Question 1

District of Columbia: Do you need a separate bill of sale?

Accepted Answer

DMV asks the buyer for one; DC has no official form. DC DMV lists a "Car Bill of Sale" among the original documents a buyer needs to get a new title, and its private-sale advice says to get one. That is a DMV document requirement for the buyer's title application, not a statute. The bill of sale also matters for the excise tax: DMV values a used car from the NADA guide and uses the bill of sale only if NADA has no value (18 DCMR § 401.16). Gifts: the excise tax exemption covers only parent-to-child, child-to-parent, spouse and domestic partner transfers of a DC-titled vehicle, on DMV's Excise Tax Gift Exemption Form with proof of the relationship.  A bill of sale doesn't replace a lost title. Get a duplicate first; DMV's online duplicate is only for titles with no changes, such as an ownership change.

Question 2

District of Columbia: Does the title need a notary or witnesses?

Accepted Answer

Neither. 18 DCMR § 402.1: within four business days after delivering the vehicle, the owner executes an assignment and warranty of title in the space on the certificate and delivers the certificate to the buyer. If the title lists more than one owner, all of them sign the back. Neither the rule nor DC DMV's buying, selling or title pages call for a notary or witness.  This is an absence finding: no DC source says "no notary" in so many words. (DC DMV's Vehicle Power of Attorney form, used only when someone signs for an owner, says it is valid without notarization.)

Question 3

District of Columbia: What happens to the plates?

Accepted Answer

Off at the sale; cancel or turn in within 5 business days, unless you move them to another vehicle. DC DMV: remove your tags; if you are not transferring them, surrender them. 18 DCMR § 415.3 sets the deadline: unless you acquire another vehicle within five business days of the sale, you deliver the tags and the registration card to DMV within that time. The primary owner of an individually registered vehicle can cancel online instead, and then must mark through the tag number and dispose of the tags; everyone else surrenders by mail or at a service center. To move the tags to another vehicle you own, ask DMV within five business days of getting it (18 DCMR § 416.1; D.C. Code § 50-1501.02(e)(2)). A refund of unused registration may be available in six-month increments, up to 18 months.  Do not cancel the insurance until the tags are surrendered; if you mail them, wait for the receipt. Remove the registration sticker too. While your tags stay on the car, you can be liable for its tickets.

Question 4

District of Columbia: Do you have to tell the District you sold it?

Accepted Answer

No notice of sale. The tag cancellation receipt is your record. D.C. Code § 50-1501.02(e)(1): the registration expires on the sale. DC DMV has no seller's notice-of-sale or release-of-liability form (none on its forms page or its selling page). What the District gives you is the receipt when you surrender or cancel the tags (18 DCMR § 415.4), and DC DMV says to keep it in case a ticket is wrongly issued to the canceled tag. The deadline is the tag deadline: 5 business days (see Plates).  Absence finding for the notice: we found no form, but DC doesn't state that none exists.

Question 5

District of Columbia: Where does the odometer reading go?

Accepted Answer

On the back of the title, when you sign it over. DC DMV: for a used car the odometer statement is the certification of mileage on the back of the title when it's signed over, and the reading goes on the back of the title in a private sale. The buyer also certifies the mileage on the Certificate of Title/Temporary Tag Application. Federal law (49 CFR 580.17): model year 2010 and older are exempt; model year 2011 and newer need disclosure until 20 years after their model year.  DC DMV's buying page still says disclosure statements "should be available for vehicles less than 10 years old", which is the old federal rule. Use the 20-year rule.

Question 6

How do you transfer a car title in the District of Columbia?

Accepted Answer

Sign the title over. Notary or witnesses: Neither. Record the mileage. On the back of the title, when you sign it over. Bill of sale. DMV asks the buyer for one; DC has no official form. The plates. Off at the sale; cancel or turn in within 5 business days, unless you move them to another vehicle. Tell the District. No notice of sale. The tag cancellation receipt is your record. The buyer titles and registers it where they live, under those rules.

State	Notary on the title?	Plates	Tell the state?
District of Columbia (this page)	Neither	Off at the sale; cancel or turn in within 5 business days, unless you move them to another vehicle	No notice of sale. The tag cancellation receipt is your record
Maryland	Neither	Off — then return them to the MVA, or move them to your next vehicle	No notice — the plate return is the act
Virginia	Neither	Off before they take possession — then turn them in	Yes — and you can do it by phone

District of Columbia car bill of sale Do you need one, and how does the title transfer in the District of Columbia?

Do you need a separate bill of sale?

What’s different about selling in the District of Columbia

Watch: District of Columbia in under 30 seconds

How a title transfer works in the District of Columbia

Does the title need a notary or witnesses?

What happens to the plates?

Do you have to tell the District you sold it?

Where does the odometer reading go?

If a lender holds the title

The forms the District of Columbia publishes

Check it yourself

Selling near the District of Columbia line

Ready to handle the paperwork?

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