Private-Party Vehicle Title Transfer Requirements in Michigan

Short answer The seller signs the seller's section on the back of the Michigan title, records the odometer reading, and releases any lien; the buyer then takes the assigned title, proof of Michigan No-Fault insurance, and ID to a Secretary of State office and transfers the title within 15 days, paying a $15 title fee and 6% use tax. Michigan does not notarize its titles or require a separate bill of sale. The seller removes the plate and either accompanies the buyer to complete the transfer or keeps a qualifying sale record for at least 18 months; missing the buyer's 15-day window adds a $15 late fee.

State

Michigan

Statute checked

September 24, 2026

Sources

12 statutes

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Pending legislation could change this.

MI HB 5356 (2025-2026 Regular Session) (Passed the House 82-16 with immediate effect on August 26, 2026; the Senate Regulatory Affairs Committee reported it favorably with substitute S-1 on October 6 and referred it to the Committee of the Whole. It has not passed the Senate.): The House-passed and Senate committee substitute texts would extend the § 257.234 transfer-fee deadline from 15 to 21 days and increase the additional late transfer fee from $15 to $50, while making broader dealer-title changes. track it Status checked October 9, 2026.

MI SB 137 (2025-2026 Regular Session) (Passed the Senate 33-1 on May 20, 2025 and remains in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; the official history shows no later action through October 9, 2026.): Would amend §§ 257.233, 257.234, 257.239, and 257.240 to account expressly for electronic titles; it has not been enacted. track it Status checked October 9, 2026.

At a glance

Governing law, agency, and scope	MCL 257.233, 257.233a, 257.234 (Michigan Vehicle Code, 1949 PA 300); administered by the Michigan Secretary of State (Department of State). Ordinary same-state private sale of a currently titled Michigan used passenger vehicle.
Title assignment, owner signatures, and lien release	Seller indorses (signs) the seller's assignment on the certificate of title and delivers it to the buyer at delivery of the vehicle (§ 257.233(8)). Every owner named on the title must sign; changes or crossed-out names void the title (SOS). A lien is cleared by the title's termination statement, a lienholder 'paid' stamp, or a signed lien-termination letter (SOS).
Notarization, witness, or agent verification	None. Michigan's title-transfer requirements call for the buyer's and seller's signatures on the title, an odometer entry, lien termination, and No-Fault insurance—no notary, witness, or agent verification for the ordinary transfer (SOS).
Bill of sale requirement and contents	No separate bill of sale is required to transfer an ordinary currently titled vehicle. But unless the seller accompanies the buyer to SOS, § 257.240 requires the seller to retain for at least 18 months either a photocopy of the reassigned title or another sale record containing buyer name, address, driver-license number and signature, purchase price, and sale date. That record supports seller liability protection but does not replace the assigned title or buyer filing.
Odometer, damage, and title-brand disclosures	The seller must give written odometer disclosure before delivery, on the title or a signed statement (Odometer Mileage Statement BDVR-108) with the reading and date (§ 257.233a(1)). Disclosure is not required for a model-year-2010-or-earlier vehicle transferred 10+ years after its model year (rolling to a 20-year rule for 2011-and-later vehicles) (§ 257.233a(5)). Odometer fraud is a felony (§ 257.233a). Salvage/rebuilt titling is separate and out of scope.
Seller notice, plate handling, and liability	The plate stays with the owner: on transfer the plates are removed and either moved to a specified close family member receiving the vehicle or retained by the owner for another vehicle (§ 257.233(1)). Michigan has no separate private-seller report-of-sale filing. For § 257.240 protection from later use/ownership liability, seller must deliver the endorsed title and possession, then either accompany buyer to SOS or keep a qualifying sale record for at least 18 months.
Buyer deadline, forms, tax, and fees	Buyer presents the assigned certificate of title at a Secretary of State office or uses the online service if eligible and transfers title within 15 days of sale (§ 257.234). Fees: $15 title transfer fee, a $10-$15 plate transfer, and 6% use tax collected at transfer (SOS). Proof of Michigan No-Fault insurance and a Michigan ID/driver's license are required.
Inspection, emissions, insurance, and operation	The Secretary of State’s ordinary title-transfer checklist lists no safety inspection or emissions test; it does require proof of Michigan No-Fault insurance for registration (SOS). Michigan No-Fault insurance is required to register and drive. For three days after sale, buyer may drive without a plate only directly to the first place of storage, carrying the assigned title and proof of insurance; seller's plate must not be used (SOS).
Penalties, rejection, and failed transfer	If the transfer is not made and the fee paid within 15 days, the vehicle 'is considered to be without registration,' SOS may repossess plates, and a $15 late transfer fee applies (§ 257.234(3)). Failure to properly endorse and deliver the title is a civil infraction with a fine up to $100 (§ 257.239). A seller who neither accompanies buyer nor keeps the 18-month record faces a $15 civil fine and is presumed the last titled owner liable for abandoned-vehicle towing and daily storage (§ 257.240).

Michigan's private-sale handoff begins with the seller's endorsed title and ends with the buyer's Secretary of State filing. A seller's sale record can protect the seller from later liability, but it does not complete that filing.

Requirements one by one

Title assignment and buyer filing

Under MCL 257.233(8), the seller must endorse the certificate and deliver it "at the time of the delivery" of the vehicle. The endorsement must show security interests and their payment or satisfaction. The Secretary of State says every owner named on the title must sign; a crossed-out name invalidates the title.

