Kansas: Private-Party Vehicle Title Transfer Requirements
The short answer
The seller completes the assignment on the back of the Kansas title — purchase price, date of sale, odometer reading, and the printed names and signatures of the seller and buyer in original ink — and no notarization is required for the ordinary assignment. The buyer applies for a new title and registration at the county treasurer's motor vehicle office within 60 days of the sale, paying sales tax, the $10 title fee, and property tax, with proof of insurance. The license plate stays with the seller: on sale the registration and the right to use the plate expire, and the seller removes the plate.
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This is the general rule in Kansas. Ezel applies current Kansas law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law, agency, and scope | Kansas Statutes Annotated Chapter 8, Article 1 (especially § 8-135); administered by the Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles, with titling and registration handled at the county treasurer's motor vehicle office. Covers an ordinary same-state private sale of a currently Kansas-titled used passenger vehicle. On transfer the registration and plate expire (§ 8-135(a)) and the buyer must apply for a new certificate of title and registration. |
|---|---|
| Title assignment, owner signatures, and lien release | The seller completes the assignment on the back of the title with the purchase price, date of sale, odometer reading, and the printed names and signatures of the seller(s) and buyer(s) in original ink; the buyer then applies for a new title (Kansas DOR). If several owners are listed: 'And' — all sign; 'Or' — any one signs; no connection defaults to 'and.' A seller may use a Power of Attorney (Form TR-41) to let the buyer complete the assignment. A recorded lien needs a release on the title, a notarized lien release (Form TR-150), or a lienholder letter. |
| Notarization, witness, or agent verification | Generally none. The Kansas Division of Vehicles 'does not require most title assignments, title applications and bills of sale completed within Kansas to be notarized,' though it may require notarization in unusual circumstances (Kansas DOR). The exceptions are lien documents: a lien release, a Kansas lienholder's consent, and the lienholder's portion of the Title-with-Lien request (Form TR-42) must be notarized. |
| Bill of sale requirement and contents | Not the transfer instrument for an ordinary sale. The Kansas Bill of Sale (Form TR-312) can transfer ownership only for an antique vehicle (35 years or older) with no title; 'All other vehicles sold by or purchased from a Kansas resident must have the ownership transferred (sold) by assigned title.' It is a sworn affidavit of the purchase price (year, make, VIN, price, date, signatures) and, for an ordinary car, supplements rather than replaces the assigned title. |
| Odometer, damage, and title-brand disclosures | The odometer reading is entered in the title assignment on the back of the certificate (Kansas DOR), satisfying the federal odometer disclosure (required until a vehicle is 20 years old for 2011-and-newer models). No separate ordinary damage form applies to a clean transfer. Salvage, nonhighway, and rebuilt-salvage vehicles use separate certificates and procedures under K.S.A. 8-197 and 8-198 and are outside this scope. |
| Seller notice, plate handling, and liability | The plate stays with the seller. On transfer 'the registration of the vehicle and the right to use any license plate thereon shall expire ... and the license plate shall be removed by the owner,' and it is unlawful for anyone other than the person to whom the plate was issued to possess it (§ 8-135(a)); the seller may register another vehicle under the same plate number for a $1.50 fee. Kansas offers a Seller's Notification of Sale (Form TR-216, filed online) to protect the seller, but it does not transfer ownership. |
| Buyer deadline, forms, tax, and fees | The buyer must apply for registration or reregistration at the county treasurer's motor vehicle office 'within 60 days, inclusive of weekends and holidays, from date of such transfer' (§ 8-135(b)). Bring the assigned title, current proof of insurance, and payment: on a private sale, sales tax is paid at registration (no dealer sales-tax receipt); the Kansas title fee is $10; and property tax is due at registration unless a temporary plate is issued. A $2 penalty is added for failing to apply on time. |
| Inspection, emissions, insurance, and operation | Kansas has no statewide safety inspection and no vehicle emissions test for an ordinary in-state Kansas-titled transfer. Current proof of insurance is required to register. A vehicle titled in another state, or bought from an out-of-state owner, needs a Motor Vehicle Examination (Form MVE-1) from a Kansas inspection station before titling — outside this scope. The buyer cannot drive during the 60-day window without a temporary registration (a 60-day permit from the county treasurer, $3); after 60 days it is unlawful to operate the vehicle unless it is registered (§ 8-135(b)). |
| Penalties, rejection, and failed transfer | Failing to apply for registration within 60 days adds a $2 penalty (§ 8-135(b)), and after the 60-day period 'it shall be unlawful for the owner or any other person to operate such vehicle upon the highways of this state unless the vehicle has been registered.' Operating during the window without a temporary registration is prohibited. The county treasurer will reject a transfer offered without the assigned title (a bill of sale alone works only for a titleless antique). Statements on the assignment and bill of sale are made under penalty of perjury; until the buyer applies, the seller should keep proof of the sale (Form TR-216). |
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Requirements one by one
The assignment on the back of the title — no notary
Kansas moves an ordinary car on the certificate of title. The seller fills in the
assignment on the back with the purchase price, the date of sale, the odometer
reading, and the printed names and signatures of the seller and buyer "in
original ink," and the buyer then applies for a new title (Kansas DOR). A
photocopy or faxed signature is not accepted.
