Motor Vehicles Selling Your Vehicle

Always remove your license plates for possible refund or cancellation when selling or junking your vehicle.

Please visit the Iowa Department of Transportation website for the latest information on selling your vehicle in a private sale or trading/selling to a dealer.

Selling Your Vehicle In Iowa

If the vehicle is currently registered, the buyer can operate the vehicle for thirty (30) days without license plates if they carry one of the following in the vehicle: 

• Bill of Sale with sufficient detail
• Vehicle title with the assignment of title completed
• Photocopy of both sides of the completed title

Small Trailers

Trailers weighing less than 2,000 pounds empty are not issued a title when they are registered in the State of Iowa.  If the registration says "Small Regular Trailer," the registration is the ownership document. To sell a small regular trailer, you must sign and date the bottom of the registration where it says "Sellers Signature" and provide a signed Bill of Sale with the VIN, Date of Sale and Name of Seller to the buyer.

Registration Credit

Before transferring possession of your vehicle, trailer, or travel trailer, remove and keep your license plates. You may be entitled to a refund or credit of the unused portion of registration fees.

If you are purchasing another vehicle within 30 days and wish to receive a credit toward the registration fees, fill out the bottom of your registration receipt for the sold vehicle and submit it with the title and application for your replacement vehicle.  Do not transfer the plates on the new vehicle until you have completed the transfer with the treasurer's office.

If you are not replacing the sold vehicle and wish to receive a refund, mail or drop off the plates and a Claim for Refund to the county where the vehicle was last registered.  Make sure to include the date of sale on the Claim for Refund form.   To receive a refund, the claim  must be submitted within six (6) months from the date of sale of the vehicle.  Credit of less than $10.00 will not be refunded.  Allow 4-6 weeks to receive the refund. 

Correcting Common Title Errors

If you make an error when signing over your title to a buyer, DO NOT WRITE OVER, CROSS OFF, USE WHITE OUT, or ERASE the error.  These errors will void the title and a replacement title may be required.

Affidavit of Correction (Form 411219)  may be completed for the following common title errors:

• Incorrect or Altered sale date
• Seller or Buyer name or signature was written in the incorrect space
• Seller or Buyer name was misspelled
• An error was made upon the damage disclosure statement

• Do not cross through or white out the error.
• Notarizied signatures from both the seller and buyer are required on the affidavit.
• If the seller signed the title on the incorrect line, they will need to sign the title on the correct line for the seller's signature in addition to completing the affidavit of correction.

For Incorrect Odometers:

• Do not try to rewrite odometer.
• Information on correcting an odometer can be found on the Iowa DOT's Odometer page.   You may also refer to the Odometer Correction Guidance provided by the Iowa DOT.
• If the odometer is printed incorrectly on an out of state title, you must contact the state that issued the title for assistance.