Utah title transfer cost and calculator
Putting a car into your name in Utah costs $6 for the title. The tax on the purchase is the part worth planning for.
Updated
Utah title transfer calculator
Updates as you typeExample: a $20,000 used car bought in Utah and registered at the same visit. Enter your own price above.
| Title transfer fee | $6 |
| Registration and plate fees | $170.50 |
| Tax on a $20,000 purchase | $1,450 |
| Total | $1,626.50 |
How much does it cost to transfer a title in Utah?
Putting the title in your name runs $6 in Utah. That is the figure most people mean by a title transfer. Doing the title and the registration in the same trip costs about $216.50 in fees on a used $20,000 car, before any tax.
On a $20,000 car the sales or use tax in Utah comes to about $1,450, so that, not the $6 title fee, is what a transfer really costs unless it is exempt.
| What you are paying | Amount |
|---|---|
| Title transfer | $6 |
| Title, registration and plate fees together | $216.50 |
| Tax on a $20,000 purchase | $1,450 |
| All of it, with tax | $1,666.50 |
Work out your own figure on the Utah registration fee calculator, which itemizes every line and links to the source for each one.
How to transfer a car title in Utah
- Get the paperwork right. The seller signs the title over to you and you fill in an application to put it in your name. Utah DMV lists the exact forms on its own site.
- Where you go. A Utah DMV office or the Motor Vehicle Portal. New residents and private sales are handled at the counter. source 1
- Pay. The title fee of $6, plus the tax on the purchase unless the transfer is exempt.
- Do it in time. Treat the deadline as short and go in the first week, before the sale date turns into a late fee.
Do both of you need to be there, and can you do it online?
Utah DMV does not say whether both of you have to be there. As a rule the seller has to sign the title over and the buyer signs the application, and where a state wants both signatures notarized a notary can stand in for one party being present. Confirm it with the Utah DMV before you both take time off.
Can you transfer a title online in Utah?
Partly. Renewals are online through the Utah Motor Vehicle Portal. A first registration in your name is done at the DMV. source 1
Transferring a title to a family member, or as a gift
Utah does not exempt family or gift transfers from sales tax. A car bought from a relative is taxed like any other sale. source 1
Do not write $1 on the form to dodge the tax. Utah taxes what you actually paid, which is exactly why an understated price is treated as fraud rather than a smart move. If it truly is a gift, claim it as one on the proper form at the time of the transfer.
How long you have, and what late costs
Utah DMV does not publish a deadline. Treat it as short: every state in this set that does publish one gives you 30 days or fewer from the date of sale.
Late fees here come from waiting for a payday or a day off, not from anything complicated, so the fix is simply to go early. A transfer you never finish leaves the car in the seller's name, and tickets, tolls and abandoned-vehicle notices all follow the registered owner.
When something is missing
The common thread in these questions is something missing from the deal. The honest general answer, worth confirming with Utah DMV for your own case:
- No title. The seller applies for a duplicate before selling. A car sold without its title is not a car you can register, and a seller who cannot produce one is a seller to walk away from.
- There is still a loan on it. The lender holds the title or the lien is recorded against it, and it only moves cleanly once the loan is cleared. Never hand over money for a financed car before you have seen the lien released in writing.
- No bill of sale. Some states require one and some do not, but write one anyway. It is the only record of what you paid, and in Utah what you paid is what any tax is worked out on.
- The owner has died. This goes through the estate rather than a normal transfer, and what is needed depends on whether there is a will and whether the estate goes to probate. It is the one case here where it is worth ringing Utah DMV before you turn up.
- The other person cannot come. Where Utah wants both people, a notarized power of attorney is usually the way round it.
Questions about Utah title transfers
How much does it cost to transfer a title in Utah?
$6 for the title. The sales or use tax on the purchase is separate and much larger, about $1,450 on a $20,000 car.
How much is a title transfer and registration in Utah?
About $216.50 in fees for both on a used $20,000 car, of which $6 is the title. Tax on the purchase comes on top.
How much does it cost to switch a title into your name in Utah?
The same $6 title fee whether you bought the car or were given it. What changes the total is the sales or use tax on the purchase, which a gift or family transfer can reduce or remove.
What is required to transfer a car title in Utah?
The title signed over to you and an application to put it in your name, plus payment of the fee and any tax. Utah DMV lists the exact forms on its own site.
Do both parties need to be present for a title transfer in Utah?
Utah DMV does not publish a clear rule. Usually the seller signs the title over and the buyer signs the application, and where both are required a notarized power of attorney is accepted instead of one of them attending.
Can I transfer a car title online in Utah?
Partly, and it depends on the transaction. Utah DMV does not publish a single yes or no, so check its page before assuming.
Do you have to pay tax on a gifted car in Utah?
Utah does not exempt family or gift transfers from sales tax. The full rule is in the gift section above.
How long do I have to transfer a title in Utah?
Utah DMV does not publish a deadline. Assume it is short and do it in the first week.
How do I replace a lost title in Utah?
A duplicate title in Utah costs $6. Where to apply: TC-123, Application for Duplicate Utah Title, to the DMV. Expect the duplicate in roughly 10 to 14 business days. Every state's fee and form are on our lost car title page.
Is a title transfer the same as registering the car in Utah?
No, and they are charged separately. The title says who owns the car. The registration and plate let you drive it. You normally do both in one visit, which is why they feel like one thing. The Utah registration page covers the second half.
Once the title is in your name
The title is half of it. The plate and the registration are the other half, and the tax lands with them. The Utah registration fee calculator works out the whole bill line by line, including what a dealer means when they quote a single tax, title and license number.
Nearby states
Or see car title transfer by state for all 51.
Where these numbers come from
- Utah DMV, Registration Taxes and Fees, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Utah DMV, Summary of Common Fees, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Utah DMV, Uniform Fees (2026 age-based fee tables), Utah Code 59-2-405, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Utah State Tax Commission, Combined Sales and Use Tax Rates, retrieved 2026-09-18
- Utah Code 41-1a-1206, registration fee and alternative fuel vehicle fees, retrieved 2026-09-18
- Utah Road Usage Charge Program (UDOT), 2026 alternative fuel flat fee, retrieved 2026-09-18
- Utah Admin. Code R877-23V-14, dealer documentary service fee sign and contract disclosure, retrieved 2026-10-21
- Utah DMV, registering your vehicle in Utah (new residents, 60 days), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Utah DMV, inspections (emissions counties and schedule; safety inspections ended January 1, 2018), retrieved 2026-10-17
Not affiliated with Utah State Tax Commission, Motor Vehicle Division. Procedure changes more often than fees do, so check the agency page before you travel.