Vehicle title transfer deadlines and late penalties by state
For each US state: how many days a private-party buyer has to apply for a new certificate of title after buying a vehicle, and what the statute charges for missing the deadline — each from the state's own titling statute with a verbatim quote. There is no federal rule and the answers spread from 10 days (California, Minnesota's notice-of-sale) through 15 (Washington) to 30 (Texas, Ohio, Florida), and the penalties are just as scattered: Florida a flat $20, Washington $50 on the sixteenth day plus $2 for each additional day capped at $125, Texas escalating to $250. Answers 'how long do I have to transfer a car title after buying in [state]', 'what is the penalty for late title transfer in [state]', and 'is there a late fee if I miss the title deadline'. The Washington and Texas penalty formulas are stated as day-rate schedules, so a late-penalty calculator (inputs: state, days late) falls straight out of the data. One record per state statute.
3 records where two or more sources state different values. Both sides are reproduced on the record page, each with its own source and quote.
The data
| State | Deadline to apply for title | Statute | Penalty for missing it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | within fifteen days after the relinquishing owner transfers or assigns the relinquishing owner's certificate of title or interest in the vehicle | § 28-2058 | |
| California | that person shall, within 10 days thereafter, forward the certificate with the proper transfer fee to the department and thereby make application for a transfer of registration | VEH § 5902 | |
| Florida | must be filed within 30 days after the delivery of the motor vehicle or after consummation of the sale of the mobile home to the purchaser | 319.23 | a fee of $20, in addition to all other fees and penalties required by law, for failing to file such application within the specified time |
| Illinois | within 20 days after delivery to him of the vehicle and the assigned title | 625 ILCS 5/3-112 | |
| Minnesota | within 20 calendar days after assignment to the transferee of the vehicle title certificate | 168A.10 | |
| North Carolina | within 28 days after the vehicle is transferred | G.S. 20-73 | |
| Ohio | within thirty days after the assignment or delivery of the motor vehicle | Section 4505.06 | |
| Oregonsources differ | within 30 days of the date of transfer of interest | 803.092 | |
| Pennsylvania | within 20 days of the sale or transfer of a vehicle or its entry into this Commonwealth from another jurisdiction, whichever is later | § 1103.1 | |
| Texassources differ | Not later than the later of the 30th day after the date of assignment on the documents | § 501.145 | |
| Virginia | within 30 days of the purchase or transfer | § 46.2-600 | |
| Washingtonsources differ | within 15 days of delivery of the vehicle | RCW 46.12.650 | |
| Wisconsin | promptly after delivery to him or her of the vehicle | 342.15 |
Where this came from
Every record above links the page it was taken from and quotes the sentence that states it. These are the 16 sources this dataset was assembled from.
- codes.findlaw.comhttps://codes.findlaw.com/az/title-28-transportation/az-rev-st-sect-28-2058/
- codes.findlaw.comhttps://codes.findlaw.com/ca/vehicle-code/veh-sect-5902/
- leg.state.fl.ushttps://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0319/Sections/0319.23.html
- ilga.govhttps://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=062500050K3-112
- revisor.mn.govhttps://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/168A.10
- ncleg.govhttps://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_20/GS_20-73.html
- codes.ohio.govhttps://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4505.06
- codes.findlaw.comhttps://codes.findlaw.com/or/title-59-oregon-vehicle-code/or-rev-st-sect-803-090/
- oregonlegislature.govhttps://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors803.html
- codes.findlaw.comhttps://codes.findlaw.com/pa/title-75-pacsa-vehicles/pa-csa-sect-75-1103-1/
- codes.findlaw.comhttps://codes.findlaw.com/tx/transportation-code/transp-sect-501-146/
- codes.findlaw.comhttps://codes.findlaw.com/tx/transportation-code/transp-sect-501-145/
- law.lis.virginia.govhttps://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/section46.2-600/
- app.leg.wa.govhttps://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.17.140
- app.leg.wa.govhttps://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.12.650
- docs.legis.wisconsin.govhttps://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/342/ii/15
Machine-readable
- data.jsonThe whole dataset — every record with its source URL and source quote.
- Open Knowledge Format bundleOne JSON object per line — every record's frontmatter and quoted span exactly as it is held here, in one fetch.
- How this is made and checkedWhat "verified against source" does and does not mean.