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District of Columbia · one question at a time

Trailer bill of sale form for District of Columbia

Answer a few questions and print it filled in, ready to sign. District of Columbia’s notary rule and deadlines are built in.

What are you selling?

Selling in District of Columbia
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We found no District of Columbia rule asking to notarize this bill of sale.

Updated October 2026Rules checked against each state’s own pages, with sources

What goes on it

Seven things a bill of sale has to say

Each has its place on the page. We ask for them in this order, and anything you skip stays a ruled line.

  1. The seller and the buyer

    Full legal names, exactly as on the title, and both addresses. Two owners on the title? Both are named, and both sign.

  2. What’s being sold

    Year, make, model, type and color: enough that nobody can mistake which trailer changed hands. The plate, and the title number if it has one, tie it to the state’s records.

  3. The VIN and the weight

    Copy the VIN from the tongue or the frame rail, not from memory. The weight goes on too: in many states it decides whether the trailer is titled at all.

  4. Price and payment

    The amount in figures and in words, and how it was paid. Write the real price: the buyer’s tax is usually figured on it. A gift says so, with $0.

  5. The date of sale

    The day the keys and the money changed hands. It starts your state’s clocks: the seller’s notice of sale and the buyer’s title transfer.

  6. “As is” and liens

    Most private sales are “as is”: the buyer takes it with any faults. The seller also states it’s free of loans, or names the lender if it isn’t.

  7. Signatures

    The seller signs, and many states and most buyers want the buyer’s signature too. Some states want a notary in some cases; your state’s rule is in the table below. Print two copies; each of you keeps one.

State rules

Notary, forms and deadlines by state

Whether a notary is needed, the state’s own form if it has one, and what each of you does after the sale.

StateBill of sale notarized?State’s own formAfter the saleStart
District of ColumbiaNo rule foundNo state form: any written bill of sale works

Buyer Title and register the trailer in your name if District of Columbia titles it; the state’s page below has the steps and deadlines. Source

Start
AlabamaNot asked forSourceNo state form: any written bill of sale works

Buyer Title and register the trailer in your name if Alabama titles it; the state’s page below has the steps and deadlines. Source

Start
AlaskaNo rule foundNo state form: any written bill of sale works

Buyer Title and register the trailer in your name if Alaska titles it; the state’s page below has the steps and deadlines. Source

Start
ArizonaNo rule foundNo state form: any written bill of sale works

Buyer Apply for registration or a title within fifteen days after the seller transfers the vehicle. Source

Start
ArkansasNo rule foundNo state form: any written bill of sale works

Buyer Title and register the trailer in your name if Arkansas titles it; the state’s page below has the steps and deadlines. Source

Start
CaliforniaNoSourceREG 135 · Bill of Sale

Seller Tell the DMV within 5 calendar days of the sale by filing a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability. Source

Buyer Report the change of ownership to the DMV within 10 days and update the title. Source

Start
ColoradoNo rule foundNo state form: any written bill of sale works

Buyer Title and register the trailer in your name if Colorado titles it; the state’s page below has the steps and deadlines. Source

Start
ConnecticutNo rule foundNo state form: any written bill of sale works

Buyer Title and register the trailer in your name if Connecticut titles it; the state’s page below has the steps and deadlines. Source

Start
  • District of ColumbiaBill of sale notary: No rule found
    Bill of sale notarized?
    No rule found
    State’s own form
    No state form: any written bill of sale works
    After the sale

    Buyer Title and register the trailer in your name if District of Columbia titles it; the state’s page below has the steps and deadlines. Source

    Start for District of Columbia
  • AlabamaBill of sale notary: Not asked for
    Bill of sale notarized?
    Not asked forSource
    State’s own form
    No state form: any written bill of sale works
    After the sale

    Buyer Title and register the trailer in your name if Alabama titles it; the state’s page below has the steps and deadlines. Source

    Start for Alabama
  • AlaskaBill of sale notary: No rule found
    Bill of sale notarized?
    No rule found
    State’s own form
    No state form: any written bill of sale works
    After the sale

    Buyer Title and register the trailer in your name if Alaska titles it; the state’s page below has the steps and deadlines. Source

    Start for Alaska
  • ArizonaBill of sale notary: No rule found
    Bill of sale notarized?
    No rule found
    State’s own form
    No state form: any written bill of sale works
    After the sale

    Buyer Apply for registration or a title within fifteen days after the seller transfers the vehicle. Source

