How to Sell a Car Privately in Washington State

To sell a car privately in Washington, sign the title over to the buyer, complete a bill of sale, remove your license plates, and file a Report of Sale with the Department of Licensing within five business days. That last step, which costs $18, is what actually releases you from liability for tickets, tolls, and anything else the new owner does with the car.¹

Get Your Paperwork Together First

Three documents need to be ready before you meet a buyer.

The first is the vehicle title, formally called the Certificate of Ownership. Every person named as an owner has to sign the release-of-interest section for the sale to go through.² If there is a lien on the car, get a formal release from the lienholder first. Lost your title? Order a replacement from DOL. Standard processing takes four to eight weeks, or you can pay an extra $50 for a quick title.³

The second is a bill of sale, DOL Form TD-420-065. It records the sale price, date, and vehicle details, and both parties keep a copy. It does not transfer ownership by itself and it is not a Report of Sale, so do not treat it as a substitute for either.⁴

The third is the odometer disclosure. Washington requires one for any motor vehicle with a 2011 or newer model year that weighs 16,000 pounds or less. If your car meets both conditions, you must certify the mileage at the time of transfer, either in the built-in section on the title or on a separate secure form approved by DOL.⁵ Both parties sign it, and the buyer gives you back a signed copy at the transfer. A false mileage reading can bring fines, imprisonment, or civil liability under state and federal law.⁶ For a 2010 or older vehicle, no disclosure is required.

Take Payment Safely

Payment fraud is where private sales go wrong most often. Meeting the buyer at your bank branch is the cleanest approach. If they pay cash, a teller can count and verify the bills. If they pay by cashier’s check, your bank can confirm it is legitimate before you sign the title over. Do not release the title until payment has been verified.

For higher-priced vehicles, a direct bank wire is traceable and your bank can confirm the funds have cleared. For long-distance sales, an online escrow service holds the buyer’s money until the vehicle is delivered and inspected, then releases it to you.

DOL actually recommends meeting at a vehicle licensing office to handle the paperwork and payment together. The buyer can apply for a new title on the spot, and you can file your Report of Sale immediately.³ If that is not convenient, pick a well-lit public place and bring someone with you.

What to Do at the Handoff

When you meet the buyer, work through these in order:

Every owner listed on the title signs the release-of-interest section, and you hand the title to the buyer.
Fill out the bill of sale with the price, date, vehicle details, and both parties’ information. Both of you sign. Each keeps a copy.
If an odometer disclosure is required, complete and sign it, and get your signed copy back from the buyer.
Write down the buyer’s full legal name and current residential address, and check them against a photo ID. You need this to file the Report of Sale.¹
Remove the license plates before the buyer drives away. Plates belong to you, not the vehicle, and Washington law requires you to take them off.⁷
Clear out the glove box and console. Old registration cards and insurance papers with your name and address should not stay in the car.

Once the plates come off, the buyer cannot legally drive the car on public roads without a trip permit. Trip permits cost $36 and last three days, giving the buyer time to reach a licensing office and register the vehicle.² If you handled the whole transaction at a licensing office, the buyer can just register on the spot and skip the permit.

File the Report of Sale Within Five Business Days

This is the step that protects you. You must file a Report of Sale with DOL within five business days of the sale, not counting weekends or state and federal holidays.¹ The report has to include:

The date of sale
Your full name and current address
The buyer’s full name and current address
The vehicle identification number and license plate number
The $18 fee

You can file three ways. Online through the DOL website or a License Express account is fastest and processes immediately. In person at any vehicle licensing office works if you want a receipt from a human. By mail, send the Vehicle Report of Sale form (TD-420-062) with an $18 check payable to the Department of Licensing.³

The Report of Sale is what formally releases you from responsibility for the car. Without it, or with an incomplete filing, you can still be held liable for towing charges, parking violations, camera infractions, and civil or criminal issues the new owner creates.⁸ If you sold the car on a weekend, file online the same evening. There is no reason to wait.

Handle the Plates and Your Insurance

You have two options for the plates you pulled off. If you own another vehicle of the same type, you can transfer them to it for $10. Car plates go on another car, truck plates on another truck.⁹ If you do not need them, return them to a licensing office or deface them so no one else can use them. Leaving them on the sold car is not an option; every day they stay attached is a day someone else’s toll bills or camera tickets could land on you.³

Call your auto insurer the same day you finish the sale. If you are moving coverage to a replacement vehicle, line up the effective dates so you are never uninsured while driving. If the sold car was your only vehicle, confirm the exact cancellation date and ask about a refund of prepaid premiums. Some insurers need up to five business days to process the change, so the policy may not end the moment you call.

Keep the signed title copy, bill of sale, odometer disclosure, and Report of Sale confirmation for a few years. If a collections agency or a court ever contacts you about your old car, those documents prove you were no longer the owner.

What the Buyer Is Responsible For

Buyers often ask what fees to expect, and having an answer helps close the deal. The buyer pays use tax at registration, which combines Washington’s state and local sales tax with an additional 0.5 percent motor vehicle sales/use tax that took effect January 1, 2026.¹⁰ Combined rates typically run 7 to 11 percent of the purchase price depending on location.

The buyer also has 15 days to apply for a new title, with late penalties starting at $50 and climbing up to $125.² A buyer who drags their feet is a buyer driving a car still loosely tied to your name in the system, which is exactly why filing your own Report of Sale on time matters so much.

If You Are Gifting the Car Instead

Transferring a car to a family member or friend for free follows the same process. You sign the title, complete a bill of sale showing a sale price of zero, remove your plates, and file a Report of Sale within five business days.⁴ The recipient still owes use tax, calculated on the vehicle’s fair market value rather than the zero sale price.

1
Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.12.650 – Releasing Interest, Reports of Sale
2
Washington State Department of Licensing. Buy and Register a Vehicle
3
Washington State Department of Licensing. Sell a Vehicle
4
Washington State Department of Licensing. Vehicle/Vessel Bill of Sale
5
Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.12.665 – Odometer Disclosure Statement Required
6
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
7
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.16A.200 – License Plates
8
Cornell Law School. Washington Administrative Code 308-56A-525 – Vehicle Sellers Report of Sale
9
Washington State Department of Licensing. Calculate Vehicle Tab Fees
10
Washington State Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Sales/Use Tax