How to Title a Private Car Sale in Georgia

Step by step

1. 1

   Check the title assignment

   The seller completes the assignment on the back of the title in blue or black ink, with your full legal name as it appears on your Georgia license or ID, the sale date, and the odometer reading. Both of you sign, and any recorded lien must be released on the title.

   Never accept a title signed over with the buyer’s name left blank. Georgia law makes that a misdemeanor.

2. 2

   Get insurance and, if needed, an emissions test

   Your insurer files your coverage electronically with the Department of Revenue, or you bring an insurance binder. Residents of Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, and Rockdale counties need an emissions inspection certificate.

3. 3

   Fill out Form MV-1

   Complete the MV-1 Title/Tag Application. You can print it at home or have the County Tag Office print it for you to sign.

4. 4

   Go to the County Tag Office quickly

   The Department of Revenue’s private sale page says to title and register within 7 days of the purchase date. Its fee schedule adds a $10 penalty if you do not apply for the title within 30 days, and TAVT paid late on a private sale carries a 10% penalty after day 30 plus 1% a month.

5. 5

   Pay TAVT and fees

   TAVT is 7.0% of the vehicle’s fair market value. For a used vehicle, that is the value in the state assessment manual, not the price you paid, and a private sale gets no trade-in reduction. You can look up the value with the Department of Revenue’s TAVT estimator.

   The title is $18 and the license plate is $20. All-electric vehicles also pay a $238.59 alternative fuel fee each year.