An Iowa bill of sale for a vehicle is a one-page form that records the price, date, and parties in a private sale, and the buyer submits it along with the signed title at any county treasurer’s office to apply for a new certificate of title. The form is available from the Iowa County Treasurers Association website or directly from your local treasurer’s office. It is titled simply “Bill of Sale” and does not carry a numbered form designation.
What the Form Must Contain
The vehicle section asks for four items: the Vehicle Identification Number, the model year, the make, and the model. Copy these exactly as they appear on the current certificate of title. Transposing even one digit of the VIN will cause problems at the treasurer’s office. You can cross-check the VIN against the plate on the driver’s side dashboard or the sticker on the door jamb, but the title is the document the treasurer compares against.
The transaction section captures the selling price and both parties. If the vehicle is a gift rather than a sale, the form asks for the relationship between the parties, such as parent, spouse, or friend. The seller enters a printed legal name, signature, date, mailing address, and daytime phone number. The buyer fills in the same fields. Both signatures are required. Use dark ink. The treasurer’s office will reject forms that are hard to read or appear altered.
What You Turn In With It
The bill of sale by itself does not transfer ownership. The seller also completes the assignment on the back of the certificate of title, which signs the vehicle over to the buyer and records the buyer’s full legal name, the sale date, and the purchase price. The buyer then completes the application for title either on the title itself or on a separate Form 411007 at the treasurer’s office. Every buyer must list a full legal name, an Iowa state ID number or Social Security number, and date of birth.
Two disclosures may also be required, depending on the vehicle.
Odometer disclosure. Iowa Code Section 321.71 requires an odometer disclosure for every transfer unless the vehicle is exempt under federal rules. The disclosure is built into the title assignment: the seller records the current reading and certifies it as actual, not actual, or exceeding mechanical limits. Through December 31, 2030, any vehicle of model year 2011 or newer requires the statement. A 2010 or older vehicle is exempt.
Damage disclosure. Vehicles seven model years old or newer require a damage disclosure. Newer titles include the disclosure on the back; titles issued before January 1, 2005, do not, so Form 411108 is used for those. Damage must be disclosed if the retail cost of repair, including labor, parts, materials, and sales tax, exceeded 50 percent of the vehicle’s fair market value before the damage, whether or not the repair was actually done. The seller must also disclose any prior salvage or rebuilt designation from any jurisdiction.
When the Bill of Sale Needs to Be Notarized
Most private vehicle sales do not require notarization. The form has a notary section marked “if applicable,” and the treasurer’s office activates it only in specific situations: when there are errors or alterations on the title or other documents, or when staff have questions about the legality of the application or the truthfulness of any statement on it. A title with a crossed-out name, a corrected purchase price, or any whiteout will usually need a notary stamp before the transfer goes through.
If you spot an error on the title after the seller fills it out, do not try to correct it yourself. Have the seller complete a fresh bill of sale and get it notarized, or go to the treasurer’s office together so staff can tell you what the specific document needs.
Deadline, Fees, and Late Penalties
The buyer has 30 days from the date of sale to bring the signed title, the bill of sale, Form 411007, and any required disclosures to a county treasurer. You are not limited to the county where the vehicle was previously registered. Any Iowa county treasurer can process the transfer.
Miss the 30-day window and the penalty is five percent of the registration fee due per month, with a minimum of $5 per vehicle per month. It compounds for every month you are late.
The fees collected at the counter:
- Title fee of $35, increased from $25 effective January 1, 2025, under HF 674.
- Use tax of five percent of the purchase price shown on the bill of sale.
- A $10 registration fee added by HF 674.
- A $20 lien notation fee if the buyer is financing and a lender needs to be recorded on the title.
If the sale involved a trade-in between the two parties, the use tax applies only to the difference between the purchase price and the value of the vehicle traded. Iowa administrative rules allow this credit for private-party trades, not just dealer transactions.
Driving the Vehicle Before You Get Plates
If the vehicle’s registration is still current and the buyer has no plates to transfer, Iowa allows the buyer to drive it for up to 30 days without plates. You must carry one of the following in the vehicle: the bill of sale signed and dated by the seller, the assigned title, or a photocopy of both sides of the title. If none of those is available, or the registration has lapsed, the buyer can purchase a 30-day temporary permit from the county treasurer for $25. A vehicle with no current registration and no temporary permit cannot legally be driven on Iowa roads.
Cash Sales Above $10,000
One boundary worth knowing. A private vehicle sale paid in cash above $10,000 can trigger a federal reporting requirement. Anyone in a trade or business who receives more than $10,000 in cash, including cashier’s checks, bank drafts, or money orders with a face amount of $10,000 or less, must file IRS Form 8300 within 15 days. “Trade or business” is read broadly enough that a person who regularly sells vehicles could be covered even without a dealer license. The threshold also captures related payments from the same buyer within a 12-month period that together exceed $10,000.