Alaska: Private-Party Vehicle Title Transfer Requirements

Requirements one by one

The title assignment and delivery

Alaska moves ownership through the certificate of title. Section 28.10.271(b) tells
the owner to "endorse an assignment and warranty of title to the transferee in the
space provided on the certificate of title" and to "deliver the certificates of
title and registration to the transferee at the time of delivery of the vehicle."
The title itself carries "a space for the assignment and warranty of title by the
owner" and "a space for the assignment or release of the security interest of a
lienholder" (§ 28.10.231(b)).

Signatures follow the names on the front: with an "AND" conjunction (or no
conjunction), all owners must sign to release the title; with an "OR," one owner is
enough (DMV). A recorded lien must be released by the lienholder before a clear
title issues.

No notarization of the title

Nothing in an ordinary Alaska title assignment is notarized. Section 28.10.271 asks
only for the owner's endorsement in the space on the certificate, and the DMV
titling process — including the Vehicle Transaction Application (Form V1) — takes
only signatures. The one notarized document is the Limited Vehicle Power of Attorney
(Form 847), needed only when someone signs on the owner's behalf.

The bill of sale is evidence, not a transfer

The DMV is blunt: "a Bill of Sale is not valid for ownership transfer." It is still
"a good idea" to have the buyer sign one showing the serial number and description
of the vehicle, both parties' printed names, the date of sale, and both signatures —
useful, for example, if the buyer racks up tickets after the sale. But the endorsed
title, not the bill of sale, is what transfers the car.

Odometer disclosure

The seller completes the odometer disclosure on the title for a vehicle under 12,000
pounds and less than 20 years old; if the parties do not attest to the reading on
the title, a separate Odometer Disclosure (Form V6) may be needed or the odometer
records as "UNKNOWN" (DMV). The DMV warns that "federal law prohibits" transferring
the title if the assignment, including the odometer statement, is not completed.
Salvage and reconstructed vehicles use a separate process.

The 10-day seller notice and the plates

Section 28.10.271(c) requires the owner to "notify the department of the transfer or
assignment of the owner's title or interest in the vehicle within 10 days," giving
the parties' names and addresses, the date, and the vehicle description and license
number. The DMV provides a Notice of Vehicle Sale for Transfer (on the bottom of the
title) or an online report; filing it protects the seller "from further liability."
Personalized or specialty plates stay with the seller — remove them on sale, and the
buyer is issued a new set at no charge.

The buyer's 30 days, fees, and no state sales tax

The buyer must "apply for a title in your name within 30 days of purchasing a
vehicle" (DMV), using Form V1 with the assigned title and any lien release. Alaska
imposes no statewide sales or use tax and no state vehicle excise tax; the buyer
pays the $15 title fee, the biennial registration fee — $100 for an ordinary
passenger vehicle (§ 28.10.421(b)(1)(A)) — a $15 lien-recording fee if applicable,
and a $10 surcharge for a walk-in registration (§ 28.10.421(a)(2)). A few
municipalities add a local sales tax.

Inspection, insurance, and driving

Alaska runs no statewide safety inspection and no statewide emissions test. An
emissions inspection and maintenance certificate is required on a transfer only if
the buyer "resides in an area designated by the Department of Environmental
Conservation as an emissions inspection and maintenance area" and the vehicle is
subject to and out of compliance with that program (§ 28.10.271(d)). Liability
insurance is mandatory to drive: at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per
accident for bodily injury or death and $25,000 for property damage (§ 28.22.101),
with certain rural communities exempt from registration and insurance.

What trips people up

• Thinking the Alaska title must be notarized. It does not. Only a Form 847
  power of attorney is notarized, and only when someone signs for the owner.
• Relying on a bill of sale. The DMV says a bill of sale "is not valid for
  ownership transfer." Get the title properly assigned.
• Skipping the 10-day notice. Reporting the sale within 10 days (§ 28.10.271(c))
  is what protects the seller from later liability.
• Missing the 30-day title deadline. Alaska requires the buyer to apply for a
  title within 30 days of purchase; until then the vehicle is not titled or
  registered in the buyer's name.
• Leaving specialty plates on the car. Personalized or specialty plates stay
  with the seller; the buyer gets a new set at no charge.

Common questions

Does the Alaska title have to be notarized?
No. The assignment on the title takes only the seller's and buyer's signatures. A
notary is needed only for a Form 847 power of attorney when someone signs on the
owner's behalf.

Is there sales tax on a private car sale?
Alaska has no statewide sales or use tax and no state vehicle excise tax. The buyer
pays the $15 title fee and the registration fee; a few municipalities add a local
sales tax.

What does the seller have to do to be protected?
Endorse and deliver the title, and file the Notice of Vehicle Sale for Transfer with
the DMV within 10 days (§ 28.10.271(c)). That notice limits the seller's later
liability.

Do I need an inspection or insurance?
No statewide safety or emissions inspection applies to an ordinary sale, but
liability insurance of at least $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 is required to drive
(§ 28.22.101).

Statutes and sources

• AS 28.10.271 — the transfer: the owner's endorsed assignment and warranty of
  title, delivery at delivery, the 10-day seller notice, and the emissions-area
  certificate.
  https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=28.10.271&secEnd=28.10.271 (accessed 2026-07-23)
• AS 28.10.231 — the title's assignment/warranty space and lien-release space.
  https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=28.10.231&secEnd=28.10.231 (accessed 2026-07-23)
• AS 28.10.421 — biennial registration fees ($100 passenger) and the walk-in
  surcharge.
  https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=28.10.421&secEnd=28.10.421 (accessed 2026-07-23)
• AS 28.22.101 (Alaska DMV Mandatory Insurance) — the $50,000/$100,000/$25,000
  liability minimums.
  https://dmv.alaska.gov/driver-services-adjudication/mandatory-insurance/ (accessed 2026-07-23)
• Alaska DMV — Selling a Vehicle in Alaska — the assignment, AND/OR signatures,
  the Notice of Vehicle Sale for Transfer, the bill-of-sale rule, and plate handling.
  https://dmv.alaska.gov/vehicle-services/selling-a-vehicle-in-alaska/ (accessed 2026-07-23)
• Alaska DMV — New Vehicle — the 30-day title deadline, the $15 title fee, Form
  V1, the odometer rule, and the notarized Form 847 power of attorney.
  https://dmv.alaska.gov/vehicle-services/new-vehicle/ (accessed 2026-07-23)