A Utah bill of sale is a form that records the sale or trade of an item from one person to another. Like a standard retail receipt, a bill of sale proves that personal property has transferred ownership between two people. While it’s typically used for selling or purchasing items, a bill of sale can also be used to document a trade of one valuable item for another.
To protect yourself, you should use a bill of sale in the state of Utah when transferring the following items:
- a car, boat, motorcycle, or any other type of vehicle
- a gun or other type of firearm
- or any livestock or animal such as a horse
On a bill of sale form, the person receiving the item is referred to as the buyer, and the person transferring ownership of the item is referred to as the seller.
Table of Contents
1. Utah Vehicle Bill of Sale
In Utah, a bill of sale is required by the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in order to register and title a vehicle or vessel that was purchased in a private party transaction. The state provides Form TC-843, which must be filed with your local DMV office at the time of title transfer.
Language Requirements
DMV forms, including bills of sale, are not written in Spanish or any other language. However, you may provide your own interpreter for filling out forms, as long as he or she meets the state requirements. There is also a directory of translators provided online that are pre-approved by the state.
Number of Copies
Because a bill of sale is required to privately sell and purchase a vehicle in Utah, a copy must be submitted to the DMV. The buyer and seller should also each retain a copy in case they need to reference it later.
For Vehicles
You may use the form provided by the state, or you may draft your own vehicle bill of sale. If you draft your own, it must be typed or handwritten in ink only. Your bill of sale, which does not require notarization, must have the following details to be acceptable:
- The names, contact information, and signatures and the buyer and seller
- The vehicle identification number or VIN
- The make, model, and year of the vehicle
- The selling price
- The purchase date
- A vehicle description.
- A description of your trade-in, if any
- The trade-in allowance, if applicable
After Purchasing a Vehicle
Besides drafting a proper bill of sale, there are many other documents involved in the registration and titling of vehicles and vessels in Utah.
Dealership Sales
For buyers:
- Your Utah dealer will submit all your titling and registration documents for you. The dealer will also provide you with a temporary registration to drive your vehicle legally while you wait for your permanent registration to arrive in the mail.
Private Sales
For sellers:
- You must provide the buyer with the vehicle’s title within 48 hours of the sales transaction. You must sign the title, and if it is in more than one person’s name, all will have to sign.
- You must also complete an Odometer Disclosure Statement, or Form TC-891, if the vehicle is 10 years or younger, and pass it to the buyer along with the current registration and title, and the current safety and emissions inspection certificates.
- You must then report the vehicle as sold to the DMV. You can do this by fax, mail, or online, through the Motor Vehicle Portal. In your notification you must include the vehicle’s make, model, year, plate number, and VIN.
For buyers:
- Utah offers a temporary registration option so you can get your vehicle inspected and registered before you get your permanent plates.
- You have 60 days to register and title your vehicle with the DMV after you move to Utah. You can complete both processes at the same time. You will need to get a VIN inspection performed if you are registering your vehicle in the state for the first time. A safety inspection will do if the accurate VIN is listed on your safety inspection certificate.
- You will have to take your vehicle for a safety inspection at any one of the many Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS)-approved safety inspection stations. There is a maximum fee of $20 per inspection. Emissions inspections are only required in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah, Weber, and Cache counties.
- In order to register your vehicle with the DMV, you will need to visit your local location with the vehicle’s title, your Certificate of Inspection, or Form TC-661, for safety or smog tests, if applicable, a Bill of Sale, or Form TC-843, a Vehicle Application for Utah Title, or Form TC-656, proof of insurance, and payment of registration and titling fees.
- You will use the bill of sale to prove to the DMV the price that you paid for the vehicle, and they will use the amount to determine the use and sales tax that you owe. If for any reason there is no bill of sale, the sales and use tax will be calculated based on the “Fair Market Value” of the vehicle, with consideration for depreciation and the vehicle’s condition. If you wish to dispute the value assigned to the vehicle, you may obtain a certified appraisal on the vehicle from a bonded and licensed state auto dealer, at your own expense.
