Title transfer fees by state
A car title transfer costs $4 in Arizona and $214.50 in Wisconsin, and the median state charges $15. So why do so many people pay hundreds? Because the title fee is collected with the tax on the car. On a $20,000 purchase that tax runs from nothing in Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon to $1,800 in California, and it decides the real cost far more than the fee does. The table below has both for every state, plus the deadline. The calculator works out your own price.
Updated
Title transfer fee calculator
All 51 statesTitle fee, tax and deadline in every state
| State | Title fee | Tax on a $20,000 car | Deadline | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $15 | $400* | 20 days | Partly online |
| Alaska | $15 | $0* | 10 days | Partly online |
| Arizona | $4 | $1,120 | not published | Partly online |
| Arkansas | $10 | $1,300* | 60 days | Partly online |
| California | $15 | $1,800 | not published | Partly online |
| Colorado | $7.20 | $580* | 60 days | Partly online |
| Connecticut | $25 | $1,270 | not published | Partly online |
| Delaware | $35 | $1,050 | 60 days | Partly online |
| District of Columbia | $30 | $620 | 60 days | Partly online |
| Florida | $75.25 | $1,250 | 30 days | Partly online |
| Georgia | $18 | $1,400 | 30 days | Partly online |
| Hawaii | $10 | $900 | 30 days | Partly online |
| Idaho | $14 | $1,200 | 30 days | Partly online |
| Illinois | $165 | $1,250* | 30 days | Partly online |
| Indiana | $15 | $1,400 | 45 days | Partly online |
| Iowa | $35 | $1,000 | 30 days | Partly online |
| Kansas | $10 | $1,300* | 60 days | Partly online |
| Kentucky | $9 | $1,200 | 15 days | In person |
| Louisiana | $68.50 | $1,000* | 40 days | Partly online |
| Maine | $33 | $1,100 | not published | Partly online |
| Maryland | $200 | $1,300 | not published | In person |
| Massachusetts | $75 | $1,250 | 10 days | Partly online |
| Michigan | $15 | $1,200 | not published | Partly online |
| Minnesota | $8.25 | $1,375 | 20 days | In person |
| Mississippi | $9 | $1,000 | 30 days | Partly online |
| Missouri | $8.50 | $1,445 | 30 days | Partly online |
| Montana | $12 | $0 | 40 days | Partly online |
| Nebraska | $10 | $1,100* | 30 days | Partly online |
| Nevada | $28.25 | $1,675 | not published | In person |
| New Hampshire | $35 | $0 | 60 days | Partly online |
| New Jersey | $60 | $1,325 | 10 days | In person |
| New Mexico | $5 | $800 | 30 days | Partly online |
| New York | $50 | $1,600* | not published | In person |
| North Carolina | $66.75 | $600 | 28 days | Partly online |
| North Dakota | $5 | $1,000 | not published | Online |
| Ohio | $18 | $1,450 | 30 days | In person |
| Oklahoma | $28 | $871.25 | not published | Partly online |
| Oregon | $106 | $0 | 30 days | Partly online |
| Pennsylvania | $72 | $1,200* | not published | In person |
| Rhode Island | $53.50 | $1,400 | 30 days | Partly online |
| South Carolina | $15 | $500 | 45 days | In person |
| South Dakota | $10 | $800 | 45 days | Partly online |
| Tennessee | $11 | $1,488 | not published | In person |
| Texas | $33 | $1,250 | 30 days | In person |
| Utah | $6 | $1,450 | not published | Partly online |
| Vermont | $42 | $1,200 | 60 days | Partly online |
| Virginia | $15 | $830 | not published | Partly online |
| Washington | $15 | $1,400* | 15 days | In person |
| West Virginia | $15 | $1,200 | 30 days | Partly online |
| Wisconsin | $214.50 | $1,100 | not published | Online |
| Wyoming | $15 | $800* | not published | Partly online |
Tax is the state sales, use or highway use tax on a $20,000 used car bought from a dealer, plus the typical local rate where the state publishes one. * A local sales tax set by your address comes on top. A private sale or a family transfer can be taxed differently; each state page explains its rule.
Cheapest and most expensive states to transfer a title
Ranked by the title fee plus the tax on that $20,000 car:
Cheapest
- Montana: $12
- Alaska: $15*
- New Hampshire: $35
- Oregon: $106
- Alabama: $415*
Most expensive
- California: $1,815
- Nevada: $1,703.25
- New York: $1,650*
- Maryland: $1,500
- Tennessee: $1,499
Rank by the title fee alone and you get a different list. The lowest fees are in Arizona ($4), New Mexico ($5), North Dakota ($5), Utah ($6) and Colorado ($7.20). Oregon shows why the fee misleads: its $106 title fee is in the top quarter, yet with no sales tax it is one of the cheapest places to take ownership of a car.
You title and register a car in the state where you live, so this is a comparison rather than a shopping list. Registering through a Montana LLC is the one well-known workaround, and it has real catches, set out on the Montana LLC page.
Giving the car to a relative instead of selling it? The tax usually drops away, and gifting a car to a family member has every state's rule. If the seller has no title to sign over at all, the route is a bonded title or a court order instead.
A title transfer is not a registration
They are two separate transactions, charged separately, usually done in the same visit. The title records who owns the car. The registration and plate make it legal to drive. If what you want is the whole bill, the registration fee calculator by state itemizes all of it.
Common questions about title transfers
How much does a car title transfer cost?
The title fee runs from $4 in Arizona to $214.50 in Wisconsin, and the median state charges $15. It is the same whether you buy the car or are given it. The larger cost is the tax on a sale, which the table above shows for a $20,000 car in every state.
What is a title fee at the DMV?
It is the state charge for issuing a certificate of title, the document that records who owns the car and any lender with a lien on it. You pay it once each time ownership changes, not every year like registration. If the car is financed, many states add a separate fee to record the lien on the title.
What's the cheapest way to do a title transfer?
File inside the deadline, which is 10 to 60 days depending on the state, because late penalties are the easiest money to lose. Claim a family or gift exemption only when the transfer genuinely is one, since that is where the big savings are. And use mail or online filing where your state offers it. The title fee itself is fixed.
How much does it cost to transfer a title from out of state?
You pay your new state's title fee, and some states also require a VIN inspection before they will issue it. Tax is the bigger question: on a car you already owned before moving, most states charge nothing more or only the difference from tax you already paid. The out-of-state registration guide sets out each state's rule.
How much does it cost to put a car in your name?
Putting a car in your name means transferring the title into your name, and, if you want to drive it, registering and plating it too. The title transfer is the small fee above. The registration and the tax on the purchase are the larger parts, and the state page for where you live itemizes all of them.
Do you pay sales tax when you transfer a car title?
On a normal sale, yes. The state charges sales or use tax on the price when the title goes into your name, and it is usually far more than the title fee. A genuine gift or a transfer between close family is treated differently in most states and often carries little or no tax, but it has to be claimed as one on the proper form.
Is a title transfer the same as registering a car?
No. The title records who owns the car and is paid once when ownership changes. The registration and plate make the car legal to drive and are paid every year. You usually do both in the same visit, which is why they get confused. The registration fee calculator by state covers the second half.