Hawaii’s Notice of Transfer is a short form attached to the top of your Certificate of Title that you fill out and send to your county’s motor vehicle office within ten days of selling, gifting, or leasing a vehicle. Filing it ends your status as the registered owner so parking tickets, towing bills, and registration renewals stop following you after the car is gone. Hawaii Revised Statutes § 286-52(j) requires it, and the fine for skipping it runs up to $100.1Justia. Hawaii Code 286-52 – Procedure When Title or Interest of Vehicle Transferred; Delivery of Certificate Mandatory
Where the Form Comes From
The Notice of Transfer is printed along the top of your Hawaii Certificate of Title, separated by a perforated line. When you sell the vehicle, you tear the notice off, fill it out, and send it to the county on its own. The title itself goes to the buyer.2County of Maui. Ownership Transfer – Seller
If the notice was already detached, lost, or damaged, the City and County of Honolulu posts a downloadable replacement, form CS-L(MVR)53, that you can print and complete by hand.3City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services. Vehicle Ownership Transfer Kauai hosts its own PDF through the Department of Finance.4County of Kauai. Notice of Transfer
What to Put on the Form
Every entry on the Notice of Transfer should match the Certificate of Title exactly. One wrong digit in the VIN or plate number and the county will reject it, and your liability keeps running in the meantime.
- Vehicle identification number (the 17-character code on the dashboard or title)
- License plate number currently assigned to the vehicle
- Make and model as they appear on the title
- Date of transfer, which is the actual date the sale or gift took place and the date the ten-day clock starts from
- Buyer’s full legal name and address, matching their ID
- Seller’s signature certifying the information
If the vehicle is registered to more than one person, every registered owner has to sign and date the notice. Hawaii County checks each signature against its records and will not process a transfer with a missing or mismatched signature.5Hawaii County, HI Vehicle Registration & Licensing. Ownership Transfer – Registered in Hawaii County If a co-owner cannot be present, call the county office before sending anything in.
Where to Send It
Submit the completed notice to the county where the vehicle was last registered, not where you live now and not where the buyer lives.3City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services. Vehicle Ownership Transfer You can mail it or drop it off in person. No county currently takes this form through an online portal.
Mailing Addresses
- Honolulu: Division of Motor Vehicle, Licensing and Permits, P.O. Box 30330, Honolulu, HI 96820-03306City and County of Honolulu. Notice of Transfer Form CS-L(MVR)53
- Maui: Department of Finance, 200 S. High St., Kalana O Maui Bldg., Wailuku, HI 967932County of Maui. Ownership Transfer – Seller
- Hawaii County: Vehicle Registration & Licensing, 101 Pauahi St., Suite 5, Hilo, HI 967207Hawaii County, HI Vehicle Registration & Licensing. Office Locations
- Kauai: Department of Finance, Treasury Division (MVR), 4444 Rice St., Ste. 466, Lihue, HI 967664County of Kauai. Notice of Transfer
In Person
Honolulu residents can hand the notice in at any satellite city hall that offers motor vehicle services.8City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services. Satellite City Hall Division Hawaii County operates offices in Hilo, Kona, Pahoa, and Waimea, with walk-ins taken on a standby basis and appointments recommended.7Hawaii County, HI Vehicle Registration & Licensing. Office Locations Maui and Kauai take submissions at their finance department offices.
The Ten-Day Deadline
You have ten calendar days from the date of transfer to get the notice to your county. The clock starts on the date the sale closed, which is why the date on the form has to be accurate.9Hawaii County, HI Vehicle Registration & Licensing. Notice of Transfer
Miss the deadline and § 286-52(j) authorizes a fine of up to $100.1Justia. Hawaii Code 286-52 – Procedure When Title or Interest of Vehicle Transferred; Delivery of Certificate Mandatory The fine is the smaller problem. Until the notice is recorded, you remain the registered owner in the county’s system, so parking tickets, towing fees, and renewal bills keep landing in your name.
Why Filing Protects You
Hawaii treats a vehicle transfer as incomplete until the director of finance issues new registration and ownership certificates to the buyer.1Justia. Hawaii Code 286-52 – Procedure When Title or Interest of Vehicle Transferred; Delivery of Certificate Mandatory The buyer has 30 days to register the vehicle in their name, and if they drag their feet, your Notice of Transfer is what tells the county the car is no longer yours. Hawaii County’s motor vehicle office states it plainly: “Seller will not be released from liability until this notice is recorded.”9Hawaii County, HI Vehicle Registration & Licensing. Notice of Transfer
When You Do Not Have to File
The statute applies to “every person, other than a dealer.” If you sell or trade your vehicle to a licensed motor vehicle dealer, the dealer handles the paperwork and you do not file a separate Notice of Transfer.1Justia. Hawaii Code 286-52 – Procedure When Title or Interest of Vehicle Transferred; Delivery of Certificate Mandatory Private sales, gifts to family, and lease transfers all require the seller to file.
Odometer Reading Goes on the Title, Not the Notice
The Notice of Transfer does not ask for mileage, but the Certificate of Title does. When you sign the title over, fill in the current odometer reading in Section A if the vehicle is ten model years old or newer. Vehicles eleven years and older are exempt.3City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services. Vehicle Ownership Transfer It is a separate obligation, but you handle it at the same moment you detach the notice from the top of the title.