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

Do you need a separate bill of sale?

Not required

The notarized assignment on the back of the title is what transfers the vehicle, and the buyer takes the original assigned title to a County Clerk of Courts title office with acceptable identification, the sales tax on the purchase price and the title fees. No bill of sale is called for, but you swear to the true selling price on the assignment. An out-of-state title also needs a VIN inspection. The buyer must transfer the title within 30 days of the sale, or a late fee is charged.

Source: Ohio BMV, How to Title; Ohio Rev. Code § 4505.06

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 Ohio requires. You may not need one for the state. You may still want one for your own records.

Free printable document · no account

Does the title need a notary or witnesses?

A notary

Ohio requires it, and the BMV says so plainly: the seller must complete the “assignment of ownership” portion on the back of the title AND have their signature or signatures notarized, then present it to the buyer to finalise the transfer. Only Oklahoma and Wyoming also require this. Before the transfer is completed, you and the buyer must both verify the odometer listing and all other information on the title. Ohio cites its false-statement statute, ORC 2921.13, on its title pages. If the title is electronic, there is no paper back to sign: you fill in page 1 of form BMV 3770 and have it notarized, and the buyer fills in page 2 and has it notarized.

Source: Ohio BMV, How to Title; Title Processes; form BMV 3770, checked Oct 12 2026

What happens to the plates?

Off immediately — the statute says so

ORC 4503.12(A): upon the transfer of ownership of a motor vehicle the registration expires, and the original owner IMMEDIATELY shall remove the license plates. Same wording as Wyoming. Historical plates are different — on a transfer of title those must be surrendered or moved to another historical vehicle you own, though a model-year plate may be retained.

Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 4503.12(A); § 4503.181

Do you have to tell the state you sold it?

Nothing to file

Ohio publishes no seller notice of sale. If you want the registration canceled anyway, the BMV offers an optional form, BMV 4311, or an online service. The statute does the work: your registration expires on transfer, and the plates come off immediately. Your protection is the notarized assignment and your own copy of it. The odometer disclosure on it must include the date of transfer.

Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 4503.12(A); Ohio BMV, Title Processes

Where does the odometer reading go?

On the title, checked by both of you

Federal and state law require the mileage to be stated on transfer of ownership, and it goes in the assignment on the back of the title, where your signature is notarized. Ohio requires BOTH you and the buyer to verify the odometer listing and all other information on the title before the transfer is completed, which is the one moment it is easy to fix. Ohio's statute lists no age exemption. It excuses the reading only for a transfer by inheritance, survivorship or transfer-on-death, one that creates a security interest, or a vehicle over 16,000 pounds GVWR.

Source: Ohio BMV, Title Processes; Ohio Rev. Code § 4505.06(C); 49 CFR 580.5(c)

The forms Ohio publishes

• Certificate of Title assignment — Notarized. This is the transfer — take it to a County Clerk of Courts title office. Where: County Clerk of Courts title office. Revision: none published (the title is issued by the clerk).
• Ownership Assignment and Title Application for Casual Sale (BMV 3770) — Only when the title is electronic and neither of you is a dealer. You sign page 1, the buyer signs page 2, both notarized. Where: bmv.ohio.gov → Forms → BMV 3770. Revision: 12/25.
• Customer Request to Cancel Vehicle Registration (BMV 4311) — Optional. Notarized. Cancels your registration and plates, and it cannot be reinstated. Also offered online. Where: bmv.ohio.gov → Forms → BMV 4311. Revision: 9/22.

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 Ohio’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 Ohio compares

Counted from the same answers, for all fifty states.

Ready to handle the paperwork?

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

Get my free documents →