Texas Vehicle Bill of Sale: Free Template, Form 130-U and Title Transfer Rules

Vehicle Bill of Sale (Texas)

This Vehicle Bill of Sale (“Agreement”) is made on [Date] in the State of Texas by and between:

Seller (Current Owner):
[Full Legal Name: first, middle, last, suffix]
[Mailing Address]
[City, State, ZIP] Telephone: [Phone]
Co-Seller (if any): [Full Legal Name], [Mailing Address]

Buyer (New Owner):
[Full Legal Name: first, middle, last, suffix]
[Mailing Address]
[City, State, ZIP] Telephone: [Phone]
Photo ID type and number: [Texas DL / ID / other, number]
Co-Buyer (if any): [Full Legal Name], [Mailing Address]

The Texas Vehicle Transfer Notification (Form VTR-346) asks for the full name, address and telephone number of both the seller and the purchaser and the date possession was delivered, and Form 130-U records the buyer’s photo ID. Keep the same details here so this document backs up both forms.

Price, Method, and Receipt

The Parties fix the sale payment amount at $[Amount]. Payment method: [Cash / Cashier’s check / Bank transfer / Financing]. Date of payment: [Date of Payment]. Seller acknowledges receipt in full, inclusive of any prior deposit of $[Deposit or “None”]. This is the sales price both Parties will show on Form 130-U. Buyer pays the Texas motor vehicle tax, computed on this price or on the Vehicle’s standard presumptive value as Texas law provides, unless Buyer obtains a certified appraisal (Comptroller Form 14-128) within 30 calendar days of this sale.

Delivery / Transfer Timing

Delivery occurs at [Location] on [Delivery Date/Time]. From delivery forward, Buyer bears risk of loss and responsibility for operation. License plates and registration sticker: ☐ remain on the Vehicle ☐ removed by Seller at delivery. If Seller removes them on a Saturday or Sunday, Buyer may drive the Vehicle to the county tax office on a downloadable Vehicle Transit Permit.

Vehicle Identification Details

Vehicle Identification:
VIN: [VIN]
Year: [Year]
Make: [Make]
Model: [Model]
Body Style: [Body Style]
Texas title number: [Title Number]
License plate number (if it stays with the Vehicle): [Plate]
Title brand, if any: [None / Salvage / Rebuilt Salvage / Flood Damage / other, as shown on the title]
Current lienholder, if any: [Name, or “None”]

Odometer Statement

At the time of transfer the odometer shows [Mileage] miles (no tenths). Indicate one:
☐ Actual mileage ☐ Not the actual mileage, WARNING – ODOMETER DISCREPANCY ☐ Mileage in excess of the odometer mechanical limits ☐ Exempt (model year 2010 or older, or a 2011-or-newer vehicle 20 or more model years old)

Federal law (49 U.S.C. 32705; 49 CFR 580.5) requires the seller to state the mileage in connection with the transfer of ownership of a model year 2011 or newer vehicle during its first 20 model years. Model year 2010 and older vehicles are exempt (49 CFR 580.17). The same reading goes on the Texas title assignment and in item 9 of Form 130-U, with “Exempt” marked in item 10 when the exemption applies. Providing a false statement may result in fines and/or imprisonment.

Title, Liens, and Payoff

Seller warrants title and states the Vehicle is free of liens except: [Lienholder name and address, or “None”]. Seller delivers the Texas title, properly signed with the date of sale and odometer reading, together with a signed Form 130-U showing the sales price. Any listed lien will be released upon payoff and the release evidence delivered within [X] business days after funds clear, so that the county can issue Buyer a clean title.

Taxes, Registration, and Fees

Buyer will file the title application at a county tax assessor-collector’s office within 30 days of the date of sale (Texas Transportation Code 501.145), will pay all applicable title, registration, license plate and tax fees and taxes, including the motor vehicle tax, the title application fee set by the county, the registration fee with county fees and the inspection program replacement fee, and will provide proof of liability insurance. A filing after 30 days carries the title transfer late fee (501.146), and tax paid late carries the late-payment penalty (Tax Code 152.066).

Condition and Inspection Acknowledgment

Buyer confirms a chance to inspect and test-drive the Vehicle and accepts it AS-IS, with all faults, unless a written warranty is attached. Promised items after closing: [List or “None”]. Since 1 January 2025 non-commercial vehicles in Texas need no safety inspection. If the Vehicle will be registered in Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis or Williamson County, it must pass an emissions inspection before registration; Seller provides the latest Vehicle Inspection Report if one is available.

