Does Indiana require a bill of sale?

Not for an ordinary in-state transfer, where the endorsed certificate of title carries the sale. Indiana does require one in a specific case: a vehicle brought into Indiana from another state with no previous certificate of title must be accompanied by a sworn bill of sale or dealer’s invoice fully describing the vehicle, plus the most recent registration receipt, under IC 9-17-2-4(c)(2).

Does an Indiana bill of sale need to be notarized?

For a routine sale, no — IC 9-17-3-3.4 asks for the assignment to be endorsed “in a form approved by the bureau” and says nothing about a notary. The exception is the sworn bill of sale IC 9-17-2-4(c)(2)(A) requires for an out-of-state vehicle never titled in Indiana: sworn means before an officer authorised to administer an oath.

How long do I have to title a car in Indiana?

Forty-five days from the date you acquire the vehicle. A transfer-on-death conveyance and a new resident titling a vehicle they already own each get sixty days instead. The administrative penalty for a late application on a vehicle other than a watercraft is $30 for violations occurring after 31 December 2016.

Who writes the sale price on an Indiana title?

The seller. IC 9-17-3-3.2(a) puts the duty on the transferring party to fill in all blanks on the certificate relating to buyer information, including the sale price, whenever the buyer is not a licensed dealer, and subsection (b) makes the failure a Class B infraction. IC 9-17-3-3.4(a)(3) repeats the duty, naming the buyer’s name and address and the sale price.

What happens if the Indiana seller does not hand over the title?

They are in breach of IC 9-17-3-3.4(a)(2), which requires the certificate to be delivered or transmitted to the purchaser at the time of the sale or of delivery of the vehicle, once the agreed initial payments have been made. Do not part with the money for a promise to post the title later; the statute expects the two to happen together.

Is this legal advice?

No. Free Contract Generator provides self-help templates and general information, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. Vehicle-transfer rules are set by each state and change; confirm the current rule with the agency cited and consult a licensed attorney for advice about your situation.

Indiana Bill of Sale — Free Template & Generator

Indiana puts a duty on the seller that most states leave to the buyer: under IC 9-17-3-3.2 the transferring party has to fill in all the blanks on the certificate of title relating to buyer information, “including the sale price,” and failing to do it is a Class B infraction. The buyer then has forty-five days to apply for a title before a $30 administrative penalty attaches. Generate the bill of sale here so the price on the title and the price in your records are the same number.

Free
No signup
Word & PDF
Indiana pre-selected

How it works

01
Indiana is already selected
The governing-law clause names the state; change it only if the sale happens elsewhere.
02
Enter the item and the parties
Vehicle, boat or general item — VIN and odometer, or HIN — plus price, payment method, seller and buyer.
03
Review clause by clause
The as-is terms, the seller’s title warranty and, for vehicles, the federal odometer statement.
04
Download, then file Indiana’s paperwork
Word & PDF on your device; the state steps and forms are listed below, each cited to the source.

What Indiana actually requires

Indiana rules for a private sale

Last verified September 6, 2026

What the seller must do Endorse, deliver, and complete the purchase details

IC 9-17-3-3.4(a) gives the seller three duties in one sentence: endorse the certificate of title “by assigning the certificate of title with warranty of title, in a form approved by the bureau, with a statement describing all liens or encumbrances on the vehicle”; deliver or transmit it to the buyer at the time of the sale or delivery of the vehicle, once the agreed initial payments are made; and — unless the buyer is a licensed dealer — complete all information concerning the purchase on the certificate, including the buyer’s name and address and the sale price. Subsection (d) makes a breach of the first or third duty a Class B infraction.

Ind. Code § 9-17-3-3.4 (FindLaw, current as of January 01, 2026)
The sale price goes on the title Seller fills it in — Class B infraction if not

“When a certificate of title is available and a vehicle is sold or transferred to a person other than a dealer licensed under IC 9-32, the transferring party shall fill in all blanks on the certificate of title relating to buyer information, including the sale price.” The failure to fill in all buyer information is itself a Class B infraction. This is why an Indiana bill of sale should be generated and agreed before either party signs the title: the number written on the certificate is the one the state will work from.