No notary is needed for the ordinary assignment. The Division of Vehicles "does
not require most title assignments, title applications and bills of sale
completed within Kansas to be notarized." The exception is a lien: a lien
release or a Kansas lienholder's consent (Form TR-42) must be notarized.
When the title lists more than one owner, the connector controls who signs: "and"
means everyone signs, "or" means any one owner can sign, and a blank connector
defaults to "and."
A bill of sale is not a substitute for the title
The Kansas Bill of Sale (Form TR-312) is a sworn statement of the price. It can
actually transfer ownership only for an antique vehicle (35 years or older) with
no title; for every other car, "ownership [must be] transferred (sold) by
assigned title." Keep a bill of sale as evidence of the price, but it does not
replace signing over the title.
The buyer's 60-day filing at the county treasurer
Kansas titles and registers through the county treasurer's motor vehicle office,
not a state DMV counter. The buyer "within 60 days, inclusive of weekends and
holidays, from date of such transfer shall make application ... for registration
or reregistration" (§ 8-135(b)). Bring the assigned title, proof of insurance,
and payment: sales tax (paid at the counter on a private sale), the $10 title
fee, and property tax due at registration. Miss the deadline and a $2 penalty is
added.
You cannot just drive it home
During the 60 days you may not drive the car "without having applied for and
obtained temporary registration from the county treasurer" — a 60-day permit that
costs $3 (§ 8-135(b)). After 60 days, operating the vehicle unregistered is
unlawful.
Plates stay with the seller
On sale, "the registration of the vehicle and the right to use any license plate
thereon shall expire ... and the license plate shall be removed by the owner"
(§ 8-135(a)). Kansas plates belong to the person: the seller keeps the plate and
can put it on another vehicle they register (for a $1.50 fee), and it is unlawful
for anyone else to possess that plate. To limit exposure after the sale, the
seller can file a Seller's Notification of Sale (Form TR-216) online.
What trips people up
- Leaving the plate on the car. The plate is the seller's and must come off
at sale. The buyer registers the car and gets their own plate; a buyer driving
on the seller's plate is unlawful. - Thinking a bill of sale is enough. For an ordinary car it is not — only the
assigned title transfers ownership. A bill of sale alone works only for a
titleless antique. - Sales tax is due at the county, on the price. A private buyer pays Kansas
sales tax when registering; there is no dealer to collect it, and property tax
is due then too. - The 60 days is the whole window. You must both file and, to drive
meanwhile, hold a temporary registration. After day 60 the car cannot be
operated until it is registered.
Common questions
Does a Kansas title transfer need to be notarized?
No, not for the ordinary assignment. The Division of Vehicles does not require
most in-state title assignments to be notarized. Lien releases and lienholder
consents do need notarization.
How long does the buyer have?
Sixty days, counting weekends and holidays, from the date the title was assigned,
to apply at the county treasurer (§ 8-135(b)). A $2 penalty applies after that.
What will the buyer pay?
Sales tax on the purchase price (paid at registration on a private sale), the $10
title fee, property tax due at registration, and registration fees, plus proof of
insurance.
Can I drive the car home after buying it?
Only with a temporary registration. Kansas requires a 60-day temporary permit
($3) from the county treasurer to drive before the car is registered.
Statutes and sources
- Kan. Stat. Ann. § 8-135(a) — on transfer the registration and the right to
use the plate expire, the owner removes the plate, and the plate stays with the
original owner. https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch08/008_001_0035.html (accessed 2026-07-23) - Kan. Stat. Ann. § 8-135(b) — the 60-day county-treasurer application
deadline, the temporary-registration requirement to operate meanwhile, the bar
on operating an unregistered vehicle afterward, and the $2 penalty.
https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch08/008_001_0035.html (accessed 2026-07-23) - Kansas DOR — Titling a used vehicle — the back-of-title assignment
contents, the AND/OR signature rule, the out-of-state MVE-1 inspection, sales
tax and property tax at registration, and the 60-day rule.
https://www.ksrevenue.gov/dovtitleused.html (accessed 2026-07-23) - Kansas DOR — Titling a Vehicle FAQ — the no-notary rule (and the lien-
document exceptions) and the $10 title fee.
https://www.ksrevenue.gov/dovtitlefaq.html (accessed 2026-07-23)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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