A Wyoming bill of sale is a written record of a private vehicle sale that identifies the buyer, seller, vehicle, purchase price, and date of the transaction. The buyer brings it to the county clerk, along with the signed and notarized title, to pay sales tax and have a new title issued. Wyoming doesn’t publish one mandatory form, so what matters is that your document contains the information the clerk needs to process the transfer under W.S. 31-2-103.
What to Put in the Document
At a minimum, your bill of sale should cover the same ground the title application statute asks about.1Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Statutes Title 31 Motor Vehicles Include:
- Full legal names and mailing addresses of the buyer and the seller.
- Vehicle description: year, make, body type, motive power, and the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
- Purchase price in dollars.
- Date of sale.
- Any liens or encumbrances, named by lienholder and amount.
- Odometer reading at the time of sale.
The purchase price does real work on this form. The county clerk uses it to calculate sales tax, and a figure that looks suspiciously low can be challenged, with fair market value substituted instead. Be honest about the number you actually paid.
If a lien appears on the title, the clerk will not transfer ownership until the buyer presents a termination statement or lien release from the lienholder.2Albany County, WY. Auto Titles Flag any outstanding loan on the bill of sale so neither party is surprised at the counter.
Signing and Notarization
Here’s the distinction that trips people up. The vehicle title itself must be signed in front of a notary. The bill of sale doesn’t always have to be. Under W.S. 31-2-104, the seller endorses the assignment on the back of the certificate of title, signs it before a notarial officer, and delivers the title to the buyer along with a statement of all liens.1Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Statutes Title 31 Motor Vehicles That notarized title assignment is the legally binding transfer. The bill of sale backs it up.
Some county clerks will accept an unnotarized bill of sale when the title is properly notarized, but getting both notarized is cheap insurance. A Wyoming notary can charge no more than $10 per notarial act.3Justia Law. Wyoming Code 32-3-126 – Notarial Officer Fees Many county clerk offices keep a notary on staff who can handle the signatures during your title appointment.
Odometer Reading
Federal law requires an odometer disclosure on every vehicle transfer within the first 20 model years. Since January 1, 2021, that extended window has applied to Model Year 2011 and newer vehicles. Model Year 2010 and older vehicles stay under the previous 10-year rule and are generally exempt.4National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert: Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements
Wyoming folds this disclosure into the title itself. The seller writes the exact mileage at the time of sale on the back of the title and checks a box if the odometer has rolled past its mechanical limit or is known to be inaccurate.1Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Statutes Title 31 Motor Vehicles Repeating the same reading on the bill of sale creates a second layer of documentation, and the two numbers should match exactly.
Falsifying mileage carries federal consequences. Under 49 U.S.C. ยง 32709, civil penalties reach $10,000 per vehicle with a ceiling of $1,000,000 for a related series of violations, and a criminal conviction can bring up to three years in prison.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32709 – Civil and Criminal Penalties Prosecutors must prove the seller acted knowingly and willfully, but a discrepancy between the title and the bill of sale is exactly the kind of paper trail that invites an investigation.
Adding “As-Is” Language
Most private vehicle sales happen as is, meaning the buyer accepts the vehicle in its current condition with no promises about what might break next week. Under the Uniform Commercial Code, phrases like “as is” or “with all faults” exclude all implied warranties, but only when the language is conspicuous in the document.6Legal Information Institute. UCC 2-316 Exclusion or Modification of Warranties
Put the disclaimer in bold or capital letters near the signature line. A sentence like “BUYER ACCEPTS THIS VEHICLE AS IS, WITH ALL FAULTS, AND WITH NO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND” works. Burying the phrase in small print gives a buyer room to argue they weren’t adequately put on notice, and sellers who skip the language entirely leave themselves exposed to an implied warranty claim if the vehicle fails soon after the sale.
Sales Tax: The 65-Day Clock
Wyoming charges a 4% state sales tax on vehicle purchases, and counties add their own local-option tax on top. Combined rates run from 4% in counties with no local addition up to 9% in a few jurisdictions.7Wyoming Excise Tax Division. Sales and Use Tax Rate Charts Confirm your county’s rate before you agree on a price.
The buyer must pay the tax within 65 days of the purchase date. After that, penalties and interest start stacking under W.S. 39-15-108:8Justia Law. Wyoming Code 39-15-108 – Enforcement
- Days 65 through 75: a flat $25 civil fee, plus interest at 1% per month from day 65.
- After day 75: the civil fee becomes $25 or 10% of the tax owed, whichever is greater, with interest continuing to accrue monthly.
On a $15,000 vehicle in a county with a 5% combined rate, the tax bill is $750. Miss the 75-day mark and you add a $75 penalty on top of accumulated interest. The county treasurer collects these fees when you come in to title the vehicle, and there is no waiver that makes them disappear.
Taking Everything to the County Clerk
Bring the following to finalize the transfer:
- The original title, signed and notarized by the seller, with the buyer’s name and address filled in on the assignment section.
- The bill of sale showing the purchase price, vehicle description, and both parties’ information.
- Valid photo identification. The buyer signs the purchaser’s application in front of a notary, which the clerk’s office can usually handle on the spot.9Teton County, WY. Titling Previously-Owned Vehicles with a Wyoming Title
- A lien release if any lienholder appears on the title.
- A VIN inspection by a Wyoming law enforcement officer if the title is from out of state.1Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Statutes Title 31 Motor Vehicles
- Payment: the $15 title fee plus the sales tax owed.
You have 45 days after a private-party purchase to register the vehicle. During that window you can legally drive it as long as the executed title is in your possession. Dealer and auctioneer purchases get 60 days under the temporary permit the seller issues at the time of sale.10Platte County Wyoming. Registration Requirements Once the clerk collects the fees and processes the paperwork, they issue a new certificate of title in the buyer’s name.
Gift Transfers
When a vehicle changes hands as a gift, Wyoming still requires the transfer to go through the county clerk with a notarized title assignment. The bill of sale should list the purchase price as $0 and describe the transaction as a gift. Wyoming has considered legislation to exempt immediate family transfers from sales tax, so ask your county clerk whether a family exemption is currently in effect before assuming you owe nothing.
On the federal side, if the vehicle’s fair market value exceeds $19,000, the donor may need to file IRS Form 709. The $19,000 annual exclusion applies for both 2025 and 2026.11Internal Revenue Service. Gifts and Inheritances Filing the return doesn’t mean paying gift tax. The excess simply counts against the donor’s lifetime exemption.
Keep Your Copies
Both buyer and seller should hold onto copies of the bill of sale, the signed title, and any related receipts indefinitely. The seller’s copy proves they no longer owned the vehicle as of a specific date, which matters if the new owner collects parking tickets, toll violations, or an accident report after the sale. Without that documentation, untangling yourself from someone else’s problems gets expensive.
The buyer’s copy establishes the original purchase price, which comes up when reselling the vehicle, filing an insurance claim, or disputing a tax assessment. Keep digital copies alongside the paper originals so a single lost folder doesn’t erase the record.