Ind. Code § 9-17-3-3.2 (FindLaw, current as of January 01, 2026)
Buyer’s deadline 45 days · $30 penalty after that

“Except as provided in subsection (c), a person must apply for a certificate of title for a vehicle within forty-five (45) days after the date on which the person acquires the vehicle.” A transfer-on-death conveyance gets sixty days, and so does a new Indiana resident titling a vehicle they already own. Miss the deadline on an ordinary vehicle and the administrative penalty for a violation occurring after 31 December 2016 is thirty dollars. The section does not apply to a mobile home or a manufactured home.

Ind. Code § 9-17-2-14.7 (FindLaw, current as of January 01, 2026)
When Indiana insists on a bill of sale A vehicle brought in from another state

For a vehicle that has never been titled, IC 9-17-2-4(c)(2) lists what must accompany the application if the vehicle is brought into Indiana from another state: “(A) A sworn bill of sale or dealer’s invoice fully describing the vehicle. (B) The most recent registration receipt issued for the vehicle. (C) Any other information that the bureau requires to establish ownership.” Note the two adjectives — sworn, and fully describing. A one-line receipt will not carry that weight.

Ind. Code § 9-17-2-4(c) (FindLaw, current as of January 01, 2026)
Odometer Federal disclosure at transfer

Indiana’s transfer sections describe the assignment and the purchase details but leave the mileage statement to federal law, which applies in every state. 49 CFR § 580.5(c) requires the transferor to disclose the mileage on the title, signed, with their printed name, plus the odometer reading without tenths of miles, the date of transfer, both parties’ printed names and current addresses, and the vehicle’s make, model, year, body type and VIN.

49 CFR § 580.5(c) (eCFR, current)

How this document fits Indiana’s paperwork

Official form: Indiana moves ownership through the endorsed assignment on the certificate of title, and the sale price is recorded on that certificate rather than on a separate state form. The one place the Indiana Code names a bill of sale is IC 9-17-2-4(c)(2)(A): a vehicle brought into Indiana from another state and never titled here needs “a sworn bill of sale or dealer’s invoice fully describing the vehicle” with the application.

Agree the price on the bill of sale first, then write that same number into the buyer-information blanks on the certificate of title — IC 9-17-3-3.2 puts that job on the seller and makes skipping it a Class B infraction. The seller endorses the assignment with warranty of title and the lien statement, and hands the certificate over when the vehicle changes hands under IC 9-17-3-3.4(a)(2). The buyer files inside the forty-five days IC 9-17-2-14.7(b) allows. If the vehicle is coming into Indiana from another state and was never titled here, have the bill of sale sworn — that is the form IC 9-17-2-4(c)(2)(A) asks for.

FAQ

Indiana bill of sale questions

Does Indiana require a bill of sale?: Not for an ordinary in-state transfer, where the endorsed certificate of title carries the sale. Indiana does require one in a specific case: a vehicle brought into Indiana from another state with no previous certificate of title must be accompanied by a sworn bill of sale or dealer’s invoice fully describing the vehicle, plus the most recent registration receipt, under IC 9-17-2-4(c)(2).
Does an Indiana bill of sale need to be notarized?: For a routine sale, no — IC 9-17-3-3.4 asks for the assignment to be endorsed “in a form approved by the bureau” and says nothing about a notary. The exception is the sworn bill of sale IC 9-17-2-4(c)(2)(A) requires for an out-of-state vehicle never titled in Indiana: sworn means before an officer authorised to administer an oath.
How long do I have to title a car in Indiana?: Forty-five days from the date you acquire the vehicle. A transfer-on-death conveyance and a new resident titling a vehicle they already own each get sixty days instead. The administrative penalty for a late application on a vehicle other than a watercraft is $30 for violations occurring after 31 December 2016.
Who writes the sale price on an Indiana title?: The seller. IC 9-17-3-3.2(a) puts the duty on the transferring party to fill in all blanks on the certificate relating to buyer information, including the sale price, whenever the buyer is not a licensed dealer, and subsection (b) makes the failure a Class B infraction. IC 9-17-3-3.4(a)(3) repeats the duty, naming the buyer’s name and address and the sale price.
What happens if the Indiana seller does not hand over the title?: They are in breach of IC 9-17-3-3.4(a)(2), which requires the certificate to be delivered or transmitted to the purchaser at the time of the sale or of delivery of the vehicle, once the agreed initial payments have been made. Do not part with the money for a promise to post the title later; the statute expects the two to happen together.
Is this legal advice?: No. Free Contract Generator provides self-help templates and general information, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. Vehicle-transfer rules are set by each state and change; confirm the current rule with the agency cited and consult a licensed attorney for advice about your situation.