To transfer a car title when the owner is deceased in PA, you file PennDOT Form MV-39 with a certified copy of the death certificate and pay a $72 title fee. The path branches from there: a surviving spouse who co-owned the vehicle pays no fee and needs no other signatures, an appointed executor uses the estate’s Short Certificate instead of MV-39, and heirs handling things without a will must all sign and notarize the form together.
If the Vehicle Was Jointly Owned
A title held jointly with rights of survivorship passes automatically to the surviving owner. Pennsylvania treats a husband-and-wife title as tenancy by the entireties, which carries survivorship built in.1Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Vehicle Transfer After Death of Owner – Fact Sheet
The surviving co-owner files Form MV-39 (Sections A, B, C, G, I, and H if the vehicle stays registered) along with a certified copy of the death certificate. No Short Certificate, no executor, no signatures from anyone else. Current insurance information goes in Section H if the vehicle will remain registered.2PA.gov. Notification of Assignment/Correction of Vehicle Title Upon Death of Owner
A surviving spouse pays no title transfer fee. Pennsylvania law specifically exempts the transfer of title to a surviving spouse from all fees under the Vehicle Code.3Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 75 – Vehicles – Chapter 19
If an Executor or Administrator Has Been Appointed
When the vehicle was solely owned, or owned as tenants in common, the transfer runs through the estate. The Register of Wills appoints an executor if there is a will, or an administrator if there is not. That person assigns the title and submits the following to PennDOT:
- The certificate of title, assigned by the executor or administrator to the new owner.
- The Short Certificate from the Register of Wills, which proves legal authority to act for the estate.1Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Vehicle Transfer After Death of Owner – Fact Sheet
- Form MV-4ST, the Vehicle Sales and Use Tax Return/Application for Registration.4pa.gov. Instructions for Completing Form MV-4ST
- A certified copy of the death certificate.
Form MV-39 is not needed on this path unless the vehicle is being titled in the name of the estate itself rather than passed directly to an heir or buyer.2PA.gov. Notification of Assignment/Correction of Vehicle Title Upon Death of Owner
If There Is No Will and No Executor
Heirs can transfer the vehicle themselves using Form MV-39, but everyone has to be on the paperwork.
When there is a surviving spouse who was not a co-owner, the spouse and all adult children must assign the title. Each person lists name, address, relationship, and age in Section D, and every signature must be notarized. Overflow signatures go in Section D, Part II.
When there is no surviving spouse, all heirs sign, including guardians acting for minor heirs, and again every signature must be notarized. Form MV-4ST is required along with the applicable title and registration fees.2PA.gov. Notification of Assignment/Correction of Vehicle Title Upon Death of Owner
When heirs live in different states, gathering all those notarized signatures can drag on for weeks. Asking the Register of Wills to appoint an administrator reduces the paperwork to a single signature and may be faster overall.
The Small Estate Shortcut
If the deceased’s personal property (excluding real estate) totals $50,000 or less in gross value, the orphans’ court can order the assets distributed directly to the heirs without full estate administration. The court decides whether to require an appraisal and what notice must go out.5Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 20 – Decedents, Estates and Fiduciaries – Chapter 31
With a small-estate court order, Form MV-39 is not required. The court order functions as a Short Certificate and gets attached to the assigned title, submitted with Form MV-4ST.2PA.gov. Notification of Assignment/Correction of Vehicle Title Upon Death of Owner
Fees
- Certificate of title: $72.6PennDOT. Bureau of Motor Vehicles Schedule of Fees MV-70S
- Surviving spouse: no title fee.3Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 75 – Vehicles – Chapter 19
- Registration plate transfer: $11, and only to a spouse, parent, child, parent-in-law, child-in-law, stepchild, or stepparent. The plate cannot go to anyone outside that list.1Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Vehicle Transfer After Death of Owner – Fact Sheet
- Notarization: $5 per acknowledgment, plus $2 for each additional name.7Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Notary Public Fees
A messenger service or tag-and-title shop will add its own service fee. Those charges are not regulated and vary by location.
