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Minnesota · Paperwork

Minnesota bill of sale — requirements and free generator

Minnesota writes the sale price into statute. Under Minn. Stat. § 168A.10 the seller executes the title assignment "and shall state the actual selling price" — the price is not optional paperwork, it is part of the legal transfer. Two clocks then run at once. The seller has 10 days to file a report of sale (the notice-of-sale stub or electronically) with the buyer’s name, address, driver’s license number, and sale date; a seller who delivers the vehicle and complies is not liable as owner for what happens afterward. The buyer has 20 calendar days from the assignment to apply for a new title, or the vehicle’s registration gets suspended. The tax collected at transfer is 6.875% of the purchase price — with Minnesota’s famous oldie discount: a passenger car in its tenth or later year of vehicle life with a resale value under $3,000 pays a flat $10 in lieu of the percentage, and collector-class vehicles pay a flat $150. Nothing is notarized, and there is no official bill-of-sale form — the priced title assignment plus the report of sale do the legal work, with a signed bill of sale as the parties’ own record.

Not legal advice — general information for Minnesota. Last reviewed: July 2026.

Minnesota: bill of sale — recommended · notarization: not required

No separate bill of sale is mandated, but Minn. Stat. 168A.10 requires the actual selling price in the title assignment, a seller report of sale within 10 days, and the buyer’s title application within 20 days. 6.875% tax — or a flat $10 for 10-year-old cars worth under $3,000.

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MOTOR VEHICLE BILL OF SALE

State of Minnesota

1. The Parties. This Bill of Sale is made effective as of ______________________ (the “Sale Date”) by and between ______________________, with a mailing address of ________________________________________ (the “Seller”), and ______________________, with a mailing address of ________________________________________(the “Buyer”).

2. The Property.The Seller agrees to sell, transfer, and deliver to the Buyer the following described property (the “Property”):

  • Year: ________
  • Make: ______________________
  • Model: ______________________
  • Color: ____________
  • Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): ______________________
  • Odometer Reading: ____________ miles

3. Consideration. The Buyer agrees to pay the Seller the total sum of $____________ USD, receipt of which is acknowledged by the Seller as full payment for the Property.

4. Ownership. The Seller certifies that the Seller is the legal owner of the Property, that the Property is sold free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, and claims, and that the Seller has full right and authority to sell and transfer it.

5. Odometer Disclosure Statement

Federal law (49 U.S.C. § 32705) requires that you state the mileage upon transfer of ownership. Failure to complete an odometer statement, or providing a false statement, may result in fines and/or imprisonment. I, ______________________, certify to the best of my knowledge that the odometer reading of ____________ miles:

  • ☑ reflects the ACTUAL mileage of the vehicle;
  • ☐ exceeds the odometer’s mechanical limits;
  • ☐ is NOT the actual mileage — WARNING: ODOMETER DISCREPANCY.

6. Condition. The Buyer accepts the Property in its present condition, “AS-IS, WHERE-IS”, with all faults. The Seller makes no warranties, express or implied, including any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, except the warranty of ownership stated above.

Seller’s Signature

Printed Name: ______________________

Date: ____________________

Buyer’s Signature

Printed Name: ______________________

Date: ____________________

Generated with the free Brixaz bill of sale generator (brixaz.com/tools/bill-of-sale). General information, not legal advice. For vehicles, the certificate of title transfers ownership — this document is supporting proof of the sale.

Minnesota requirements for a private sale

  • ✓The seller must execute the title assignment to the buyer and "state the actual selling price" (Minn. Stat. § 168A.10) — Minnesota’s tax is computed from that number.
  • ✓The seller files a report of sale within 10 days — the notice-of-sale stub on the title or electronically — with the buyer’s name, address, driver’s license number, and sale date.
  • ✓A seller who delivers the vehicle and complies with the transfer duties is not liable as owner for damages from the vehicle’s operation after delivery (§ 168A.10).
  • ✓The buyer must execute the application for a new certificate of title within 20 calendar days of the assignment — the penalty is suspension of the vehicle’s registration.
  • ✓Motor vehicle sales tax is 6.875% of the purchase price, collected at title transfer (Minn. Stat. § 297B.02).
  • ✓The $10 in-lieu tax: a passenger automobile in its tenth or later year of vehicle life with a resale value under $3,000 pays a flat $10 instead of 6.875% (Minn. Stat. §§ 297B.02, 297B.025).
  • ✓Collector-class vehicles pay a flat $150 in lieu of the percentage tax — with a clawback to full tax if reclassified within a year.

Notarization: not required

No notary appears anywhere in a Minnesota private sale — not on the title assignment, not on the report of sale, not on a bill of sale. Minnesota’s integrity mechanism is statutory instead: the actual selling price is required on the assignment itself, and both the seller’s 10-day report and the buyer’s 20-day application are tracked by DVS.

Official form

Minnesota publishes no official bill-of-sale form for private vehicle sales. The statutory documents are the title assignment (which must state the actual selling price) and the seller’s report of sale. A generated bill of sale is the parties’ own signed record of the price, the date, and the as-is terms — the backup you want if DVS or the buyer ever disputes the numbers.

Worked example: selling a car in Minnesota

Two Minnesota sales show the tax cliff. First: a 2019 Chevy Silverado LT in St. Paul for $15,500 — the seller writes $15,500 in the assignment as § 168A.10 requires, files the report of sale within 10 days, and the buyer pays 6.875% at transfer: $1,065.63, applying within 20 days to keep the registration alive. Second: a 2011 Ford Focus, fifteen years into its vehicle life, sold for $2,400 with a resale value around $2,600 — it qualifies for the flat $10 in-lieu tax, versus the $165 that 6.875% would have taken. On old cheap cars, Minnesota’s paperwork is nearly free; what it will not forgive is a missing price or a blown deadline.

Minnesota bill of sale FAQ

Is a bill of sale required to sell a car in Minnesota?

Not as a separate document — but the actual selling price is required by statute on the title assignment itself, and the seller must file a report of sale within 10 days. A signed bill of sale is the parties’ private copy of the same facts, useful if the price or sale date is ever questioned.

What is Minnesota’s $10 in-lieu tax and does my car qualify?

Instead of 6.875%, a flat $10 applies when the passenger car is in its tenth or later year of vehicle life and its resale value is under $3,000 (Minn. Stat. § 297B.025); DVS checks the price and value sources. It is one of the best old-car tax deals in the country — a $2,500 body-rust special pays $10, not $171.88.

What happens if the buyer does not transfer the title in time in Minnesota?

The buyer has 20 calendar days from the assignment to execute the application for a new title; blowing the deadline leads to suspension of the vehicle’s registration. The seller’s protection runs separately: report the sale within 10 days and the statute says you are not liable as owner for what the car does afterward.

How does the seller report a vehicle sale in Minnesota?

Two ways within 10 days of the sale: tear off and mail the notice-of-sale stub at the bottom of the Minnesota title with the buyer’s name, address, and driver’s license number — or submit the same information electronically through DVS online services. Transferring the title in person also counts as reporting.

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