Wisconsin title answers · Selling and buying
What do you do after selling a car in Wisconsin?
Short answer
Take your plates off, report the sale to WisDOT within 30 days through seller notification, and keep a copy of the signed title and a bill of sale. Do not mail the plates to DMV; move them to a similar vehicle you own or destroy them. The thing sellers misunderstand is the record: your notice does not change WisDOT's vehicle record. Only the buyer's title application does, so your copies are your proof of the sale date.
1. Plates come off
For a car or light truck, the plates are yours, not the car's. WisDOT says to remove them unless the vehicle is a truck registered at 10,000 pounds or more, a farm truck at 16,000 pounds or more, a moped, or a trailer or RV trailer. Those keep their plates.
Unexpired plates can go on a similar vehicle (auto to auto, light truck to light truck) titled to you, your spouse or your domestic partner. If you will not reuse them, WisDOT says to cut them up. Do not return them to DMV, and there is no refund for unused months. If you already left them on the car, file the License Plates Cancellation Application, form MV2514.
2. Report the sale within 30 days
Wis. Stat. 342.41 says that when one individual sells a motor vehicle to another, including a junk vehicle sold by bill of sale, the seller reports the VIN and the buyer's identity to WisDOT within 30 days. WisDOT's seller notification asks for the VIN, the buyer's identity, the sale price and the sale date, and it is filed online at sellernotify.wi.gov by an individual owner (not a business).
Two things it does not do. It does not transfer the title, and WisDOT says it is not noted on the vehicle record. The record changes when the buyer applies for a title in their name. WisDOT says a buyer who will drive the car should title and register it within two business days.
3. Where sellers get caught later
Most after-sale headaches trace back to the title itself:
- Leaving the buyer area blank. Fill in the buyer's name and address and the price on the title yourself. WisDOT notes the Department of Revenue checks titles and investigates suspiciously low prices.
- Missing signatures. If owners are joined by "and", every one of them signs. With "or", any one can.
- The odometer. For a 2011 or newer model, WisDOT says you must write the reading on the back of the title and mark it actual, not actual, or in excess of mechanical limits.
- A loan on the title. Give the buyer a lien release from your lender, or the buyer cannot title it.
- Selling it as junk. Write "Junk" across the title before you hand it over. WisDOT says a junked vehicle can never be titled or licensed again, even if someone restores it.
4. Keep a paper trail
If anyone ever asks who owned the car on a given day, these answer it. Keep them together for a few years. WisDOT also offers form MV2928, Instructions for Selling a Vehicle, if you want a written record of the sale.
- A photo of the signed title, front and back.
- A bill of sale. WisDOT says it is optional and suggests make, year, model, VIN, mileage, both parties' names, addresses and phone numbers, both signatures, the price and the date.
- Your seller notification confirmation.
- A copy of any lien release you handed over.
5. What you can ignore, and what you cannot
A renewal notice may still show up for the old plates. WisDOT says to disregard it unless you moved those plates to another vehicle. Call your insurer yourself to take the sold car off your policy.
What you cannot ignore: WisDOT says you need a Wisconsin dealer license if you sell more than five vehicles in a 12-month period, or buy vehicles only to resell them. And if your buyer later calls because the title you gave them was lost, the fix is on your side: you order a $20 replacement on MV2119 and sign that one over.
Common questions
Should I send my plates back to the DMV?
No. WisDOT says not to return them. Reuse them on a similar vehicle you or your spouse or domestic partner own, or destroy them.
What if the buyer never titles the car?
Your seller notification and copies show when you sold it. If the buyer lost the title before applying, you are still the owner on record and the one who can order a replacement.
Can I sell to a buyer who will not show me ID?
Seller notification asks for the buyer's identity, so you need at least their name. A buyer who will not give it is a reason to stop.
Do I file seller notification if I sold to a dealer?
Section 342.41 covers sales from one individual to another. Your plates still come off a car or light truck either way.
Want us to do the paperwork?
You tell us your situation. We fill out the WisDOT forms for it and give you a checklist of what to include. You review, sign and mail the package yourself.
If the state asks for a bond, you buy it from a licensed surety of your choosing. We take no commission.
- ✓ $299, one flat fee, bonded titles included
- ✓ Track your case online
- ✓ The application is in your name from the start
State fees are paid to WisDOT. Any bond premium is paid to the surety you choose.
Prefer to fill out the forms yourself? The $97 do-it-yourself kit walks you through every form field, the real costs, and the 12 reasons packets get rejected.
Related answers
No title for your car in Wisconsin
Which path fits: replacement, bonded title, or neither.
Read this guide →How do you sign over a car title in Wisconsin?
Seller signs and dates the back of the title, writes mileage (2011 or newer), price and buyer's name, and gives a lien release if a loan is listed.
Read this guide →What if the buyer never transferred the title into their name in Wisconsin?
If you signed the title over, delivered the car and pulled your plates, Wisconsin law says you are not liable as owner. File seller notification too.
Read this guide →What if you lost the title before registering the car in Wisconsin?
The seller is still the owner on WisDOT's record, so the seller orders a $20 replacement (MV2119), can have it mailed to you, and signs it over.
Read this guide →How does odometer disclosure work on a Wisconsin title?
Model year 2011 and newer: the seller writes the mileage on the title and checks actual, not actual or over limits. 2010 and older are exempt.
Read this guide →What does a Wisconsin vehicle bill of sale need to include?
Not required with a signed title. WisDOT lists what a good one has: make, year, model, VIN, odometer, names, addresses, phones, signatures, price, date.
Read this guide →Sources, checked 2026-10-31: WisDOT: Selling your vehicle · WisDOT: Seller notification · WisDOT: Selling a vehicle, points to remember · Wis. Stat. 342.41, seller must report the buyer. Rules can change; confirm with WisDOT before you file.
TitleFiled is a document-preparation and title-recovery assistance service operated by Nuvent66 LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company. It is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by any DMV or government agency, including the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). We do not guarantee that any agency will approve or issue a title. Information on this page is provided for general reference, was verified against official WisDOT sources on the date shown, and is not legal advice.