The bottom line: To sell a car privately in Florida, sign a paper title over to the buyer, adding the odometer reading if the car is a 2011 model or newer. No notary is needed, and there is no emissions test or safety inspection.
Florida titles are electronic by default, so you may need to order a paper one first: $4.50 on the MyDMV Portal with a wait of 3 to 4 weeks, or $10 the same day at your county Tax Collector. If a loan is still on the car, the lender has to release the lien electronically before you can request it. To replace a lost paper title, file Form HSMV 82101 at the Tax Collector, for $75.25, plus $2.50 service and handling when a paper title is printed.
Take your plates off, then move them to another car you own or surrender them to the Tax Collector. Removing them does not release your liability, but the Notice of Sale does.
File the notice within 30 days, online on the MyDMV Portal or at the Tax Collector. Form HSMV 82050 serves as both the Notice of Sale and the recommended bill of sale.
- Sign the title over to the buyerOdometer reading: required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles.
- Take your plates off the carTransfer your plates to another vehicle you own, or surrender them to your county Tax Collector
- File Form HSMV 82050 (Notice of Sale) within 30 daysFile online, or in person or by mail at your county Tax Collector's office. It helps protect you from liability for the car after the sale.
- Cancel your insuranceOnly after you surrender the plate; Florida can suspend your driver license and registration and charge a reinstatement fee of up to $500.
- Write a bill of saleFLHSMV recommends having it notarized. Form HSMV 82050 is a combined form: Sections 1 and 3 for Notice of Sale; full form for Bill of Sale. It is the same form you file in step 3.
- Emissions test
- Safety inspection
- Notary on the title
- Notarized bill of sale
- Replacing a lost title
- $75.25, plus $2.50 service and handling when a paper title is printedTakes 3 to 4 weeks; can’t be ordered online; Form HSMV 82101Faster: Fast Title service available in person at your county Tax Collector, for $10 more.
- Loan on the car
- The lender releases the lien electronically through Florida's ELT system. Once released, you can request a paper title before the sale.
- Two owners on the title
- When the names on the title are joined by "or", one owner's signature is enough; joined by "and", every owner signs, and an owner who can't be there can name the other on Form HSMV 82053 (Power of Attorney).
- The buyer
- Registers the car within 30 days from the date of sale$20 late penalty
Automated assistant: general info, not legal advice
Answers come from our state paperwork data and published guides. Confirm anything binding with your state DMV.
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Step-by-Step Process for Florida
Step 1: Prepare Your Florida Paperwork
Documents you’ll need:
- Vehicle title – paper or electronic, in your name, with any lien satisfied
- Valid driver’s license – the buyer will want to see it against the title
- Lien satisfaction – if a lender was on the title
If your title is missing:
Get a missing paper title replaced before the sale, not after. File Form HSMV 82101 by mail or in person at your county Tax Collector's office. The fee is $75.25, plus $2.50 service and handling when a paper title is printed, and the replacement takes 3 to 4 weeks.
If you’re in a hurry, ask for Fast Title at the counter and pay $10 on top; the title is printed while you wait.
If you can’t get a title:
If you’re junking the car for parts or metal, Florida lets you skip the title under Florida Statute 319.30: your car must be at least 10 model years old, valued under $1,000, and sold to a licensed salvage motor vehicle dealer or registered secondary metals recycler.
At pickup, you fill in your section of Form HSMV 82137 (Derelict Motor Vehicle Certificate) and the buyer fills in the rest. That certificate ends the car’s title; it is for a scrap sale only, never for a private buyer.
Peddle buys junk, salvage and non-running cars.
If you still owe money on the car:
The lien is cleared before the title can move. In Florida, the lender releases the lien electronically through Florida's ELT system. Once released, you can request a paper title before the sale. Ask for that release as soon as you decide to sell.
If you owe more than the car brings, you pay the lender the rest before the release comes.
Step 2: Prepare Your Car
Wash the car, clear out the trunk and the glove box, and take the photos outdoors in even light. Put the repair receipts in one folder and run a history report on your own VIN, so nothing on it surprises you during the sale.
Step 3: Price Your Car
Step 4: Advertise Your Car
Put the listing on Facebook Marketplace first; that is where local buyers look. Add Cars.com or Autotrader if you would sell to a buyer coming down from Georgia or across from Alabama.
If you would rather skip the listing and the test drives, Peddle and Wheelzy make offers on cars with damage or high miles, and Carvana is the one to try for a car under 10 years old in good condition.
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Offer amount 35% 5/5
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Process ease 20% 5/5
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Offer validity 15% 4/5
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Pickup / drop-off 15% 4/5
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Payment speed 15% 4/5
- Get a real offer online in 2 minutes
- Suits a car under 10 years old in good condition
- No haggling: its best offer comes upfront
- Pays off your loan when it buys the car
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 5/5
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Process ease 15% 5/5
- Buys any car in any condition, running or not
- Free towing, with no fees taken off the offer
- You can cancel before pickup at no cost
- Pays by check on the spot at pickup
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 5/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 4/5
- Free tow from any Florida address
- Pays by cashier's check when the car is collected
- Offer online or over the phone in minutes
- Takes damaged cars and cars with mechanical problems
Step 5: Meet with Buyers Safely
Meet in daylight where there are cameras and other people, such as a bank branch or a police station lot. Look at the buyer’s license before the test drive and ride along.
Step 6: Handle Payment and Negotiate
For a cheaper car, cash counted at your own bank is the simplest way to get paid. For a more expensive one, go to the buyer’s bank and watch the cashier’s check being issued, or wait there until the wire arrives. Sign the title only once the money is in.
