Selling Your Vehicle

To process a title transfer please be in our office by 4:15 pm

Buyer's & Sellers Check List

Follow the steps listed in our Buyers' & Sellers Checklist to help insure that only one trip will be made to our office.

• If the vehicle is currently registered, the buyer can operate the vehicle for thirty (30) days without license plates if they carry one of the following in the vehicle:
  • Bill of Sale with sufficient detail
  • Vehicle title with the assignment of title completed;
  • Photocopy of both sides of the completed title

Small Trailers

Trailers weighing less than 2,000 pounds empty are not issued a title when they are registered in the State of Iowa. On the registration, if it says "Small Regular Trailer" the registration is the ownership document. To sell a small regular trailer, you must sign the bottom of the registration where it says "Sellers Signature", and date or a signed Bill of Sale with the VIN, Date of Sale, and Name of the seller should be supplied to the buyer.

Registration Credit

Before transferring possession of your vehicle, trailer, or travel trailer remove and keep your license plates. You may be entitled to a refund or credit of the unused portion of registration fees.

If you are purchasing another vehicle within 6 months and wish to receive credit toward the registration fees, fill out the bottom of your registration receipt for the sold vehicle and submit it with the title and application for your replacement vehicle. Do not transfer the plates on the new vehicle until you have completed the transfer with the treasurer's office.

If you are not replacing the sold vehicle and wish to receive a refund, complete the bottom of your registration receipt with the date of sale and submit both the plates and registration to the County Treasurers Office. Note: To receive a refund, this must be done within six (6) months form the date of sale of the vehicle. Credit of less than $10.00 will not be refunded.