How to Fill Out and Submit Idaho ITD Form 502: VIN, Signatures, Fees

To title a vehicle or vessel in Idaho, you file the Application for Certificate of Title (ITD Form 502) with your county assessor’s motor vehicle office within 30 calendar days of taking delivery. Miss that window and a $20 late-filing penalty is added to your regular fees.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 49-504 – Applications to Department for Certificates of Title The same form covers cars, trucks, motorcycles, motorhomes, trailers, and vessels, whether the vehicle came from a private seller, an out-of-state dealer, or another state where you used to live.

When You File It Yourself

If you buy from a licensed Idaho dealer, the dealer prepares the title application and submits it to the county for you within 30 days.2Idaho Transportation Department. Vehicle Titles You file Form 502 yourself in three main situations: a private-party purchase inside Idaho, a purchase from an out-of-state dealer, or a move to Idaho with a vehicle titled in another state.

For a private sale, the seller’s assigned title or a signed bill of sale also works as a 72-hour temporary permit so you can drive the vehicle home and to the county office.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 49-504 – Applications to Department for Certificates of Title Blank forms are available at any county assessor’s motor vehicle office or from the Idaho Transportation Department website.

What to Gather Before You Start

Assemble everything before you fill in the form. A missing document means a rejected mailed application or a second trip to the counter.

  • Proof of ownership. For a private-party purchase, that is the seller’s title, signed over to you on the back. For a brand-new vehicle, it is the Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin (MSO). New Idaho residents bring their out-of-state title; if the vehicle is financed, the lienholder must release the out-of-state title directly to an Idaho county motor vehicle office.
  • Bill of sale for private sales, showing the purchase price, date of sale, and both parties’ names.
  • A completed VIN inspection (Form ITD 3403) whenever the current title was not issued by Idaho. This includes out-of-state purchases, new-resident transfers, and vehicles with no prior title.3Idaho Transportation Department. IDAPA 39.02.05 – Rules Governing Issuance of Certificates of Title
  • Your Idaho driver’s license number or Social Security number. At least one is required on the application.4Ada County. Vehicle Registration, Renewals and Titles
  • Proof of sales tax paid or an exemption. Idaho charges a 6% use tax on the purchase price. If you already paid sales tax in another state at 6% or more, a title issued in your name by that state is usually enough proof. New residents who owned the vehicle at least three months before moving to Idaho are exempt, with a narrow exception for businesses relocating from states with no sales tax.5Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 63-3621 – Imposition and Rate of the Use Tax — Exemptions
  • Lienholder information. If a bank or credit union financed the vehicle, you need the lender’s full legal name and mailing address.

Getting the VIN Inspection Done

The VIN inspection trips up new residents who assume their out-of-state title is enough. An authorized inspector has to physically examine the vehicle and confirm the identification number matches the paperwork on Form ITD 3403. Idaho authorizes several people to do it:6Legal Information Institute. IDAPA 39.02.05.202 – Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Inspections any city, county, state, or federal peace officer; licensed Idaho vehicle dealers; employees of banks authorized to do business in Idaho or institutions registered with the Idaho Department of Finance; county assessor staff; and, if the vehicle is still in another state, a peace officer or employee of that state’s titling agency.

The easiest path is to drive the vehicle to your county assessor’s motor vehicle office and have the inspection done at the same time you submit the title paperwork.

Filling Out Form 502

Vehicle Description

Enter the vehicle identification number exactly as it appears on the vehicle and on the source title or MSO: all 17 characters, no spaces. Then fill in the model year, make, and model.7Idaho Transportation Department. Form 502 Instructions For a motorhome, use the model year of the coach and the chassis VIN as the primary VIN.

Odometer Disclosure

Record the mileage in whole miles, no tenths, and check one status box:7Idaho Transportation Department. Form 502 Instructions

  • Actual, if the reading is true mileage and the vehicle is less than 20 model years old. You cannot check Actual if a previous title showed any other status.
  • In Excess, if a five-digit odometer has rolled past 100,000.
  • Not Actual, if the odometer has been broken or replaced and the reading is unreliable.
  • No Device, if the vehicle has no odometer.
  • Exempt, if the vehicle is at least 20 model years old, is rated over 16,000 pounds GVWR, or is not self-propelled (a trailer, for example).8Idaho Transportation Department. Changes to Odometer Exemptions Take Effect

For the 2026 calendar year, vehicles with a model year of 2006 or older are exempt from odometer disclosure.

Owner Names: “AND” or “OR”

When two or more people appear as owners, the word between the names matters. “AND” means every owner must sign for any future transfer or title change. “OR” lets any one owner act alone.9Idaho Transportation Department. Affidavit of Lost Title and Application for Title Married couples often pick “OR” for convenience, but changing your choice later requires filing a new title application, so think about which one fits.

Lienholder

If a lender financed the purchase, enter its full legal name and mailing address. That records the security interest on the title. If you own the vehicle outright, leave the lienholder section blank.

Signatures and Witnessing

Every owner listed on the application must sign, and the signature is a certification under penalty of perjury that the information is true.10Idaho Transportation Department. Application for Certificate of Title How that signature is witnessed depends on how you file:

  • Filing in person at a county assessor’s office: the assessor or a deputy assessor can witness the signature on the spot. No notary is needed.9Idaho Transportation Department. Affidavit of Lost Title and Application for Title
  • Filing by mail, or through a dealer or financial agency: the signature has to be notarized or witnessed by the dealer or financial agency representative.10Idaho Transportation Department. Application for Certificate of Title

An unwitnessed signature is rejected outright. If you can’t sign in person, someone can sign for you using ITD Form 3368 (Limited Power of Attorney); they sign as “Owner Name by Representative Name, POA.”11Idaho Transportation Department. Limited Power of Attorney for Specific Motor Vehicle/Vessel

Gift Transfers and the Use Tax

A vehicle received as a true gift can be exempt from the 6% use tax, but Idaho tightens the definition to keep sales from being relabeled. All of the following must be true:12Legal Information Institute. IDAPA 35.01.02.107 – Vehicles and Vessels

  • No money, services, or other consideration passes between donor and recipient at any time.
  • The recipient does not assume any debt on the vehicle.
  • The relationship between donor and recipient supports a reasonable basis for a gift.
  • Both parties complete and sign Form ST-133GT (Use Tax Exemption Certificate — Gift Transfer Affidavit) and submit it with the title.

If the donor can’t sign the affidavit in person, the county assessor may accept a separate signed letter from the donor stating the vehicle is a gift, or a title on which the donor has written “gift” and signed.

Where to File and What It Costs

Take or mail the completed Form 502, the existing title or MSO, VIN inspection form when required, and supporting documents to your county assessor’s motor vehicle office.10Idaho Transportation Department. Application for Certificate of Title Each county runs its own office, so confirm the address before mailing anything.

Expect these fees:

Most counties accept cash, check, or credit card in person, though credit cards often carry a small surcharge. By mail, send a check or money order payable to the county assessor; cash is not accepted by mail.

After You Submit

Once the county accepts your application, the Idaho Transportation Department reviews it. With no lien on the vehicle, you get a paper title in the mail after processing. If a lender participating in Idaho’s Electronic Lien and Title program is on the title, the record stays electronic until the lender releases the lien; ITD then prints the paper title and mails it to you the following day.2Idaho Transportation Department. Vehicle Titles

You do not have to wait for the paper title to register the vehicle. You can apply for registration as soon as the title documents are submitted.15Idaho Transportation Department. Vehicle Registrations If ITD finds an error or needs more information, it will contact you at the mailing address on the application, so double-check that section is filled out clearly.