Optional Notary Acknowledgment

Texas does not require a vehicle bill of sale, the title assignment or Form 130-U to be notarized. The Parties may nonetheless have this Agreement acknowledged:
State of Texas, County of [County]. Acknowledged before me on [Date] by [Names].
Notary Public Signature: ____________________ Commission expires: [Date]

Governing Law / Venue

This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Texas. Venue lies in [County] County, Texas.

Entire Agreement; Changes

This Agreement supersedes all prior communications. Revisions must be signed by both Parties. Do not alter a signed copy; prepare a clean one and sign it again.

Texas Filing Checklist

Reference information for the parties. It is not part of this agreement and does not bind either party.

Which document transfers ownership. The Texas certificate of title, signed over by the seller with the date of sale and the odometer reading, plus Form 130-U, Application for Texas Title and/or Registration, signed by both parties with the sales price shown. The buyer files both with the county tax assessor-collector within 30 days (Transportation Code 501.145).

Go together. TxDMV’s advice to both sides is that the seller accompany the buyer to the county tax office: staff check that the title is correct and free of salvage or legal issues before it is accepted. Buyers can also run the vehicle through TxDMV Title Check before paying.

Seller, at and after the sale:

• Sign the title with the date of sale and odometer reading (or mark the odometer disclosure “Exempt” if the vehicle is exempt); sign Form 130-U with the sales price

• Give the buyer the title, Form 130-U, any lien release, the latest Vehicle Inspection Report if available, and this bill of sale

• Decide on the plates: leave them on the car, or remove them with the registration sticker to transfer to a vehicle of the same class, keep them, or deface and dispose of them

• File the Vehicle Transfer Notification within 30 days, online at TxDMV.gov/VTN or on Form VTR-346

Buyer, within 30 days, at the county tax assessor-collector’s office. Bring:

• The signed Texas title and Form 130-U

• This bill of sale

• Lien release, if a lien is shown

• Photo ID and proof of liability insurance

• A passing emissions inspection if the vehicle will be registered in one of the 17 emissions counties and none is on record

• Form 14-128 certified appraisal if you paid less than 80% of standard presumptive value; Form 14-317, sworn before a notary or a county tax assessor-collector employee, for a gift from an eligible donor

• Payment: 6.25% motor vehicle tax, $28 or $33 title application fee, registration (base $50.75 for a car or light truck) and local fees

Tax. 6.25% of the sales price or of 80% of the vehicle’s standard presumptive value (SPV), whichever is higher (Tax Code 152.0412). A certified appraisal from a licensed dealer or insurance adjuster, obtained within 30 calendar days of purchase, replaces SPV but cannot bring the taxable value below the price paid. Gift: $10 with Form 14-317 (Rev. 12-25), which must be sworn before a notary or a county tax assessor-collector employee. Eligible parties on the current form: a spouse (separate property only), parent, stepparent, parent-in-law or foster parent; grandparent, great-grandparent or their in-law equivalents; grandchild, great-grandchild or their in-law equivalents; child, stepchild, son- or daughter-in-law or foster child; sibling or sibling-in-law; guardian; a qualifying revocable trust or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, as donor or recipient. Since 1 September 2025 a transfer from a decedent’s estate to a distributee owes no motor vehicle tax (Tax Code 152.094). Even trade: $5.

Late charges. A title application filed after 30 days carries a $25 late fee, rising by $25 for each further 30 days once 60 days have passed, up to $250 (Transportation Code 501.146). Tax paid late carries a 5% penalty, and another 5% after 30 more days (Tax Code 152.066).

Seller’s protection. A Vehicle Transfer Notification filed within 30 days means the seller cannot be held responsible for parking tickets and toll violations committed by the buyer. It does not transfer ownership; only the buyer’s title application does.

Inspections. No safety inspection for non-commercial vehicles since 1 January 2025; the $7.50 inspection program replacement fee is paid with registration instead. Emissions inspection before registration in Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson Counties.

Sources: Texas Transportation Code §§ 501.145 (30 days; 60 days for active-duty military), 501.146 (late fee, $250 cap), 501.147 (vehicle transfer notification); Texas Tax Code §§ 152.0412 (standard presumptive value), 152.066 (late payment penalty); TxDMV, “Buying or Selling a Vehicle”, “Register Your Vehicle”, Form 130-U, Form VTR-346 (rev. 09/23); Texas Comptroller, “Private-Party Purchases and Standard Presumptive Values”, Forms 14-128 and 14-317. Verified 28 September 2026.

Signatures

Seller’s Signature: _______________________ Date: __________
Printed Name: _____________________________

Co-Seller’s Signature (if any): _______________________ Date: __________
Printed Name: _____________________________

Buyer’s Signature: ________________________ Date: __________
Printed Name: _____________________________

Co-Buyer’s Signature (if any): ________________________ Date: __________
Printed Name: _____________________________