- Vehicle registration fees are based on the year of the vehicle, its weight, and your home county, since sales and tax rate are different in each county. There are also additional fees to consider when registering, including a duplicate registration fee of $4, and a temporary permit fee of $6. The Age-based Uniform Fees, which are determined by the year of the vehicle’s manufacture, are designated as follows:
- Less than 3 years old: $150
- 3 years old to less than 6 years old: $110
- 6 years old to less than 9 years old: $80
- 9 years old to less than 12 years old: $50
- 12 years old or older: $10
- If you are active military and stationed outside of Utah, you may continue to carry a Utah registration and use Utah plates. You are also entitled to a few different registration fee exemptions, but you will have to contact the DMV to determine your eligibility. If you are stationed in Utah, you may continue to use your registration and plates from your home state as long as they are current. However, if you purchase a vehicle in Utah, you will still be expected to pay use tax.
- If you lose or damage your Utah title, you may submit an Application for a Duplicate Title, or Form TC-123, along with the applicable fee.
2. Utah Boat Bill of Sale
You can use the same state-issued form as a bill of sale for vessels. The same rules also apply when it comes to handwritten or typed bills of sale. A boat bill of sale must contain the following:
- The names, contact information, and signature of the buyer and seller
- The hull identification number or HIN
- The make, model, and year of the vessel
- The selling price
- The purchase date
- A vessel description
Many DMV forms in Utah invoke a penalty of perjury, though the official bill of sale does not. However, Utah does take perjury very seriously, as is reflected in Utah Code section 76-8-504, which states, “A person is guilty of a class B misdemeanor if…(w)ith intent to deceive a public servant in the performance of his official function, he…(s)ubmits or invites reliance on any writing which he knows to be lacking in authenticity.”
After Purchasing a Vessel
Private Sales
For buyers:
- You will need to register and title your vessel with the DMV, although the Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation is in charge of all the boating rules and regulations in the state. You must register any vessel manufactured after 1985 that is powered by a motor or sail. The exemptions to this law include vessels registered in another state or another country that are using Utah’s waters for less than 60 days, lifeboats, government-owned vessels, human-powered vessels, such as canoes and kayaks, inflatable watercraft, outboard motors with less than 25 horsepower, and sailboards.
- If you are registering and titling a vessel in Utah for the first time, it will require a HIN inspection. The only exception would be a new vessel that was purchased from a licensed Utah boat dealer. This inspection can be performed by a Utah peace officer or any DMV employee, and they must fill out a Certificate of Inspection, or Form TC-661.
- In order to title and register your vessel in Utah, you will need to visit your local DMV with a Vessel Application for Utah Title, or Form TC-656V, a Bill of Sale, or Form TC-843, proof from your county assessor that your uniform fees were paid, a Certificate of inspection, or Form TC-661, if applicable (for HIN inspections), a properly signed title or other proof of ownership, the current registration card, and payment of all applicable fees. Your registration is valid for one year.
- Registration fees depend on the length and type of vessel you own. There is a Uniform Age-based Fee, determined by model year, applied to all boats under 31 feet long and to all personal watercraft. All vessels over 31 feet will be charged a sales and use tax of 1.5% of the vessel’s fair market value. Additional fees include a registration fee of $30, an Aquatic Invasive Species Fee of $10, a Search and Rescue Fee of 50 cents, an Electronic Payment Fee of $3, a boat title fee of $6, a duplicate registration card fee of $4, and a boat decal fee of $7.
3. Utah Gun Bill of Sale
In Utah, it is not required to carry a permit or register any firearm, including shotguns and handguns. As such, you are not required to provide the state with a gun bill of sale to record your sales transaction. However, it is wise to draft a bill of sale for the records of all parties concerned. Ensure that your document has the following information:
- The buyer’s and seller’s names, contact information, and signatures
- The make, model, caliber, and serial number
- The purchase price
- The sales date