A Pennsylvania bill of sale is a signed document that records the transfer of personal property from a seller to a buyer and proves the transaction happened. Pennsylvania does not publish one universal template for every kind of personal property, and for a vehicle the state actually uses the title assignment plus Form MV-4ST instead of a standalone bill of sale. Whatever you are selling, the document needs the same basic facts, and getting them right is what keeps the transfer from stalling at PennDOT or leaving either side exposed later.
What to Put on Any Bill of Sale
Before you write anything, gather the details you’ll need to fill in. A workable bill of sale includes:
- Full legal names and addresses of the buyer and seller, taken from government-issued ID.
- A description of the item specific enough that no one could confuse it with another. For a vehicle, that means year, make, model, color, and the 17-character Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). For a boat, include the Hull Identification Number (HIN). For other goods, use serial numbers, model numbers, or distinguishing features.
- The sale price, written as an exact dollar amount. If the item is a gift, write “$0” or “gift” and note the relationship between the parties.
- The date the property changes hands.
- The odometer reading, for any motor vehicle fewer than 20 model years old. Federal rules exempt vehicles that are 20 model years or older from odometer disclosure, starting with model year 2011 under the updated rule.
- Signatures from both parties. For a vehicle, the seller’s signature on the title assignment has to be notarized.
The odometer threshold catches people out. The cutoff used to be 10 model years. It is now 20, starting with model year 2011.
Vehicle Sales: Title Assignment and Form MV-4ST
A private vehicle sale in Pennsylvania runs on two documents: the title assignment on the back of the existing Pennsylvania Certificate of Title, and Form MV-4ST, the Vehicle Sales and Use Tax Return/Application for Registration. Together they do the job a bill of sale does elsewhere.
The seller completes the assignment on the back of the title with the sale price, odometer reading, buyer’s name and address, and the seller’s signature. The buyer then uses Form MV-4ST to apply for a new title and registration. One quirk: Form MV-4ST is not downloadable from the PennDOT website. You get it from an authorized PennDOT agent, such as a messenger service or full-service tag agency.
Every vehicle in Pennsylvania needs a certificate of title, and any owner who does not already hold one has to apply for it.
Notarizing the Seller’s Signature
PennDOT will not process the transfer unless the seller’s signature on the title assignment is notarized. The statute requires the owner to execute the assignment “sworn to before a notary public or other officer empowered to administer oaths.” Licensed vehicle dealers and wholesale auction employees can also verify signatures, but in a private sale between individuals you need a notary.
Only the seller’s signature has to be notarized, though both parties can appear together if that’s easier. Bring a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID. Pennsylvania’s notary law accepts a passport, driver’s license, or government-issued non-driver ID card. The notary confirms your identity, watches you sign, and applies the seal.
Banks, UPS stores, and AAA offices usually have notaries. Many authorized PennDOT messenger services keep a notary on site, which lets you handle the notarization and file the paperwork in one stop.
Filing, Taxes, and Fees
Once the title is notarized, the buyer brings it and the completed Form MV-4ST to an authorized PennDOT agent: a private messenger service, full-service tag agency, or state-run Driver and Vehicle Services center.
The buyer pays Pennsylvania’s 6 percent sales tax on the purchase price at the time of filing. Two counties add a local surcharge: Allegheny County adds 1 percent for a total of 7 percent, and Philadelphia adds 2 percent for a total of 8 percent. The local rate is based on where the vehicle will be registered, not where the sale takes place. A Philadelphia resident who buys a car in Lancaster still pays 8 percent.
The certificate of title fee is $72. Registration fees depend on the vehicle; a standard passenger vehicle registration runs $48 as of April 2025. The agent collects taxes and fees together and submits everything to PennDOT. If the buyer needs to drive the vehicle right away, the agent can issue a temporary registration. The permanent title gets printed by the state and mailed.
Boat Sales Go Through a Different Agency
Boats are handled by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, not PennDOT. If the boat was previously titled in Pennsylvania, the seller signs the title over to the buyer. If it was only registered, the seller can sign the registration card or provide a signed bill of sale. For a boat that was never registered or titled in Pennsylvania, the buyer needs a bill of sale or invoice listing both parties’ names and addresses, the date and location of the sale, a description of the boat, and the HIN for boats built after 1972.
The buyer then files the signed title or bill of sale along with Form PFBC-T12, the New Certificate of Title application, with the Fish and Boat Commission or an authorized issuing agent.
Firearms: A Bill of Sale Alone Isn’t Enough
For most firearms, a written bill of sale does not substitute for the transfer process Pennsylvania law requires. Under 18 Pa. C.S. ยง 6111, a private seller who wants to transfer a firearm to another unlicensed person has to conduct the sale at a licensed dealer’s place of business or at a county sheriff’s office, where a background check is run through the Pennsylvania State Police.
This applies to handguns and short-barreled rifles or shotguns. Long gun transfers between private parties don’t require a state background check, though federal prohibitions on selling to anyone you know or reasonably believe is a prohibited person still apply. Transfers between spouses, between a parent and child, or between a grandparent and grandchild are exempt from the dealer-or-sheriff requirement.
Even where no background check is required, a written record is smart. Note the make, model, caliber, and serial number of the firearm, plus both parties’ names, addresses, and driver’s license numbers.
Gifts and Below-Market Sales
A gift or heavily discounted vehicle sale still uses the same title assignment and Form MV-4ST. The buyer marks the transaction as a gift on the form, which exempts it from sales tax. PennDOT may still ask for documentation supporting the gift claim, especially between unrelated parties, so keep anything that explains the transfer.
“As-Is” Language Protects the Seller
Most private sales in Pennsylvania are as-is. A private seller who is not in the business of selling that type of goods does not give an implied warranty of merchantability under the Uniform Commercial Code. Even so, writing “as-is, no warranty” on the bill of sale removes any ambiguity and heads off later claims that the seller promised the item was in a particular condition.
If the parties do agree to a specific promise, like the seller fixing a known issue before delivery, write that term into the bill of sale too. Verbal promises are hard to enforce.
After a Vehicle Sale: Plates and Insurance
Signing the title over is not the end of a vehicle seller’s job. Remove the license plate from the vehicle before the buyer drives off. Do not hand the plate to the buyer. The seller can transfer it to another vehicle they own or return it to PennDOT’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Return Tag Unit, at 1101 South Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17104.
A plate left on a sold vehicle traces back to the seller for parking tickets, toll violations, and accidents until the registration is officially canceled or transferred. Call your insurance company promptly to remove the vehicle from your policy or shift coverage to a replacement.
Keep Your Copy
Both parties should keep a copy of the signed bill of sale indefinitely, or at minimum for several years. The buyer may need it if the Department of Revenue questions the sales tax amount. The seller needs it to show they no longer own the property. For a vehicle, also keep a copy of the completed title assignment before handing the original to the buyer. A phone photo beats nothing; a proper photocopy is more reliable.