Sell your car in Vermont: bill of sale, plates off, registration back
Vermont is a small state full of hard-working cars: salted winters, dirt-road springs, and a yearly inspection that decides many a vehicle's fate. Selling privately here is refreshingly light on red tape — no notary and no release-of-liability form — but the law still asks you to send back your registration certificate, and the details are below.
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Rutland gets more car-selling searches than any other Vermont town, and the Rutland page covers the local details. The Vermont DMV steps on this page are the same in every town in the state.
How to sell a car in Vermont
- 01Check whether your car sells on a title or on a registration. A Vermont car sells on its Certificate of Title, with one exception: a model year 2009 or older car registered in Vermont, with no change of owner since January 1, 2024, sells on its registration certificate instead, and the buyer gets the car's first title when they register it. If the buyer will register it in another state, get a title yourself before you list it. A lost title needs a duplicate on VT-004 before you sell; a title that exists somewhere but can't be obtained goes through a Vermont bonded title, open only to Vermont residents.
- 02No electronic liens here: get the lender's release on paper. Vermont does not run an electronic lien system, so a paid-off loan still shows on the certificate. Your lender signs VT-008 or writes a release on its letterhead. Every lien listed must be released before the title can pass to your buyer; sent to the DMV with the title and $42.00, the release gets you a fresh certificate without the lender's name on it.
- 03Fill in VT-005, the Vermont bill of sale. The state requires a bill of sale in every private sale: VT-005, or any sheet with the six items the DMV names. On a model year 2011 or newer car, disclose the mileage on the back of VT-005 or on the odometer statement on the back of the title, and the buyer signs too; 2010 and older are exempt. Answer the emissions time-extension waiver question above your signature. If the car was ever salvaged, rebuilt or totaled, say so out loud and in writing: under 23 V.S.A. § 2093, a buyer who wasn't told can claim back the whole price.
- 04Every owner signs the back, and your registration ends there. This is the Vermont title transfer, and there is no separate seller's form. Every owner named on the front signs as seller in the assignment of ownership section on the back, and you write the buyer's name on the “transferred to” line yourself. No notary is needed. Sign only once you're paid: your registration expires the moment the signed title changes hands. A mistake can't be crossed out (it takes a VN-020 from whoever made it), and someone signing for you needs a VN-101, witnessed and notarized. Photocopy the signed title and the bill of sale before they leave the table.
- 05Plates off: 24 hours to move them, five days to return them. In Vermont the plates belong to you, not the car, and the DMV says not to leave them on it. There's no sticker to peel off: Act 41 of 2023 ended the plate validation sticker. To put them on another vehicle you own, apply within 24 hours; the registration moves over for $30.00 on a VD-119. Otherwise the DMV's FAQ says returning plates is optional, while 23 V.S.A. § 321 says they go back to the Commissioner five days after the transfer.
- 06Endorse the registration certificate and send it back. Vermont has no release-of-liability form, but § 321 still gives you a duty: return your registration certificate to the Commissioner right away, with the date of transfer and the buyer's name and residence written on the back. The Commissioner may accept other satisfactory proof, such as a copy of your VT-005, and Mark Vehicle Sold in your myDMV account does the same job online. To cancel the registration and ask about a refund, add VD-170; if the plates are going on another car, answer No to its third Yes/No question.
- 07Your buyer registers on VD-119, then has 15 days to pass inspection. Your buyer takes the title and bill of sale to a DMV office, or posts them to Montpelier, with a completed VD-119. They pay the $42.00 title fee, the registration fee and Vermont's car sales tax together: 6% purchase and use tax on the price or the J.D. Power clean trade-in value, whichever is greater. You collect none of it. They register before they drive (Vermont sets no day count for an in-state buyer), then have 15 days to pass the Vermont vehicle inspection, safety and emissions in one visit, with no grace period.
- 08Bought another car? Claim the tax back. If Vermont purchase and use tax was paid on the car you sold, and this sale falls within three months of buying another vehicle, with at least one registered owner on both registrations, VD-115 refunds 6% of the sold car's J.D. Power clean trade-in value. Nobody offers it at the counter. You have one year from paying the tax on the new car to ask.
If you'd rather skip the listing, you can get an instant cash offer here instead.
Checked against the Vermont DMV in August 2026.