The buyer presents the assigned title and fees to the Secretary of State. MCL 257.234(3) says that if transfer and payment are not completed within 15 days, the vehicle "is considered to be without registration." The late-fee consequence is addressed below.

Mileage disclosure before delivery

MCL 257.233a(1) requires the seller to present written odometer disclosure "before delivery of the vehicle." The title or a signed statement may carry it. Subsection (5) exempts a model-year-2010-or-earlier vehicle after the specified 10-year period, and a model-year-2011-or-later vehicle after the specified 20-year period. The Secretary of State provides an Odometer Mileage Statement when the title has no space.

Seller protection after a private sale

Under MCL 257.240(2), the seller must either accompany the buyer to a Secretary of State branch or keep a qualifying sale record for at least 18 months. A copy of the reassigned title qualifies. Another record needs the buyer's name, address, driver-license number, and signature, plus the price and date. Subsection (1) ties the later-liability protection to a bona fide sale, delivery of the vehicle and properly endorsed title, and compliance with one of those record routes.

What trips people up

The seller keeps the plate. MCL 257.233(1) directs removal on transfer; it permits a transfer to a listed close family member who receives the vehicle or reuse by the owner after the required application. The buyer may drive without a plate for three days only on the direct route to the first place of storage, with the assigned title and proof of insurance.
Late filing adds cost. Under MCL 257.234(3), the buyer's vehicle is treated as unregistered after 15 days, and a valid registration then requires an additional $15 transfer fee. Pending HB 5356 would change both figures; it has passed the House and is before the Senate.
The title must stay legible. The Secretary of State says crossing out a name invalidates the title. An assigned title, lien release, insurance, and any odometer statement should be checked before the buyer visits the office.
Seller record failures have their own penalty. MCL 257.240(3)-(4) sets a $15 civil fine and a presumption of liability for abandoned-vehicle towing and storage. MCL 257.239 separately sets a civil fine of up to $100 for failing to endorse and deliver the title.

Common questions

When does the transfer between the parties take effect? Under MCL 257.233(9), after delivery and sale or assignment, the effective date is the date the buyer signs the title assignment or title application. The buyer still must make the Secretary of State filing for a new certificate and registration.

Can the new certificate be sent to someone other than the buyer? MCL 257.234(1) says it is mailed or delivered to the owner or to another person the owner directs in a separate instrument on the Secretary of State's prescribed form.

Statutes and sources

MCL 257.233 — plate disposition on transfer and the owner's duty to indorse and deliver the certificate of title. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-233 (accessed 2026-09-24)
MCL 257.233a — written odometer mileage disclosure on transfer, the age exemptions, and the felony for odometer fraud. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-233a (accessed 2026-09-24)
MCL 257.234 — the buyer's presentation of the assigned title, the 15-day transfer limit and $15 late fee. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-234 (accessed 2026-09-24)
MCL 257.239-.240 — the title-delivery civil infraction and the seller's office-visit-or-18-month-record liability rule. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-239 and https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-240 (accessed 2026-09-24)
Michigan Secretary of State — Title transfer and vehicle registration — office document requirements, fees, the $15 late fee, and the No-Fault insurance requirement. https://www.michigan.gov/sos/all-services/title-transfer-and-vehicle-registration (accessed 2026-09-24)
Michigan Secretary of State — Buying, selling, or leasing — reviewing and signing the title, all-owner signatures, and what is needed to operate the vehicle. https://www.michigan.gov/sos/vehicle/ownership (accessed 2026-09-24)
Michigan Secretary of State — Titles FAQ — seller proof retention, immediate plate removal, and three-day direct-to-storage operation. https://www.michigan.gov/sos/faqs/vehicles/titles (accessed 2026-09-24)

Source links

Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.

MCL 257.233(1) · accessed 2026-09-24

MCL 257.233(8) · accessed 2026-09-24

MCL 257.233a(1) · accessed 2026-09-24

MCL 257.233a(5) · accessed 2026-09-24

MCL 257.234(2),(3) · accessed 2026-09-24

MCL 257.239 · accessed 2026-09-24

MCL 257.240 · accessed 2026-09-24

Michigan Secretary of State — Title transfer and vehicle registration (office requirements and fees) · accessed 2026-09-24

Michigan Secretary of State — Buying, selling, or leasing (review the title; operating a vehicle) · accessed 2026-09-24

Michigan Secretary of State — Titles FAQ (seller record and plate handling) · accessed 2026-09-24

Michigan Secretary of State — Odometer Mileage Statement · accessed 2026-09-24

Michigan Secretary of State — three-day direct-route driving · accessed 2026-09-24

This page is general legal information about an ordinary private-party transfer of a currently titled used passenger vehicle, not legal advice about a sale, title defect, lien, tax, registration, or right to operate the vehicle. Dealer, salvage, rebuilt, bonded, lost-title, gift, inheritance, court-order, out-of-state, commercial-vehicle, vessel, trailer, and temporary-permit rules may differ. A bill of sale ordinarily does not replace the endorsed title, required disclosures, seller notice, buyer application, tax, fees, insurance, inspection, or registration. Agency forms and procedures can change without a statutory amendment; use the current official forms and ask the motor-vehicle agency or a qualified attorney about a disputed or high-value transfer.

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