How to Transfer Car Tags in North Carolina: Steps, Costs, and Penalties

To transfer car tags in North Carolina, take your existing plate, the new vehicle’s signed title, a completed MVR-1 title application, an odometer disclosure, proof of North Carolina insurance, and your driver’s license to any NCDMV License Plate Agency within 20 days of the date the plate was last used on the old vehicle.¹ You’ll pay $66.75 for the new title, $25.50 to reassign the plate, 3% Highway Use Tax on the vehicle’s value, and your county’s vehicle property tax.

When a Plate Transfer Applies

A transfer works when you, the same registered owner, are moving your plate from one vehicle to another you now own. Selling or trading a car and putting the old plate on the replacement is the standard case. State law requires you to pull the plates off any vehicle you sell, and from there you either surrender them to the DMV or move them to your next vehicle.¹

The 20-day clock starts on the date the plate was last used on the old vehicle. Missing it doesn’t lock you out of transferring, but you’ll be driving on lapsed registration and can trigger the late penalty described below.

What to Bring

The new vehicle’s title, signed over to you by the previous owner. Signatures on a North Carolina title or title application must be notarized.²
Title Application (MVR-1) with your name, address, Social Security Number, and the vehicle’s make, model, year, and VIN.
Odometer Disclosure Statement (MVR-180). A false reading can result in fines or imprisonment.³
Proof of insurance. Your insurer electronically files a North Carolina Certificate of Insurance (FS-1) with the DMV. Call ahead and confirm it’s on file before you go.⁴
The existing plate and its current registration card.
A valid North Carolina driver’s license or ID.

Buying from a dealership shifts some of this to the dealer, who typically handles the title assignment and FS-1 filing. Private-party buyers do the paperwork themselves.

Emissions Inspection First, If Your County Requires It

Nineteen counties require an on-board diagnostic emissions inspection before a plate transfer will go through, including Wake, Mecklenburg, Durham, Guilford, and Forsyth. Exemptions cover light-duty vehicles less than three years old or under 70,000 miles, vehicles 20 years or older, diesels, and registered farm vehicles.⁵ Outside those 19 counties, emissions testing isn’t part of the process.

Where to File

You can complete the transfer in person at any NCDMV License Plate Agency or by mail.⁶ In person is faster and lets the agent flag paperwork problems while you’re standing there. You’ll leave with an updated registration card and a new sticker for the transferred plate. Mail-in works but adds processing time, and the packet must be postmarked within 28 days of the purchase or notary date to avoid the late penalty.²

What It Costs

Certificate of title: $66.75.⁷
Plate transfer fee: $25.50.⁸
Highway Use Tax: 3% of the vehicle’s retail value, minus any trade-in allowance on a dealer purchase. Commercial motor vehicles and recreational vehicles cap at $2,000.⁹
Vehicle property tax. Under the Tag and Tax Together program, your county’s vehicle property tax is collected with your registration. The amount depends on your county rate and the vehicle’s assessed value.¹⁰

A quick example: on a $20,000 used car, the Highway Use Tax alone is $600. Add the $66.75 title fee and $25.50 transfer fee, then whatever your county property tax comes to.

Late Penalty

Miss the 28-day title deadline (counted from the purchase date or notary date on the title assignment, whichever comes later) and the DMV adds a $20 penalty.⁷ If the 28th day lands on a weekend or state holiday, the deadline rolls to the next business day.²

The penalty is waived for transfers between spouses, transfers that keep at least one existing owner on the title, and transfers by inheritance or bankruptcy.²

If You Need to Drive Before the Transfer Is Done

North Carolina issues temporary registration plates, sometimes called transit markers, for $10. They’re valid for 30 days from the date of issuance.¹¹ Dealers typically issue them at the point of sale; for private-party purchases, ask the DMV. The 30 days give you room to line up insurance and paperwork before finishing the transfer.

Two Situations This Doesn’t Cover

New residents moving in from another state can’t transfer their out-of-state plates. You’ll surrender the out-of-state title, obtain a North Carolina title, and receive new NC plates.¹²

Sellers, meanwhile, must pull their plates off any vehicle they sell.¹ Leaving the plate on the car exposes you to whatever toll charges, parking tickets, or camera-based violations the buyer picks up before registering the vehicle in their own name.

1
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 20-72 – Transfer by Owner
2
North Carolina Department of Transportation. Vehicle Registration Section Title Manual
3
North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles. Odometer Disclosure Statement MVR-180
4
N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles Liability Insurance FAQ
5
North Carolina Department of Transportation. Official NCDMV Vehicle Emission Inspection
6
North Carolina Department of Transportation. Official NCDMV Vehicle Title Transfers
7
North Carolina Department of Transportation. Division of Motor Vehicles Fee Schedule
8
North Carolina Department of Transportation. Official NCDMV Fees
9
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-187.3 – Rate of Tax
10
North Carolina Department of Revenue. Tag and Tax Together Project
11
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 20-79.1 – Use of Temporary Registration Plates or Markers
12
North Carolina Department of Transportation. Official NCDMV Vehicle Title Requirements