Sales Tax on the Transfer
Pennsylvania’s base sales tax rate is 6% of the vehicle’s fair market value. Allegheny County residents pay 7%, and Philadelphia residents pay 8%.8Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Understated Value Program
Several inheritance scenarios are exempt. A transfer from a deceased spouse to the surviving spouse is not taxable. Transfers from a parent to a child, and transfers from an executor or administrator distributing estate assets, may also qualify. The exemption code is entered on Line 1A of Form MV-4ST.
If the exemption is claimed as a gift, Form MV-13ST (Affidavit of Gift) must be completed and attached to the MV-4ST. Missing or incorrect MV-13ST filing is one of the most common reasons the Department of Revenue flags a transfer for review.8Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Understated Value Program
If the estate sells the car to a third party who does not qualify for an exemption, sales tax is owed on the purchase price. Where Revenue believes the reported price is below fair market value, it can assess tax on its own valuation and bill the buyer for the difference.
Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax on the Vehicle
Pennsylvania is one of six states that levies an inheritance tax, and it applies to vehicles. The rate depends on the heir’s relationship to the deceased:
- Surviving spouse: 0%
- Children and lineal descendants: 4.5%
- Transfer to or from a child age 21 or younger and their parent: 0%
- Siblings: 12%
- All other heirs: 15%9Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Statutes Title 72 PS Taxation and Fiscal Affairs – 9116
On a $20,000 vehicle, a friend or unmarried partner inheriting the car would owe $3,000 in inheritance tax. An adult child inheriting the same vehicle would owe $900. Inheritance tax is filed with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, separately from the PennDOT title paperwork.10Revenue PA. If a Person Gifts a Vehicle as Part of the Estate Settlement for a Deceased Person, Is Inheritance Tax Due
If There Is a Loan or Lien on the Vehicle
A lien on the title blocks PennDOT from issuing a clean title until the lien is released. The estate is generally responsible for paying off the remaining balance, and if the estate does not have the funds, the lender can repossess the vehicle.
Three situations change that. A cosigner remains responsible for payments regardless of the death. Credit life insurance, if the deceased carried it on the loan, pays off the balance. And some lenders will let an heir who wants to keep the vehicle assume the existing loan instead of paying it off. Call the lender early, because missed payments continue to accrue while the estate is being settled.
Once the loan is paid or assumed, the lender issues a lien release, which goes to PennDOT with the title transfer paperwork so the new title comes back clean.
Insurance and Odometer Disclosure
An existing auto policy generally stays active for a short period after the policyholder dies, typically through the estate settlement. A surviving spouse who was on the policy can usually continue as the primary policyholder after removing the deceased’s name. Confirm continuation in writing with the insurer.
If the vehicle was insured only in the deceased’s name and an heir plans to keep it, that heir needs their own policy before driving. Pennsylvania requires proof of current insurance for registration, and Section H of Form MV-39 (or Section F of Form MV-4ST) asks for the insurer, policy number, and policy dates.2PA.gov. Notification of Assignment/Correction of Vehicle Title Upon Death of Owner
Federal law requires an odometer reading whenever a vehicle changes hands, inheritance included. The mileage is recorded on the title assignment. Vehicles over 16,000 pounds gross weight are exempt, as are older vehicles past the federal age threshold. For 2026, that means vehicles of the 2010 model year or older are exempt; newer vehicles become exempt 20 years after their model year.11eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
Where to Submit the Paperwork
Mail the complete package to:
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
1101 South Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 1710412Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Contact Us – Driver and Vehicle Services
Or take it in person to an authorized messenger service (tag-and-title shop) or a PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Service Center. Messenger services can process the transfer on the spot and charge a service fee for doing so.13Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Titling and Registration Frequently Asked Questions
Check every form before it goes out. A missing signature, an incomplete Section D, or a mismatched VIN will send the package back and add weeks. Make copies of everything before mailing. The new title is mailed to the new owner’s address once PennDOT finishes its review.