Step 7: Complete the Florida Title Transfer
Your part of a Florida title is on the front, in the box marked Transfer of Title by Seller. The back is not yours to fill in. Write the buyer’s full name and address, the mileage, the selling price and the date, then both of you sign and print your names.
Use blue or black ink.
If your title is electronic: have a paper one printed before you meet the buyer.
Odometer disclosure is required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, with model year 2010 and older, trailers, and vehicles rated over 16,000 lbs exempt. Florida has no separate form for it; the reading goes straight onto the title.
In Florida, if there are two names on the title, when the names on the title are joined by "or", one owner's signature is enough; joined by "and", every owner signs, and an owner who can't be there can name the other on Form HSMV 82053 (Power of Attorney).
The buyer applies for their own title within 30 days from the date of sale; after that a $20 late penalty is added to their bill.
Step 8: Handle Florida License Plates and Registration
Take the plate off before the buyer drives away; in Florida it stays with you. After that, transfer your plates to another vehicle you own, or surrender them to your county Tax Collector. Moving it to another car costs $4.50.
Step 9: Submit the Release of Liability
File Form HSMV 82050 in person or by mail at your county Tax Collector's office. Do it within 30 days of the sale; this is the filing that takes the car off your record. Keep a copy.
If you skip it, the risk stays with you: potential civil liability for the buyer's actions if Notice of Sale isn't filed.
Step 10: Cancel Insurance
Call the insurer once the Notice of Sale is filed and the plate is surrendered or on another car you own. File the cancellation notice with the rest of the sale papers, so the dates line up if a ticket ever arrives.
Florida Sale Checklist
Before the Sale
At the Sale
After the Sale
Florida DMV Resources
State Resources:
- Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV)
- FLHSMV Selling a Vehicle in Florida Guide
- Find your local county Tax Collector office at flhsmv.gov (most title and registration services are handled by county offices, not state locations)
Phone Support:
- 850-617-2000 (FLHSMV customer service, weekdays)
For a full list of state DMV websites, visit our 50 States DMV Directory.
Florida Fees and Costs
| What You Pay | Cost | When? |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate title (if needed) | $75.25, plus $2.50 service and handling when a paper title is printed | Before sale |
| Same-day paper title (Fast Title), if you need it | $10 | Before sale, optional |
| Lien payoff (if applicable) | Loan balance | Before sale |
| Moving your plate to another car you own | $4.50 | After sale, optional |
| Everything else | $0 | Buyer pays |
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Compare instant offers before you accept one
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a bill of sale required to sell a car in Florida?
No, Florida does not ask for one. Form HSMV 82050 is a combined form: Sections 1 and 3 for Notice of Sale; full form for Bill of Sale.
For a plain one to keep, our free bill of sale generator fills it in.
Do I need to get the title notarized to sell a car in Florida?
Florida law doesn't require the title assignment to be notarized, so the two of you sign the front of the title wherever you meet. Notarizing the bill of sale is not required (FLHSMV recommends having it notarized).
Do I need to file a release of liability after selling my car in Florida?
Yes, though Florida does not call it that. What other states file as a release of liability is the Notice of Sale here, and it is the same HSMV 82050 the bill of sale comes from.
Do I have to go to the Tax Collector to sell my car in Florida?
Not for the sale itself. With a paper title you sign where you meet the buyer, and the buyer takes it to the Tax Collector on their own. The Notice of Sale goes in by mail if you prefer.
Do I have to turn in my license plate after selling a car in Florida?
Yes, unless you move it to another car you own. Either way, the plate doesn’t go to the buyer.
Can I give my car away or sell it for $1 in Florida?
A gift and a one-dollar sale are not the same thing to the state; the title shows the real price or a gift, nothing in between. Who counts as family for a gift in Florida: Anyone. The test is whether anything of value passed, not the relationship.
For a true gift: Mark the title as a gift with no payment. Assuming an outstanding lien makes the transfer taxable on the amount assumed.
My car was inherited. What additional Florida forms do I need?
The buyer is from out of state. Does Florida require anything special?
Nothing changes on your side. The buyer titles the car in their own state, so ask them what their state wants written on the title before you fill it in.
How do I sell a junk car in Florida?
The paperwork is the same and the buyer is different. Buyers in Florida typically offer $605 for a junk car (cars 10 years and older, 763 offers, ranked 7 of 44 states); who quotes on a car that doesn’t run is in our list of online junk car buyers.
Article Update History
Every rule on this page checked against FLHSMV and the Florida Statutes, with co-owner signing, the plate transfer fee and junk-car offers added.
Title transfer, Notice of Sale and plate surrender rules checked against FLHSMV and Florida statutes.
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
Replacement Title Processing Time
"3 to 4 weeks" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
"yes" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
Release of Liability Form Name
"Form HSMV 82050 (Notice of Sale)" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
Release of Liability Filing Deadline
"30 days" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
Expedited Title Replacement Fee
"$10" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
Emissions Testing Required to Sell?
"no testing required" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
Buyer Penalty for Missing Registration Deadline
"$20 late penalty" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
Duplicate Title Application Form
"Form HSMV 82101" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
Sell Without Title: Legal Authority
"Florida Statute 319.30" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
"Form HSMV 82137 (Derelict Motor Vehicle Certificate)" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
"required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, with model year 2010 and older, trailers, and vehicles rated over 16,000 lbs exempt" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
"$4.50" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
"850-617-2000" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
"Anyone. The test is whether anything of value passed, not the relationship" Accessed Sep. 21, 2026
Junk Car Value Statistics, Sell Car Advisor
"On this page: 1 figure from 17,628 instant cash offers" Accessed Oct. 19, 2026
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