A Utah bill of sale is your written proof that a private sale happened: who sold what, to whom, for how much, and when. For a car or truck it mirrors the state's own Form TC-843, and it carries no notary. The price you write on it is the price Utah taxes when the buyer titles the vehicle, so put down what was actually paid.
Free to use. Legally binding under the ESIGN Act, UETA, and eIDAS.Updated November 2026 by Document eSign
A Utah bill of sale records the sale of personal property, most often a used vehicle, from a seller to a buyer. It fixes the four facts that matter if the deal is ever questioned: what was sold, who was on each side, the price, and the date. The general mechanics of a bill of sale are the same everywhere and are covered on our national bill of sale page. What Utah changes is specific. The Division of Motor Vehicles, part of the State Tax Commission, publishes its own Form TC-843 Bill of Sale, a private sale needs no notary, the buyer pays Utah tax at titling based on where the buyer lives, and the odometer rule runs off Form TC-891. The bill of sale does not move ownership on its own. The properly assigned certificate of title does that, and the bill of sale is the supporting record. It is the paper you keep if the price, the mileage, or the date of the sale is ever in dispute.
Who uses it
A private seller of a used car, truck, or motorcycle in UtahA buyer who needs the bill of sale to back up the title transfer and tax figure at the DMVSomeone bringing a vehicle in from another state who needs a record of the purchase before the VIN inspectionA person gifting a vehicle to a family member who still wants a paper recordAnyone selling a trailer, boat, or other personal property who wants a clear Utah paper trail
What's inside
The buyer and seller names and addresses
A full vehicle description with the VIN, plate number, make, model, model year, body type, and color
The sale price, or a note that the vehicle is a gift
The date of sale and how payment was made
An as-is, where-is clause that sells the property in its current condition, with no warranty
The seller's statement that they own it and it is free of liens
A federal and state odometer disclosure section, tied to the title assignment or Form TC-891
A Utah clause covering Form TC-843, Form TC-656, the 48-hour title duty, tax at titling, and the TC-661 VIN inspection
An emissions clause naming the five inspection counties
A governing-law line for Utah and a signature block for both parties
HOW IT WORKS
From template to signed in three steps.
01
Start from the template
Open it in the editor with the fields already mapped, or download the DOCX to edit offline.
02
Add signers and send
Drop signature and date fields, then route each party in order or in parallel.
03
Get a sealed copy
Everyone signs, and you get a tamper-evident PDF plus an audit certificate.
Free forever. No credit card. Your recipients sign with no account.
The details
Everything to know before you send it.
1
What Utah actually requires
Utah titles every vehicle, so the document that moves ownership is the certificate of title, signed over on the back with the odometer reading filled in. The bill of sale sits alongside it. The Division of Motor Vehicles, which is part of the Utah State Tax Commission, has its own version, Form TC-843 Bill of Sale, and you are not forced to use that exact sheet as long as your own carries the same facts: the vehicle, both parties, the price, the date, and the odometer reading. The seller certifies clear title and a correct odometer on it, and the buyer takes the vehicle as is, where is. One thing Utah makes easy: no notary. The DMV states plainly that no notary is needed to sign off on a title, so a private bill of sale and the title assignment are both signed without one.
Record the make, model, model year, VIN, plate number, body type, color, date of sale, and price.
The bill of sale is the record of the deal, not the title transfer itself.
Utah law requires the seller to hand over the properly assigned title within 48 hours of the sale; get it at the time of sale if you can.
2
Tax is paid at titling, on what you actually paid
Utah does not collect the tax through the private seller. The buyer pays it to the DMV when the vehicle is first titled and registered, and it is figured on the purchase price written on the bill of sale. The rate is the combined sales and use tax rate for the buyer's home address, not the seller's and not where the car changed hands, so two buyers can owe different amounts on identical cars. The state base rate is 4.70 percent and local, county, and transit options stack on top, which puts most combined rates in the range of about 6.1 to 9 percent depending on the city. Utah does not exempt casual or family sales of a titled vehicle, so a private purchase is taxed. This is why the price on the bill of sale matters: the Tax Commission reviews the figure, and under Utah Code 59-12-102 an underreported price can draw an audit plus a fraud penalty of 100 percent of the tax or $500, whichever is greater. Write the real number.
The buyer pays at titling, not to the seller.
State base rate is 4.70%; your city and county rates are added, based on where you live.
A private or family sale of a titled vehicle is taxed; there is no casual-sale exemption.
Underreporting the price can trigger a fraud penalty of 100% of the tax or $500, whichever is greater.
3
The odometer rule and Form TC-891
Federal law and Utah law both require a written odometer statement when ownership of a motor vehicle transfers. In Utah you make it on the title assignment, or on Form TC-891, Odometer Disclosure Statement, signed by both the owner and the buyer. There is one exemption worth knowing: the disclosure is not required for a vehicle that is 20 model years old or older. That 20-year window took effect on January 1, 2021, when the federal rule changed from the old 10-year cutoff, and it applies to vehicles from model year 2011 onward. Keep your copy; the rule is meant to protect the buyer from mileage rollback, and the seller is expected to retain the statement for several years.