What Vermont requires when you sell
| Notary | Not required for a standard private sale. The title assignment and the state's Bill of Sale & Odometer Disclosure Statement (form VT-005) carry no notary block at all. There are two exceptions: the VT-025 affidavit, notarized only when a vehicle has no title or registration record in the national NMVTIS database — a rare situation — and the VN-101 vehicle power of attorney, which needs both a witness and a notary when someone else signs for you. |
|---|---|
| The title form | There is no separate seller's transfer form. Every owner named on the title signs the assignment section on the back of the Certificate of Title, the buyer's name goes on the transferred-to line, and any lien must be released. Pair it with form VT-005 — bill of sale plus odometer disclosure, the odometer part required for model year 2011 or newer. The buyer then registers with form VD-119. |
| Bill of sale | Required in every private sale. Your Vermont vehicle bill of sale can be the state's own VT-005, which carries the odometer disclosure on its back, or any sheet with the six items the DMV lists: make, year, VIN, purchase price, mileage, and the seller's signature and date of sale. Source: VT-005, Vermont DMV. |
| Cars from 2009 and older | Vermont's famous quirk: a vehicle of model year 2009 or older that is registered in Vermont and has not changed owners since January 1, 2024 has no title — the registration certificate is the ownership document, handed over with a signed bill of sale. Selling it ends the exemption: the buyer gets the car's first title when they register it. Selling to an out-of-state buyer? The DMV recommends getting a title first, since most states demand one to register it. (Act 41 of 2023 made titles required for all vehicles from January 1, 2024; this grandfather rule is fixed to that date, so no newer model year will join it.) |
| Lost your title? | A replacement costs $42.00 (form VT-004). If your last title showed no liens, order it online at mydmv.vermont.gov; otherwise apply in person at any DMV office or by mail to Montpelier, with proof the lien was released — form VT-008 or a release on the lienholder's letterhead. |
| Protect yourself after the sale | Vermont has no release-of-liability form, but 23 V.S.A. § 321 still gives you a duty: return your registration certificate right away, with the date of transfer and the new owner's name and residence written on the back. The Commissioner may accept other satisfactory proof, such as a copy of your bill of sale, and Mark Vehicle Sold in your myDMV account does the same job online. Form VD-170 cancels the registration and plates and asks for a refund of your registration fee. |
| License plates | Plates belong to you, not the car — take them off before the vehicle leaves. To move them to another vehicle you own, apply within 24 hours; the registration transfers for $30.00 on the VD-119 application. Otherwise the DMV's FAQ says returning plates is optional, but 23 V.S.A. § 321 says they go back to the Commissioner five days after the transfer. Returning them with VD-170 is how you ask for the refund noted above. |
| Sales tax | The buyer pays Vermont's 6% Purchase and Use Tax when they register or title the car — sellers collect nothing. Tax is charged on the purchase price or the J.D. Power clean trade-in value, whichever is greater; a buyer of a car genuinely worth less than book can submit a dealer appraisal (form VD-012) to be taxed on the lower figure. |
| Inspections | Every registered vehicle needs a safety inspection once a year (23 V.S.A. § 1222), with an emissions/OBD-II check built in. Roughly 1,600 privately owned stations statewide perform them, and the DMV confirms there is no grace period on an expired sticker. |
Fees and rules above verified as of August 2026 against the Vermont DMV's vehicle title pages — check there for anything that may have changed since.
No notary needed here, unlike a handful of states; a replacement title runs $42 — compare all fifty; what protects you after handoff; whether you need a bill of sale; or price the Vermont transfer in the fee calculator.
Asked by Vermont sellers
Do I need a title to sell my car in Vermont?
Yes, unless it's a model year 2009 or older car that is registered in Vermont and hasn't changed owners since January 1, 2024. That car sells on its registration certificate and a signed bill of sale, and the buyer gets its first title when they register it. If your buyer is from out of state, get a title first, because most states require one to register the car.
Who pays the sales tax on a private sale?
The buyer, when they register — Vermont charges a 6% Purchase and Use Tax on the price or the J.D. Power clean trade-in value, whichever is higher. As the seller you collect nothing and remit nothing.
Do I have to notify the Vermont DMV after selling?
Yes, even though there's no form for it. 23 V.S.A. § 321 says to return your registration certificate to the Commissioner immediately, with the date of transfer and the new owner's name and residence written on the back. The Commissioner may accept other satisfactory proof, such as a copy of your bill of sale, and Mark Vehicle Sold in your myDMV account does the same job online. Form VD-170 cancels the registration and plates and lets you ask for a refund.
Can I sell a car whose inspection sticker has expired?
Yes — Vermont puts no inspection duty on the seller, and nothing in the sale depends on one. The buyer has 15 days from registering the car to pass the combined safety and emissions inspection, and the DMV gives no grace period, so expect it to come up in the price conversation.