List a car FOR FLORIDA PRIVATE CAR SELLERS
Set your own asking price, show buyers the real condition and handle the Florida paperwork with confidence. Here is what the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles expects from a private seller.
Free until sold. No automatic renewal. CarTruvo is a marketplace: you and your buyer arrange inspection, payment and transfer directly.
BEFORE THE KEYS CHANGE HANDS
Fill in the Transfer of Title by Seller section on the Florida title: the buyer's name and address, the odometer reading, the selling price and the date sold. The sale is not legal until the title is transferred to the buyer. If you lost the paper title, apply for a duplicate (HSMV 82101) before you sell. Notarization of the title is not required. If the car was never titled in Florida, a VIN and odometer verification (HSMV 82042) is needed first.
Official source ↗FLHSMV tells sellers to keep a copy of a bill of sale and recommends having it notarized. The state form HSMV 82050 (Notice of Sale and/or Bill of Sale) can serve as both the bill of sale and the notice of sale.
Official source ↗Florida plates stay with the seller, not the car. Remove the plate when you sell. You may move it to a new or replacement vehicle. Surrender it if you are moving out of state or cancelling insurance on the vehicle it was assigned to.
Official source ↗File the Notice of Sale (form HSMV 82050) with a motor vehicle service center. Florida law says an owner who sells a vehicle and hands it over must notify the state within 30 days. Filing removes your registration from the car and helps protect you from liability after the sale. The 30-day rule does not apply to sales to or by licensed dealers.
Official source ↗Florida does not require the seller to provide a smog or safety inspection for an ordinary private sale. The state's vehicle emissions inspection program ended on July 1, 2000.
Official source ↗A car with an existing lien cannot be legally sold in a private sale until the loan is paid off and the lienholder reports the satisfaction to FLHSMV. Pay off the loan first, then transfer the title.
Official source ↗The seller must complete the odometer disclosure on the title and the buyer must acknowledge it by signing and printing their name. Per the statute, disclosure is not required once a 2010 or older model is over 10 years old, or a 2011 or newer model is over 20 years old.
Official source ↗Official sources checked October 30, 2026. This is a planning guide for an ordinary private sale, not legal advice or an official form. Follow the current instructions from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles for your vehicle, especially for lost titles, several owners, out-of-state buyers or a car that is not fully paid off.
City guides add local details such as emissions testing and safe places to meet a buyer.
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Holiday, FL
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A private sale lets you choose the asking price and the buyer, but you handle questions, viewings and paperwork. An outright offer from a dealer or online buyer is usually quicker but often lower. Compare a real written offer with what you would keep from a private sale before deciding.
Fill in the Transfer of Title by Seller section on the Florida title: the buyer's name and address, the odometer reading, the selling price and the date sold. The sale is not legal until the title is transferred to the buyer. If you lost the paper title, apply for a duplicate (HSMV 82101) before you sell. Notarization of the title is not required. If the car was never titled in Florida, a VIN and odometer verification (HSMV 82042) is needed first.
Florida plates stay with the seller, not the car. Remove the plate when you sell. You may move it to a new or replacement vehicle. Surrender it if you are moving out of state or cancelling insurance on the vehicle it was assigned to.
File the Notice of Sale (form HSMV 82050) with a motor vehicle service center. Florida law says an owner who sells a vehicle and hands it over must notify the state within 30 days. Filing removes your registration from the car and helps protect you from liability after the sale. The 30-day rule does not apply to sales to or by licensed dealers.
FLHSMV tells sellers to keep a copy of a bill of sale and recommends having it notarized. The state form HSMV 82050 (Notice of Sale and/or Bill of Sale) can serve as both the bill of sale and the notice of sale.
Florida does not require the seller to provide a smog or safety inspection for an ordinary private sale. The state's vehicle emissions inspection program ended on July 1, 2000.