Disclose the exact mileage and check the matching statement: actual, not actual, or over the mechanical limit.
Use the title assignment or Form TC-891, signed by owner and buyer.
No disclosure is needed for a vehicle 20 model years old or older.
4
Emissions counties, safety, and the VIN inspection
Three inspection questions come up in a Utah sale, and they are not the same thing. Emissions testing applies in five counties: Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Weber, and Cache. Each county health department runs its own program, with the test tied to registration or registration renewal rather than to the sale itself, so the buyer is the one who needs a current pass to register there. Outside those counties, no emissions test is attached. A periodic safety inspection used to be required statewide, but Utah ended that for most private passenger vehicles on January 1, 2018, so an ordinary used-car sale no longer needs one. What a buyer titling a vehicle for the first time in Utah does need, including anyone bringing a car from another state, is a vehicle identification number inspection, recorded on Form TC-661, Certificate of Inspection. It is a quick check that the VIN on the car matches the paperwork, and it can be done by a DMV employee, a law enforcement officer, a licensed dealer, or another inspector the DMV authorizes.
Emissions testing: only Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Weber, and Cache counties, tied to registration.
No statewide periodic safety inspection since January 1, 2018 for most private vehicles.
First-time Utah titling, including out-of-state vehicles, needs a VIN inspection on Form TC-661.
5
How to fill it in and title the vehicle
Most fields are self-explanatory. The two to get exactly right are the vehicle description and the price, because the DMV and the tax calculation both read them.
Buyer and seller: full legal names and current addresses.
Vehicle: make, model, model year, body type, the VIN, the plate number, and the color.
Price and date: the real amount paid, how it was paid, and the date of sale. For a genuine family gift, say so rather than inventing a token price.
Odometer: record the exact mileage and check the matching statement. Leave the section out for non-vehicles.
Both parties sign and each keeps a copy. The buyer takes the assigned title, the bill of sale, and Form TC-656 to a DMV office, pays the tax and fees, and registers before driving it.
6
Common mistakes
The errors that cause trouble later are easy to avoid.
Writing a low price to save tax; the Tax Commission reviews it and the fraud penalty is 100% of the tax or $500.
Driving off before registering; register before the vehicle goes on public roads, or use a temporary permit in the meantime.
The seller leaving the plates on the car; Utah plates stay with the seller.
Treating the bill of sale as the title transfer; the signed title is what moves ownership.
Forgetting the TC-661 VIN inspection on a car brought in from another state.
This template and the guidance on this page are provided for general information only and are not legal advice. Laws differ by country and state, so review the final document against your own situation and have a qualified lawyer check anything high-value or regulated before you sign.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is a bill of sale required in Utah?
To title a vehicle, the document that counts is the certificate of title, assigned over to you with the odometer filled in, so a bill of sale is not a substitute for that. It is still worth having and the DMV publishes its own Form TC-843 for it. The bill of sale backs up the purchase price the Tax Commission uses to figure your tax, proves the date and mileage, and for non-titled items like a trailer or a boat it is the main proof the sale happened.
Does a Utah bill of sale need to be notarized?
No. Utah does not require a motor vehicle bill of sale to be notarized, and the title assignment on a private sale is not notarized either. The DMV states plainly that no notary is needed to sign off on a title, and Form TC-843 has only buyer and seller signature lines. An electronic signature is valid.
How much is sales tax on a used car in Utah?
The buyer pays Utah sales or use tax when the vehicle is titled, figured on the purchase price. The rate is the combined rate for the buyer's home address: the state base rate is 4.70 percent, and local, county, and transit taxes are added on top, so most combined rates land around 6.1 to 9 percent depending on the city. A private or family sale of a titled vehicle is taxed; Utah has no casual-sale exemption for vehicles.
How do I transfer a car title in Utah?
The seller signs the assignment on the back of the title, fills in the odometer reading, and gives the buyer the title, which Utah law requires within 48 hours. The buyer takes the assigned title, the bill of sale, and Form TC-656, Application for Utah Title, to a DMV office, passes a VIN inspection on Form TC-661 if the vehicle is being titled in Utah for the first time, and pays the tax and fees. Register before driving the vehicle on public roads.
Do I need an emissions test to sell a car in Utah?
The sale itself does not trigger a test. Emissions testing applies only in Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Weber, and Cache counties, and it is tied to registration, so the buyer is the one who needs a current pass to register in those counties. Everywhere else in Utah, no emissions test is attached. Utah also dropped its periodic safety inspection for most private vehicles on January 1, 2018.
What is the Utah bill of sale form number?
The Division of Motor Vehicles form is Form TC-843, Bill of Sale, published by the Utah State Tax Commission. It records the vehicle details, the parties, the price, the date, and the odometer reading, with a seller certification and an as-is, where-is acknowledgment by the buyer. This template follows the same information and is ready to download, fill in, and sign.
Is the Utah bill of sale available in Word format?
Yes. Download the Utah bill of sale as a Word (.docx) file and edit it in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or Pages. You can also download a PDF or fill it in and sign online.
Can I download the Utah bill of sale as a PDF?
Yes. A print-ready PDF is available alongside the Word version. Download either one free, or sign online without downloading anything.
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