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

Do you need a separate bill of sale?

Not required if the price is on the title

A separate bill of sale is not required for a private sale if the sales price is included in the title assignment. A bill of sale, where one is used, must be notarized and needs the year, make, model, VIN and price.

Source: OMV Policy 2.00, revised Jul 30 2026

Not required. Still worth having.

The title transfers ownership — and the buyer leaves with it. A separate bill of sale gives both of you something to keep.

It records who bought and who sold, the agreed price, when the vehicle changed hands, and any other terms you write into it, such as what was included or that it was sold as-is.

It does not replace the signed title or any notice Louisiana requires. You may not need one for the state. You may still want one for your own records.

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Does the title need a notary or witnesses?

A notary, or two witnesses

The title must be signed by the seller in front of a notary, or in front of two witnesses. If two witnesses, the Acknowledgement of Witness section on the title has to be completed, and completed by one of those same two witnesses, or the file is rejected.

Source: OMV Policy 2.00, revised Jul 30 2026

What happens to the plates?

They come off, and get destroyed

Your car plate stays with you and is destroyed. Truck and trailer plates may stay with the vehicle and go to the new owner. The OMV cancels plates at an office, by mail, or online; a plate canceled online does not have to be handed in but must be destroyed. The OMV states that plates must be canceled before liability insurance is canceled. State law, R.S. 47:509, still says a car plate stays on the vehicle until the end of the registration year; the OMV publishes the practice above.

Source: OMV, Cancel Plate

Do you have to tell the state you sold it?

Yes, within 15 days

State law says you must give the OMV written notice within 15 days. The OMV's web page words it as optional; the law says you must. File the Notice of Vehicle Transfer online, or mail form DPSMV1697. The online notice flags the OMV record immediately. The OMV states that ownership is not legally transferred until the new owner applies for title.

Source: La. R.S. 47:510(B); OMV, Notice of Vehicle Transfer; form DPSMV1697

Where does the odometer reading go?

On the back of the title

Louisiana titles carry an odometer block on the back and that is where it goes. The separate form is only for a title that has no block. Some vehicles are exempt: Louisiana asks for it on vehicles less than twenty years old. Federal law says the same thing: an owner selling their own vehicle discloses on the title, not on a separate sheet.

Source: OMV used title guidance; 49 CFR 580.5(c)

The forms Louisiana publishes

• Notice of Vehicle Transfer (DPSMV 1697) — File this with the state. Nothing in the kit replaces it. Where: expresslane.la.gov → Notice of Vehicle Transfer. Revision: online service; paper form Revised 04/06/2026.
• Bill of Sale of a Movable — Either this or the kit's. You may not need one at all — see the bill of sale answer above. The state's form is signed before a notary. Where: public.powerdms.com/LADPSC/documents/380382. Revision: Revised 04/06/2026.
• Odometer Disclosure Statement (DPSMV 1606) — Only if your title has no odometer block on the back. Where: public.powerdms.com/LADPSC/documents/353032. Revision: R 10/94.
• Vehicle Application (DPSMV 1799) — The buyer files this, not you. Where: public.powerdms.com/LADPSC/documents/355820. Revision: R05/24.
• Lien Terminations Form (DPSMV 1901) — Your lender files this, not you, if a lien is still on your title. Where: public.powerdms.com/LADPSC/documents/353073. Revision: Revised 04/06/2026.
• Secure Power of Attorney (DPSMV 4253) — Dealers only — the state says it is not for individual owners. A private seller needing someone to sign for them uses a notarized power of attorney instead. Where: OMV Policy 4.00 — public.powerdms.com/ladpsc/documents/368770. Revision: form R04/24; Policy 4.00 revised 09/30/2024.

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 Louisiana’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 Louisiana compares

Counted from the same answers, for all fifty states.

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