Report of sale

Things to know

As of July 28, 2019 you'll pay $13.25 to report the sale of your vehicle. There's no fee to report the sale of a boat.

Overview

Remove license plates from the vehicle
Find out why you should file
Gather the information you'll need
File your report
Update your Good-to-Go! account, if needed

1. Remove license plates from the vehicle

By removing your license plates, it encourages the new owner to transfer ownership. Leaving the plates increases your risk of impound costs, traffic infractions, Good to Go! tickets, and other liabilities.

2. Find out why you should file

You need to file a report of sale when you sell, donate or give up ownership of a vehicle (cars, trucks, motorcycles, motorhomes, registered off-road vehicles, travel trailers, boat trailers, etc.)

Filing will protect you from being held liable for towing charges or civil and criminal liabilities incurred by the new owner. The new owner must transfer the ownership into their name.

You must report the sale of your vehicle, if you:

Sell,
- Privately,
- On consignment, or
- Out of state (Must have a WA license plate),
Trade to a private party or dealer,
Gift,
Donate,
Give to a wrecking yard,
Turn over to an insurance company, or
Dispose of your vehicle.

If you've sold a boat, see Report the sale of a boat. There is no fee to report the sale of a boat.

3. Gather the information you'll need

License plate number (include all letters and numbers on the plate),
Date of the sale or transfer,
Sale price — enter zero if a gift or inheritance,
Name and address of the person or organization who took ownership of the vehicle, and
VIN — Vehicle ID number.

Make sure everything is correct before you file. If you find an error after you've filed, you'll have to visit a vehicle licensing location to explain the error. The report will be deleted and you'll need to file another one.

4. File your report

You should file within 5 days. There's no late fee for filing after 5 days, but you may be held liable for any financial, criminal or civil liabilities that the new owner may incur. It's in your best interest to file as soon as possible.

The fee is $13.25, you can file your report:

Online
- Report of sale without logging in or creating an account
- Log in or join to report the sale from your License eXpress account
or
At a vehicle licensing location
- Fill out the Vehicle Report of Sale (English, Español, Русский, and more) form
- Bring to an office or
- Mail to the vehicle licensing location of your choice. Include a check for the fee. Please make checks out to "Department of Licensing."

After you've filed:

Keep a copy for your records. If you need a copy, submit a Vehicle/Boat Record Request and fee.
If you end up keeping the vehicle, visit a vehicle licensing location to have the report of sale deleted.

Want to leave feedback on an office visit, phone call, or our online services like tab renewal or address change? Tell us how we're doing: Take a survey