Private-Party Vehicle Title Transfer Requirements in Alaska

At a glance

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)