Selling a car privately in PA requires a step most other states skip: the seller’s signature on the title has to be notarized. You and the buyer meet in person at a notary public, a PennDOT authorized agent, or a tag service, sign the title assignment together, and complete a single PennDOT form that handles the title transfer, the buyer’s registration, and the 6% sales tax in one visit. The buyer pays a $72 title fee plus the tax. Come prepared and the whole transaction wraps up in one appointment.
Documents You Need Before the Sale
The Pennsylvania Certificate of Title is the only document that legally proves you own the car and can sell it. Your name has to appear on the title as the current owner, and the title must be free of liens.1Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Buying or Selling a Vehicle If you still owe money on the car, contact your lender first to pay off the balance and get a lien release. Many lienholders will not release the title until the loan is fully satisfied, so build that timeline into your plans before you list.
Bring these to the appointment along with the title:
- Your current registration card, so the buyer can confirm it matches the title and VIN.
- A valid Pennsylvania driver’s license or state ID for the notary.
- Maintenance and repair records. These aren’t required, but they build buyer confidence and support your asking price.
Pennsylvania does not require you to provide a fresh safety or emissions inspection to the buyer. A current sticker signals the car is roadworthy, and the buyer has ten days after purchase to get the vehicle inspected if they live in a county that requires emissions testing.
Write a Bill of Sale
PennDOT does not require a bill of sale to process the title transfer, but skipping one is a mistake. It’s your personal receipt and it protects you if a dispute arises about the price, the condition of the car, or the date of the sale. Include the full names and addresses of both parties, the vehicle’s year, make, model, and VIN, the odometer reading, the sale price, and the date. Both people sign, and each keeps a copy.
The bill of sale also matters for insurance. If the buyer delays transferring the title and your insurer questions why the car is still registered to you, a dated bill of sale proves you no longer owned it.2Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Insurance Overview
Odometer Disclosure
Federal law and Pennsylvania law both require you to disclose the vehicle’s mileage when transferring ownership. The reading and a certification about its accuracy go directly on the title assignment section.3eCFR. Part 580 Odometer Disclosure Requirements You certify one of three things: the reading is actual mileage, the odometer has rolled past its mechanical limit, or the reading is inaccurate.
Some vehicles are exempt. Vehicles with a gross weight rating over 16,000 pounds are exempt, and so are older vehicles by model year. Cars from 2010 or earlier are exempt once they are at least 10 years old. Cars from 2011 or later follow a stricter 20-year rule, so a 2011 model will not be exempt until 2031.3eCFR. Part 580 Odometer Disclosure Requirements The title assignment still gets completed for exempt vehicles; the mileage box is marked as exempt.
The Notary Appointment
You cannot sign the title at your kitchen table and hand it to the buyer. The seller’s signature has to be notarized or verified by an authorized PennDOT agent, and both parties need to bring valid photo ID.1Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Buying or Selling a Vehicle
Most people meet at a notary public or tag service. You sign the Assignment of Title section on the back of the certificate, the buyer signs as the purchaser, and the notary witnesses and notarizes the signatures. The notary or agent then helps the buyer complete PennDOT Form MV-4ST, the Vehicle Sales and Use Tax Return/Application for Registration. That one form handles the title transfer, registration, and sales tax payment together.4Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Form MV-4ST Fact Sheet
A tag service or authorized agent can also issue the buyer a temporary registration so they can legally drive the car home while permanent plates are processed. Only PennDOT or its authorized agents can issue temporary plates, so this step has to happen through official channels.
Fees and Sales Tax
The buyer bears most of the costs at closing, but knowing the numbers helps you answer questions during negotiation.
- Title fee: $72, paid to PennDOT for issuing the new certificate in the buyer’s name.5Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Bureau of Motor Vehicles Schedule of Fees
- Sales tax: 6% of the purchase price in most of the state, 7% in Allegheny County, and 8% in Philadelphia. The buyer pays this when applying for title.
- Notary fee: Pennsylvania caps notary fees at $5 per signature acknowledgment, plus $2 for each additional name on the same document. Tag services often add their own processing fee, so ask about total costs before you go.6Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Notary Public Fees
- Registration plate transfer fee: $11 if the buyer transfers plates from another vehicle.5Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Bureau of Motor Vehicles Schedule of Fees
Getting Paid Safely
Payment fraud is the biggest risk in any private car sale, and the notary appointment is not the place to discover a problem with the money. A cashier’s check is the most common payment method for private sales, but counterfeit cashier’s checks are common enough that you should verify any check before handing over the keys.
Call the issuing bank directly to confirm the check is legitimate, and look up the bank’s phone number yourself rather than trusting the one printed on the check. A better option is to meet at the buyer’s bank and have the cashier’s check drawn while you watch. A wire transfer also works because the funds land in your account before you complete the sale. Cash works for lower-priced vehicles, but counting out thousands of dollars in a notary’s office is awkward and raises safety concerns.
Avoid personal checks entirely. They can bounce days later, by which point the buyer has your car and a signed title.
What to Do After the Sale
Your responsibilities don’t end when you pocket the payment. Three things need to happen quickly.
Remove your plates before the buyer drives away. Pennsylvania registration plates belong to you, not the vehicle.7Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 75 Chapter 13 Section 1314 – Transfer of Registration You can transfer them to another vehicle you own, or to one owned by your spouse, parent, or child, or surrender them to PennDOT if you no longer need them.
Notify PennDOT if the plates stayed on the car by accident. Send a copy of the front and back of the certificate of title or the bill of sale showing the new owner’s name. This protects you from liability if the buyer racks up toll violations or parking tickets before transferring the registration.2Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Insurance Overview
Call your insurer the same day. If you’re transferring plates to a new car, coverage can shift at the same time. If you aren’t replacing the vehicle, cancel the policy so you stop paying premiums on a car you no longer own. And if you have an E-ZPass or other electronic toll transponder linked to the vehicle, log into your account and remove it, otherwise the new owner’s tolls could hit your account.
Gifting Instead of Selling
If you’re giving the car to a relative rather than selling it, the mechanics are nearly identical: meet at a notary, sign the assignment, complete Form MV-4ST. The difference is tax treatment. Transfers between spouses are exempt from Pennsylvania sales tax, as long as the transfer isn’t part of a divorce property settlement.8Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Is the Sale of a Car to a Family Member Exempt From Sales Tax? For parents, children, or siblings, the exemption is narrower and the Department of Revenue may still assess tax depending on relationship and circumstances. Write “gift” or “$0” as the sale price on the title assignment and be ready to explain the relationship at the notary.
On the federal side, gifting a vehicle worth more than $19,000 in 2026 may trigger a gift tax reporting requirement for the giver, filed on IRS Form 709.9Internal Revenue Service. Whats New — Estate and Gift Tax You wouldn’t owe tax unless you’ve exceeded your lifetime exemption, but the return still has to be filed.