Paperwork When Selling a Car in Utah

Paperwork Required to Sell Your Car in Utah

Ready to sell your car in Utah? Let's get started! Read on for some useful details on what's required by the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to successfully—and legally—transfer ownership of a used vehicle. Along the way, you'll find links to other helpful resources as well as pertinent forms and documents.

Selling a Vehicle in Utah

The early steps in the process of selling a car in Utah are the same as they'd be in any state. To learn more about them, such as assessing your vehicle's condition and market value to come up with a reasonable sale price, and then getting the word out to potential buyers, read our Guide to Selling Your Car. It's packed with good stuff.

To actually sell the car to a buyer, you'll simply provide the necessary paperwork (which we'll get into below), remove the license plates, and let the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles know of the sale.

You must notify the UT DMV of the following information:

  • The vehicle's model year and make.
  • The vehicle identification number (VIN) or the plate number.
  • Your signature.

Send all of this information to the following address:

Division of Motor Vehicles
MVCC Correspondence
P.O. Box 30412
Salt Lake City, UT 84130

You may also fax it to (801) 297-3570.

Documents Required to Sell Your Car

When you transfer ownership of your car to a buyer, you'll need to provide the following documents to the buyer in order to seal the deal:

  • The signed-off car certificate of title.
  • The current registration certificate.
  • The current emissions certificates.

You should also provide a bill of sale, which includes details such as, you and the buyer's names and addresses, a vehicle description, and the purchase price. You can use Utah DMV's Bill Of Sale (Form TC-843) or you can create your own. See our Bill of Sale page and Title Transfers in Utah page for more information.

Utah Vehicle Inspections

As mentioned above, you'll provide the buyer of your car with an emissions certificates to complete the sale.

If your vehicle is registered in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah, Weber, or Cache, it may need to undergo an emissions test depending on the model year. You can find the complete details on emissions testing on the Utah DMV website.

Duplicate Utah Title and Registration

If you're looking to sell your car in Utah but the car title or registration is missing, damaged, or destroyed, don't fret—you simply need to request a duplicate title from the Utah DMV.

Title Replacement

Ordering a duplicate title certificate involves completing the Application for Duplicate Utah Title (Form TC-123), which you can access online at the Division of Motor Vehicles website, and sending it to the following address:

Division of Motor Vehicles
Mail and Correspondence
P.O. Box 30412
Salt Lake City, UT 84130

Be sure to include payment for the $6 duplicate title fee.

For information, visit our Replacing a Lost Title in Utah page.

Registration Replacement

It's also an easy enough procedure to replace your vehicle registration if it's mutilated, destroyed, or misplaced. You can stop by any Utah DMV office to obtain a duplicate registration. Simply provide your license plate number, the VIN, or a copy of the car's most recent registration. There is a $5 fee to replace your registration.

Vehicle History Report

Don't be surprised if a potential buyer assesses the car you're selling by requesting a vehicle history report. This document offers background on accidents, theft, and other details, and is a highly recommended tool for the used-car shopper. Read more about this on our vehicle history reports page.

Transferring License Plates After a Sale

As the seller, you keep the vehicle's license plates—so be sure to remove them before the transaction is completed.

UT Fees and Forms for Car Sellers

When selling your vehicle, you may be required to pay certain fees and provide certain forms.

Fees For Selling a Vehicle

Depending on your circumstance, you may be required to pay some of the following fees:

  • Replace registration: $5.
  • Duplicate title: $6.

Forms For Easy Download

Forms

TC-843
Bill of Sale
Use the Division of Motor Vehicles' bill of sale as a proof of purchase after transferring ownership of a vehicle in UT.
TC-123
Application for Utah Duplicate Title
Request a duplicate UT vehicle title from the DMV.
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