Sell your car in Tennessee — no notary, no emissions test, no runaround
Tennessee makes private car sales unusually low-friction: the transfer form is printed on the back of the title, no notary is required, and there isn't an emissions test left anywhere in the state. Here's how the paperwork actually works — and how to skip the meeting-strangers part entirely.
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Pick your metro
No two Tennessee markets sell alike: Memphis runs on work trucks and wariness, Nashville on turnover, Knoxville on the UT calendar, Chattanooga on plant-town car sense, and Clarksville on Army orders. Pick your city for the local playbook.
What Tennessee requires when you sell
| Notary | No. Tennessee titles are not notarized — sign the back exactly as your name reads on the front, and if two owners are joined by "AND," both must sign. Some out-of-state titles do require a notarized seller signature, so check yours if the car was titled elsewhere. |
|---|---|
| The title form | There isn't a separate one. The assignment is printed on the back of the Tennessee Certificate of Title: sign it over with the odometer disclosure, and the buyer takes it to a county clerk to title and register. Gifts, lineal-relative transfers, and below-market sales use the notarized Affidavit of Non-Dealer Transfers instead. |
| Lost your title? | A duplicate costs $14 plus any county fees, through your county clerk, on the Multi-purpose application (form RV-F1315201). Every lien must be discharged first — if one remains, the lienholder has to make the request — and if you've left the state, you apply through your last Tennessee county of residence. Details. |
| Protect yourself after the sale | Tennessee has no release-of-liability or notice-of-sale filing for private sellers — the transfer completes when the buyer titles the vehicle at a county clerk. Your paper trail is a dated copy of the signed-over title plus a bill of sale, and your plate leaves with you, not the car. |
| License plates | Plates follow the owner, not the vehicle. Remove yours when the car sells; moving it to your next vehicle costs $1 at the county clerk's office. Plate rules. |
| Sales tax | Paid by the buyer at titling: 7% state tax on the price, local option tax on the first $1,600 (capped by county), and the 2.75% state single-article tax on the portion between $1,600 and $3,200 (maximum $44). Transfers between spouses, siblings, parents and children — and bona fide gifts — are exempt. Tax details. |
| Inspections | None, anywhere in the state. Emissions testing ended January 14, 2022 in Hamilton, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson counties and February 5, 2022 in Davidson — and no other Tennessee county ever required it. |
Verified against the Tennessee Department of Revenue's vehicle titling pages as of August 2026. Fees and procedures can change — your county clerk has the final word.
Asked by Tennessee sellers
Do I need a notary to sell my car in Tennessee?
No. Tennessee titles are not notarized — you sign the assignment on the back exactly as your name appears on the front, and if two owners are listed with "AND," both sign. The only wrinkle is out-of-state titles, some of which do require a notarized seller signature.
Who pays the sales tax on a private car sale in Tennessee?
The buyer, when they title and register at the county clerk: 7% state tax plus capped local and single-article taxes. As the seller you collect nothing and owe nothing — and transfers between spouses, siblings, parents and children, plus genuine gifts, are exempt entirely.
What do I do with my license plate after selling?
Take it off the car — Tennessee plates follow the owner, not the vehicle. You can move it to your next car for a $1 transfer fee at the county clerk, or surrender it if you're done driving.
How do I protect myself after the sale if Tennessee has no release-of-liability form?
Keep your own record: a copy of the title showing the date and both signatures, plus a bill of sale with the price and the buyer's information. The transfer becomes official when the buyer titles the car at a county clerk, so your dated paperwork is what proves the moment the car stopped being yours.