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Idaho car bill of sale Do you need one? And what else does Idaho require?

Only as a fallback. Below: the title signature, the plates, telling the state, and the odometer — each with the source it came from.

Do you need a separate bill of sale?

Only as a fallback

The transfer runs on a properly released title. Idaho does publish a Bill of Sale, form 3738, but it comes into play where a properly released title cannot be obtained — and that route needs a Conditional Title Statement of Facts and extra steps. Treat it as a rescue, not a routine.

Source: Idaho ITD, Vehicle Titles; form 3738

Does the title need a notary or witnesses?

Neither

Idaho's list of required titling documents for a private-party purchase is the existing title with proper signatures releasing the previous owner's and any lienholder's interest, an odometer disclosure where the year and weight call for one, a VIN inspection if the vehicle is coming from another state or has never been titled in Idaho, and the fees. No notary. A power of attorney is needed only where a county assessor is signing the application for you by post.

Source: Idaho Transportation Department, Vehicle Titles, checked Oct 12 2026

What happens to the plates?

Off — they stay with you

Idaho's Notice of Release of Liability form says to remove your plates upon sale or transfer. By law the plates stay with the seller and do not go with the vehicle. You may transfer them through a DMV office to another vehicle you own.

Source: Idaho ITD form 3858, Notice of Release of Liability; Idaho Code 49-431

Do you have to tell the state you sold it?

Yes. Within 5 days of delivering it

Within five days after delivering the vehicle to its new owner you must file a Notice of Release of Liability. What it protects you from is specific: liability for death or injury, property damage, motor vehicle infractions, towing, storage, repair or service charges after you deliver the vehicle. File it online and it is processed immediately; the paper form carries a $3.50 fee. There is no reason to use the paper one.

Source: Idaho ITD, Release of Liability; form 3858

Where does the odometer reading go?

On the title — newer than 2010, under 16,000 lbs

Idaho asks for an odometer disclosure on the title for vehicles newer than 2010 weighing under 16,000 lbs. Worth knowing if you are getting a duplicate title in order to sell: Idaho's Duplicate with Transfer is only available where the vehicle is odometer exempt, so for a newer vehicle that shortcut is closed.

Source: Idaho ITD, Vehicle Titles; 49 CFR 580.5(c)

The forms Idaho publishes

  • Notice of Release of Liability (3858) — Yours to file, within 5 days. Online is processed immediately; the paper form is $3.50. Where: dmvonline.itd.idaho.gov. Revision: Rev 10/23.
  • Bill of Sale (3738) — Only where a properly released title cannot be obtained. Needs extra steps. Where: itd.idaho.gov → DMV forms. Revision: Rev. 10/23.

Selling here, registering somewhere else

These are the rules where you are selling, not where the buyer is taking it. The title is signed under Idaho’s rules, and the plate and the notice are yours to handle here.

Registering it and paying tax falls under the buyer’s own state’s rules.

How Idaho compares

Counted from the same answers, for all fifty states.

See how Idaho compares with the other 49 states
  • Idaho is with the majority: no notary or witnesses on the title signature. Only 7 states want one — Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Wyoming.
  • In Idaho the plates do not go to the buyer. They stay with the vehicle in only 4 states — Alaska, California, Hawaii and Minnesota.
  • Idaho gives the seller 5 days to notify the state. 15 states set a day count for that notice: 5 days is the shortest, shared with California, Colorado, Nevada and Washington.

Ready to handle the paperwork?

Get your free documents, set up for a Idaho sale — the bill of sale, and the answers on this page as one printable sheet. Print what you need. Free, no account.

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What this page is

Every answer above was checked against Idaho’s own published material on Oct 12, 2026. It describes the rules; it is not advice about your sale. State forms get revised — the agency’s current page is what governs.