Sell your car in South Dakota, no notary, no inspection, no runaround.
South Dakota keeps car selling refreshingly simple: no notary, no safety or emissions inspection, and a title transfer that fits on the back of the title itself. The one quirk worth knowing is the 45-day seller's permit — the state genuinely requires you to hand one to your buyer. Here's the whole rulebook, plus city guides for Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Aberdeen.
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The rules above are state law, so they’re the same in every South Dakota county; your buyer just titles the car at their own county treasurer’s office. Selling in Rapid City? Start with our Rapid City page.
How to sell a car in South Dakota
- 01Get the lien released so Pierre prints your title. South Dakota prints no paper title while a lien is noted, so a seller still paying off the car has nothing to sign. Ask your lender to release the lien, either electronically or on Form 1503 if it isn't in the Electronic Lien & Title system. The department then prints the title and mails it to you. Title lost? File a Duplicate Title Application (Form 1002): $10 plus the $2 technology fee.
- 02Sign with the exact name printed on the face. The South Dakota title transfer happens in the assignment on the reverse of the certificate. Print the buyer's name and complete address and the date of sale, then sign using the exact name shown on the front. Owners joined by "and", or by no word at all, must all sign; "or" means either one can. On a model year 2011 or newer car, the odometer statement goes in the same block, in whole miles, for twenty years, even if a counter still quotes the old ten-year rule. Model year 2010 and older is exempt. No notary is needed. The state has no correction form, so a spoiled assignment means applying for a duplicate title. Leave the reassignment blocks alone; they're for licensed dealers.
- 03Fill in Form 1025 so the tax follows your price. Complete the South Dakota bill of sale, Form 1025, and give your buyer a copy. It doesn't prove ownership here. It sets the tax: without it, the county treasurer charges your buyer 4% of a dealers' guide value instead of the price you agreed. Selling cheap because of hail or a dead engine? Say so in the condition box.
- 04Unbolt your plates, or lose their credit. The plates are yours, and SDCL 32-5-2.7 makes removing them your job. Leave them on and it's a Class 2 misdemeanor, and you lose the credit. Put them on your next car at the county treasurer's counter and the unused months come off that bill, plus a $5 reassignment fee. There's no refund if you never reattach them.
- 05Hand the buyer a free 45-day seller's permit. Your plates stay with you, so South Dakota makes you supply the buyer's permit to drive the car home. It costs you nothing. Not giving one is another Class 2 misdemeanor.
- 06File your report of sale when the car changes hands. The law says at the time of sale, with no grace period. Use the tear-off strip at the foot of a recently issued title, the state's online vehicle portal, or the Seller's Report of Sale (Form 1024). File Form 1024 yourself; don't hand it to the buyer. The report only tells the state you sold. The car stays in your name until the buyer applies, so photograph the signed assignment before it leaves your hands.
- 07Deliver the title; your buyer then has 45 days. You must get the signed title to your buyer within 45 days of the sale. They have 45 days to take it to the county treasurer's office in the county where they live, with a Form 1001 title application and your bill of sale. They pay the 4% motor vehicle excise tax, a $10 title fee and a $2 technology fee. Buyer still hasn't applied by day 46? SDCL 32-3-27 lets you file a written complaint.
Checked against the South Dakota Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division in August 2026.
What South Dakota requires when you sell
| Notary | Not required for a standard private sale — seller and buyer simply sign the assignment on the back of the title. A notary only enters the picture in unusual cases, like someone signing under a power of attorney. |
|---|---|
| The title form | There’s no separate assignment form — the transfer section is printed on the back of the South Dakota title, and the odometer statement goes inside that same block. The state’s Bill of Sale (Form 1025) goes with it; the separate Odometer Disclosure (Form 1021) is only for transfers where the title can’t carry the reading, such as a duplicate application or a title a lender holds electronically. You have 45 days from the sale to deliver the title to your buyer. |
| Bill of sale | Required. SDCL 32-5B-4(3) has you and your buyer submit a bill of sale to the county treasurer. The state’s version is Form 1025, though other solid proof of the price is accepted. Skip it and your buyer’s 4% excise tax is charged on a dealers’ guide value instead of the price you agreed. It never stands in for the signed title. Source: SD Form 1025 |
| The 45-day seller's permit | South Dakota’s one genuine quirk: the seller must hand the buyer a free 45-day seller’s permit, printable through the state’s online vehicle portal or at a county treasurer’s kiosk. Failing to provide it is a Class 2 misdemeanor — so don’t skip it. |
| Damage disclosure | As of July 1, 2015, the Department of Revenue no longer mandates a damage disclosure statement with the transfer. One less form than the old days. |
| Lost your title? | File a Duplicate Title Application (Form 1002) at your county treasurer’s office for $10 plus a $2 technology fee, or start the process online at my605drive.sd.gov. Cheap and quick by national standards. |
| Protect yourself after the sale | File the Seller’s Report of Sale (Form 1024) — or log into the state’s Vehicle Registration & Plates portal, select the vehicle you sold, and pick “report of sale” from the dropdown. A recently issued title also has a tear-off report of sale at its foot. The deadline is the time of sale: SDCL 32-5-2.10 gives no grace period, and not filing is a Class 2 misdemeanor. The report only notifies the state; the car stays in your name until your buyer applies. |
| License plates | Plates stay with you, not the car — pull them off when it sells. Buy another vehicle and you can transfer the plates to it. |
| Sales tax | The buyer’s problem, not yours. South Dakota collects a 4% motor vehicle excise tax on the purchase price when the new owner titles and registers within 45 days — late applications draw a $1-per-week penalty (capped at $50) plus interest on the tax owed. |
| Inspections | None for an ordinary sale. South Dakota has no safety or emissions inspection program. The only inspection in the system is the $25 check for a rebuilt vehicle (Form 1016), so a normal used car changing hands never meets an inspector. |
Rules current as of August 2026 — confirm the details on the official South Dakota DOR Motor Vehicles page before you sign anything unusual.
No notary needed here, unlike a handful of states; a replacement title runs $10 — compare all fifty; what protects you after handoff; selling when the title is gone; or price the South Dakota transfer in the fee calculator.
Asked by South Dakota sellers
Do I need a notary to sell my car in South Dakota?
No. In a standard private sale, seller and buyer just sign the assignment on the back of the title. A notary only comes up in unusual situations, such as someone signing under a power of attorney.
What is the 45-day seller's permit, and do I really have to provide it?
Yes, really. South Dakota requires the seller to hand the buyer a free 45-day seller's permit, which you can print through the state's online vehicle portal or at a county treasurer's kiosk. Failing to provide one is a Class 2 misdemeanor, and professional buyers will expect it as part of the handoff.
I lost my title. Can I still sell my car?
Get a duplicate first — it's a $10 Duplicate Title Application, plus a $2 technology fee, at your county treasurer's office, and the state lets you start the process online at my605drive.sd.gov. Once the duplicate is in hand, the sale proceeds normally.
Do I owe sales tax when I sell my car in South Dakota?
No. The 4% motor vehicle excise tax is charged to the buyer when they title and register the vehicle, which they must do within 45 days of purchase. Your side of the deal is the signed title, a bill of sale showing the real price (without one, your buyer is taxed on a dealers' guide value), your plates off the car, the seller's permit, and the report of sale.