle licensing agent. Do not sign it in advance if you are going to an office.
TD-420-065Vehicle/Vessel Bill of SaleBoth parties sign. Not needed if the sale price and date of sale are entered on the title itself.
TD-420-062Vehicle Report of SaleThe seller's filing, not the buyer's. Filed online, in person or by post within 5 business days.
Buyer's unexpired Washington driver licenseEvery registered owner must show one unless exempt under RCW 46.20.025. The agent certifying your signature has to see photo identification in any case.

Also required in some cases

The vehicle is model year 2011 or newer and the title has no usable odometer section, or the title is unavailable

Odometer Disclosure Statement

The seller cannot sign the title itself, or the title is lost

TD-420-040Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest

Someone is signing the title paperwork on another party's behalf, or interest is released on a separate document

TD-420-050Release of Interest/Power of Attorney

The scale weight is not shown on the current title or registration

Scale weight slip from a vehicle scale

You are disputing the fair market value DOL is using for use tax

TD-420-737Evidence that the vehicle is worth less than DOL's Price Digests value

The buyer will drive the vehicle before it is plated

Trip permit

Deadlines

Deadline15 calendar days from delivery of the vehicle — Buyer: Apply for a new certificate of title within 15 days of taking deliveryA $50 penalty on the 16th day, then $2 for each additional day up to a $125 ceiling. Failing to apply within 45 days of delivery is a misdemeanour, and a separate continuing offence for every further day.
Deadline5 business days from the date of sale or transfer — Seller: File a Vehicle Report of Sale within 5 business daysUntil the report is properly filed you remain the owner on DOL's record and can be held liable for towing charges and for civil and criminal liabilities the new owner incurs.

Fees and taxes

Charge	Amount	Paid by
Base title fee	From $15Varies by whether you are titling only or titling and registering at the same visit. The certificate of title application fee itself is a flat $15, on top of which DOL charges a filing fee of $6.50 (title only) or $12.50 (title with registration), a service fee of $18 (title only) or $29 (title with registration) and a $0.75 license service fee. Use tax, license plates and vehicle tabs are separate again.Official calculator	Buyer
Certificate of title application fee	$15The statutory title fee under RCW 46.17.100. It does not include the filing fee, the service fee, the $0.75 license service fee, use tax, plates or vehicle tabs.	Buyer
Filing fee	$6.50–$12.50$6.50 if you are taking a title only; $12.50 if the title is issued with a registration.Set by RCW 46.17.005: $6.50 for a certificate of title plus $6 for the registration.	Buyer
Service fee	$18–$29$18 for a title transaction; $29 for a title issued with a registration. Collected by DOL, county auditors and subagent offices.	Buyer
License service fee	$0.75$0.50 to the DOL services account and $0.25 to the license plate technology account.	Buyer
Use tax	VariesVaries by the vehicle's fair market value taken from Price Digests, the sales tax rate at the buyer's Washington address, and the 0.3 percent motor vehicle sales and use tax.DOL will accept the purchase price instead of fair market value if the fair market value is under $7,500 or the price is within 20 percent of it.Official calculator	Buyer
New license plates	$50$50 per plate for regular Washington plates, $20 for a motorcycle, plus a $2 per plate reflection fee. Transferring plates you already own to a vehicle of the same kind costs $10 instead.Required on any change of ownership except transfers from a spouse or domestic partner, a family gift or inheritance, or a family trust.	Buyer
Vehicle registration and tabs	From $43.25Varies by vehicle weight and use class, your county and city (regional transit authority tax and local transportation benefit district fees), plate type and any electric vehicle fee.DOL states that 'Everyone starts with the basic fee of $43.25' and that the final figure depends on weight, location and taxes.Official calculator	Buyer
Quick Title (optional)	$50An extra $50 on top of the titling and service fees, to receive the title at the counter instead of waiting 6-8 weeks. Not available for out-of-state vehicles, stolen vehicles, insurance or wrecker destroyed vehicles, snowmobiles, or vehicles branded 'WA rebuilt'.	Buyer
Report of Sale filing fee	$18DOL publishes $18 for filing the paper Vehicle Report of Sale by mail or at an office. RCW 46.17.050 requires the same filing, technology, license service and service fees for reports filed online, and DOL's page describes the online report as processed immediately after you pay, but DOL does not publish the online figure separately.	Seller

Washington charges use tax when you transfer a privately bought vehicle into your name, calculated on the vehicle's fair market value from Price Digests rather than on what you paid, at the sales tax rate for the buyer's address plus the 0.3 percent motor vehicle sales and use tax.

Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer

Inspection: Sometimes required
The vehicle is homemade, assembled or rebuilt and was not previously titled as such, or is a kit vehicle, street rod or glider kit not previously titled as such.
The vehicle was reported destroyed since the last certificate of ownership was issued and the registered owner did not keep it.
DOL, a county auditor or an authorised agent asks for the vehicle identification number to be verified, or ownership is in doubt.
The WACIC/NCIC stolen vehicle search flags the vehicle or fails to respond.
Washington has no routine safety inspection for a title transfer. A Washington State Patrol vehicle identification number inspection is required only in the specific cases listed in WAC 308-56A-150, and the licensing agent decides: you cannot book one until a DOL agent has issued you a WSP Request for Inspection form.
Emissions: Not requiredWashington has no vehicle emissions test. The Department of Ecology's emission check program ended on 1 January 2020 after 38 years and was not replaced.
Notarization: Sometimes required
The buyer's Vehicle Title Application (TD-420-001) must be signed in front of a notary public, or in front of the vehicle licensing agent at the counter, who certifies the signature instead.
A seller signing the release-of-interest section printed on the certificate of title itself needs no notary.
A seller who releases interest on a separate form (TD-420-040 or TD-420-050) must have that signature notarized or certified.
Anything posted rather than signed at a counter must be notarized, because no licensing agent is present to certify it.
Washington notarises the application, not the title. The buyer's Vehicle Title Application must be signed in front of a notary public or, more usually, in front of the vehicle licensing agent at the counter, who certifies the signature instead; a seller signing the release section printed on the title itself needs no notary at all.
Odometer disclosure: Sometimes required
Required if the vehicle is model year 2011 or newer and is being transferred less than 20 years after 1 January of that model year - in 2026 that is every 2011-and-newer vehicle.
Not required for model year 2010 and older vehicles, which are all more than 10 years past 1 January of their model year in 2026.
An odometer disclosure is required on a transfer unless the vehicle is exempt by age. Washington applies the federal two-tier test: a 2010-or-earlier model year is exempt once it is transferred 10 or more years after 1 January of its model year, and a 2011-or-later model year is exempt only 20 or more years after that date - so in 2026 every 2011-and-newer vehicle needs a disclosure and every 2010-and-older one does not.

What happens to the plates

Washington plates never travel with the vehicle: the seller must physically remove them at the time of sale, and the buyer must buy new plates unless the vehicle came from close family or a family trust.

The seller keeps the plates
The seller surrenders the plates
The buyer gets new plates
The seller may move the plates to a replacement vehicle

New regular plates cost $50 per plate ($20 for a motorcycle) plus a $2 per plate reflection fee. Plates you already own can be moved to another vehicle of the same kind for a $10 transfer fee. Old plates can be surrendered at a vehicle licensing office, mailed to DOL at 1125 Washington Street SE, Olympia, WA 98504, or recycled once the tabs are removed or invalidated and the plates are bent; personalized, disabled parking, collector, Purple Heart and several other special design plates must be returned rather than recycled.

How to submit

In person at an authorized third-party office
In person at a county office
In person at a state title office
By mail

In Washington the title transfer and the registration are one counter transaction: you hand over the released title and the Vehicle Title Application at a vehicle licensing office and walk out with plates and tabs, while the paper title itself is mailed 6-8 weeks later.

Official state links

Source: Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). Checked July 26, 2026. Report a correction

Common questions about Washington

How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in Washington?: 15 calendar days from delivery of the vehicle (not the date written on the title, if the two differ). A $50 penalty is charged on the 16th day and $2 for every day after that, capped at $125. Failing to apply within 45 days of delivery is a misdemeanor, and RCW 46.12.650(8) makes it a separate continuing offense for each further day.
How much does a title transfer cost in Washington?: The base title fee is From $15. Varies by whether you are titling only or titling and registering at the same visit. The certificate of title application fee itself is a flat $15, on top of which DOL charges a filing fee of $6.50 (title only) or $12.50 (title with registration), a service fee of $18 (title only) or $29 (title with registration) and a $0.75 license service fee. Use tax, license plates and vehicle tabs are separate again. Washington charges use tax when you transfer a privately bought vehicle into your name, calculated on the vehicle's fair market value from Price Digests rather than on what you paid, at the sales tax rate for the buyer's address plus the 0.3 percent motor vehicle sales and use tax.
Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in Washington?: Sometimes required. Washington notarises the application, not the title. The buyer's Vehicle Title Application must be signed in front of a notary public or, more usually, in front of the vehicle licensing agent at the counter, who certifies the signature instead; a seller signing the release section printed on the title itself needs no notary at all.
Does the seller have to notify the title authority in Washington?: Yes. Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). 5 business days from the date the vehicle is sold, gifted, traded, donated, turned over to an insurer or wrecking yard, or otherwise disposed of. Until the Report of Sale is properly filed, DOL's record still shows you as the owner and you can be held liable for towing charges and for the civil and criminal liabilities the new owner incurs.
What happens to the license plates in Washington?: Washington plates never travel with the vehicle: the seller must physically remove them at the time of sale, and the buyer must buy new plates unless the vehicle came from close family or a family trust.

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.

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