    Start for Arizona
  • ArkansasBill of sale notary: No rule found
    Bill of sale notarized?
    No rule found
    State’s own form
    No state form: any written bill of sale works
    After the sale

    Buyer Title and register the trailer in your name if Arkansas titles it; the state’s page below has the steps and deadlines. Source

    Start for Arkansas
  • CaliforniaBill of sale notary: No
    Bill of sale notarized?
    NoSource
    State’s own form
    REG 135 · Bill of Sale
    After the sale

    Seller Tell the DMV within 5 calendar days of the sale by filing a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability. Source

    Buyer Report the change of ownership to the DMV within 10 days and update the title. Source

    Start for California
  • ColoradoBill of sale notary: No rule found
    Bill of sale notarized?
    No rule found
    State’s own form
    No state form: any written bill of sale works
    After the sale

    Buyer Title and register the trailer in your name if Colorado titles it; the state’s page below has the steps and deadlines. Source

    Start for Colorado
  • ConnecticutBill of sale notary: No rule found
    Bill of sale notarized?
    No rule found
    State’s own form
    No state form: any written bill of sale works
    After the sale

    Buyer Title and register the trailer in your name if Connecticut titles it; the state’s page below has the steps and deadlines. Source

    Start for Connecticut

Checked October 12, 2026 against each state’s motor vehicle, revenue or boating agency pages; every rule links its source. Rules change, so check the source before you rely on it.

Do you need one?

The title moves ownership. The bill of sale proves the deal.

When you’ll want a bill of sale

In most states the signed title is what transfers ownership. A bill of sale is your record of who sold what to whom, for how much, and on what day. You’ll want one when:

  • Your state or the title office asks for it; the table above shows yours
  • There’s no title, as with many older cars, trailers and boats
  • A ticket or toll shows up after the sale and you need to prove the date
  • The buyer needs to show the price for tax

Title vs bill of sale

The title is the state’s ownership record: the seller signs it over, and the buyer takes it to the title office. The bill of sale is the record between the two of you. Bring both.

Never hand over a signed title before the money is in your hand, and never leave the buyer’s name blank on it.

Questions

What people ask before they sell

Does a bill of sale need to be notarized?

For a trailer, usually not. We found a state rule asking for a notary in 6 of the 50 states and DC: Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

In Oklahoma, every sale like this needs one.

Pick your state and we say exactly which applies, at the step where it matters.

Is a bill of sale legally required?

It depends on the state and on what you sell. Many states transfer a titled car with the title alone, but ask for a bill of sale for untitled vehicles and boats, or when the title doesn’t show the price. Even where it’s optional, it’s the simplest proof of the day it stopped being yours.

Can I use a bill of sale for a gift?

Yes. Choose Gift, and the bill of sale says it was given with no payment. Some states add a form for gifts: Texas uses Form 14-317 for a gift from an eligible relative, and Pennsylvania uses Form MV-13ST. We show your state’s the moment you choose Gift.

Is this an official state form?

No. Eliten Forms is a private service, not a government agency. Where your state publishes its own bill of sale form, the state table links it; those forms are free on the state’s website.

What does “as is” mean?

The buyer accepts it in its current condition, faults included, and the seller makes no promises about it. That’s the norm for private sales. If you do promise something, say a rebuilt transmission, choose “With a promise” and describe it.

Who signs it, and who keeps it?

The seller always signs. There’s a buyer line too, because many states and most buyers want both signatures. Print two copies, both of you sign both, and each keeps one.

What if there’s no title?

Then the bill of sale carries more weight: it may be the main proof of ownership, as it is for many older cars, trailers and boats. If a title exists but is lost, the owner on record usually applies for a duplicate before selling; a bill of sale doesn’t replace it.

Can I fill in some parts by hand?

Yes. Tell us what you’re selling and the state; every other question is optional. Anything you skip prints as a clean blank line, and the last screen lists what’s left to write, so nothing gets forgotten at the curb.

Before you start

Have these within reach

  • The title or registrationMany light trailers have only a registration
  • The trailer’s VINOn the tongue or the frame rail
  • The buyer’s full name and addressAnd a phone number: some states’ seller notices ask for it
  • The trailer’s weightEmpty weight, or the gross rating on its plate
  • The agreed price and how it’s paidCash, a cashier’s check or a bank transfer
  • The lien release, if there was a loanFrom your lender, if the title still names them

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