To write a bill of sale for a car in Connecticut, you can either fill out the DMV’s official Form H-31 or draft your own document, as long as it lists the seller’s and buyer’s names and addresses, the vehicle’s year, make, model, color, body style, and VIN, the odometer reading, the sale price, the date, and the signatures of both parties.1CT.gov. Get a Vehicle Bill of Sale The bill of sale works alongside the signed title certificate; neither document alone completes the transfer.
What the Bill of Sale Must Contain
Connecticut requires every private-sale bill of sale to include:1CT.gov. Get a Vehicle Bill of Sale
- Seller’s full legal name and address
- Buyer’s full legal name and address
- Vehicle description: year, make, model, color, body style, and Vehicle Identification Number
- Odometer reading at the time of sale
- Sale price
- Date of sale
- Signatures from both buyer and seller
The VIN is a 17-character code stamped on the driver’s side dashboard and printed on the title. Check every character against the title before writing it down. A single transposed digit can derail the registration later.
Filling Out Form H-31
You can download Form H-31 as a PDF from the Connecticut DMV website or pick up a copy at any branch office.2CT.gov. Bill of Sale Form H-31 The form covers motor vehicles, vessels, and other property, so check the “Motor Vehicle” box at the top.
The seller section comes first: print your full name and complete street address. Below that, fill in the purchaser’s name and address. The vehicle description section asks for make, year, color, model name or number, body style (such as “4-Dr. Sedan”), odometer reading, and VIN.2CT.gov. Bill of Sale Form H-31 Enter the selling price at the top of the form and the sale date in the certification area at the bottom.
Use black or blue ink on a printed copy, and print clearly enough that a DMV clerk won’t have to guess at any character. The form has a signature line for the seller; the buyer should also sign, since the DMV lists the buyer’s signature as a required element of the bill of sale.1CT.gov. Get a Vehicle Bill of Sale
Form H-31 is not mandatory. Connecticut lets you draft your own bill of sale as long as it contains all the required information above. Using the official form removes any doubt about whether your document meets DMV requirements.
Notarization is not required for a standard private vehicle bill of sale in Connecticut. The signatures of both parties are enough.1CT.gov. Get a Vehicle Bill of Sale
Signing the Title Along With the Bill of Sale
The bill of sale by itself does not transfer ownership. The seller also has to sign the reverse side of the certificate of title and hand the physical title to the buyer.3CT.gov. Sell Your Vehicle The assignment section on the back of the title is where the seller prints the buyer’s name and address, records the odometer reading, enters the sale price and date, and signs.
The signed title and the bill of sale both go to the buyer. Make sure the odometer figure, sale price, and date match on both documents so nothing looks inconsistent when the buyer registers the vehicle.
Federal Odometer Disclosure
Federal law requires the seller to formally disclose the vehicle’s odometer reading during any title transfer. The disclosure must certify whether the reading reflects actual mileage, whether the odometer has exceeded its mechanical limits, or whether the reading is inaccurate.4eCFR. Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements In Connecticut, this disclosure appears on the title assignment and in the odometer reading field on the bill of sale.
Not every vehicle needs odometer disclosure. For transfers in 2026, vehicles with a 2010 model year or older are exempt under the transitional 10-year rule. Vehicles from 2011 onward won’t become exempt until 20 years from their model year. Heavy vehicles over 16,000 pounds gross weight and non-self-propelled vehicles are also exempt.4eCFR. Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
Odometer fraud carries real consequences. Anyone who tampers with an odometer or provides a false disclosure with intent to defraud faces civil liability of three times actual damages or $10,000, whichever is greater.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 US Code 32710 – Civil Actions by Private Persons Criminal penalties can reach up to three years in prison and $250,000 in fines per violation. If the reading looks suspiciously low for the vehicle’s age, ask questions before you sign.
Gifts and Family Transfers
The bill of sale still matters when no money changes hands. Connecticut waives sales tax on transfers between immediate family members, meaning a parent, child, sibling, or spouse. Grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles do not qualify.6CT.gov. Transfer Car Ownership
The vehicle must have been registered in the family member’s name for at least 60 days before the transfer for the exemption to apply. The bill of sale should still reflect the transaction; for a gift, write $0 as the price.6CT.gov. Transfer Car Ownership All other fields (names, addresses, VIN, odometer, date, signatures) are filled out the same way as in any private sale.
Keeping Copies
Both parties should keep copies of the signed bill of sale and title for several years. For the seller, these documents prove you no longer owned the vehicle if a dispute later arises over parking tickets, toll violations, or an accident that happened after the sale date. For the buyer, the bill of sale establishes the purchase price, which the DMV uses to calculate sales tax and which may matter if you later sell the car or file an insurance claim. Private vehicle sales in Connecticut are generally as-is transactions, so the bill of sale is the clearest record of what both parties agreed to on the day of the sale.