The short answer
| Item | Utah answer |
|---|---|
| Title fee | $6. The same for a duplicate or a correction. |
| Deadline | No day count. Title and register the car before you drive it. |
| Late title | No DMV late fee. Driving without paying is an infraction, plus a penalty equal to the fees. |
| Tax | Combined state and local sales tax, 6.35% to 10.05% by location. |
| Plates | Stay with the seller. The registration ends when the car is sold. |
How much does it cost to transfer a car title in Utah?
The title is the document that proves who owns the car. In Utah it costs $6. The same $6 covers a duplicate title and a title correction, including a name change or a lien release.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Title (new or transfer) | $6 |
| Duplicate title | $6 |
| Title correction (name change, lien release) | $6 |
| 96-hour temporary permit | $2.50 |
| Standard temporary permit | $6 |
A lien is the lender's claim on a financed car. The DMV's fee list shows no separate fee to record one. Releasing a lien is done as a $6 title correction.
Worked example: $30,000 gasoline car, model year 2024 to 2026, 8.45% sales tax
- Sales tax: 8.45% of $30,000 = $2,535.00
- Uniform age-based fee: $150.00
- Corridor fee: $10.00
- Air pollution control fee: $3.00
- Driver education fee: $2.50
- Uninsured motorist fee: $1.00
- Title: $6.00
Total: $2,707.50.
The Utah calculator below starts from the same $2,707.50. The tax rate varies by location, from 6.35% to 10.05%, so your total moves with it. The base registration fee is not in the total, because the DMV doesn't publish the 2026 amount on its pages (see below). The same car's yearly renewal fees come to $166.50, also without the base fee.
How many days do you have to transfer a title in Utah?
Utah gives buyers no day count. You must apply for a new title and get a new registration before you drive the car on a public road. Driving it first is an infraction.
The seller has a deadline: hand over the title when the car is delivered, or within 48 hours after.
New residents do have a day count: 60 days (see below). That rule is only for people moving in, not for buyers.
Is there a late fee for a title transfer in Utah?
No. The DMV has no late title fee and no late renewal fee. What you risk instead:
- Driving without paying the title and registration fees and taxes is an infraction. On top of any other penalty, you pay a penalty equal to the title and registration fees, so the fees are in effect doubled.
- Under-reporting the price to pay less tax: you owe the missing tax, plus interest, plus a penalty of up to 100% of the unpaid tax or $500, whichever is greater.
Utah sales tax on a car
Utah charges a combined state and local sales tax on the purchase price. In the fourth quarter of 2026 the combined rates run from 6.35% to 10.05%, depending on the location. The Tax Commission's rate chart lists every city, town and county.
- Dealer sale: the dealer pays the tax, at the rate for the dealer's location. You can't pay it at the DMV instead.
- Private sale: the seller collects nothing. You pay the tax at the DMV when you title, at the rate for where the car is registered.
- What's taxed on a private sale: the net price on a signed bill of sale (Form TC-843 has every item needed). Without one, the tax is on the car's fair market value. You can dispute that value with a certified appraisal.
- Trade-ins: only a vehicle-for-vehicle trade counts, made at the same time and in the same transaction. Any other trade is valued and taxed. An even exchange is not taxed.
Family sales and gifts
A family sale is taxed. In the DMV's words, "Utah does not have a sales tax exemption for family-to-family vehicle purchases." If you pay off a relative's car loan to become the owner, the payoff amount is taxed.
A true gift is not taxed. The Tax Commission says a transfer "in the form of a gift where no payment is involved" is not a taxable sale. Any payment at all makes it taxable. The $6 title and the registration fees still apply.
Registration fees
Utah registration is made of several parts.
Uniform age-based fee, charged at every registration and renewal, by model year:
| Model year | Per year |
|---|---|
| 2024 to 2026 | $150 |
| 2021 to 2023 | $110 |
| 2018 to 2020 | $80 |
| 2015 to 2017 | $50 |
| 2014 and older | $10 |
Small fees:
- Corridor fee: $10 in 11 counties: Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Weber, Summit, Wasatch, Iron, Box Elder, Washington, Tooele and Morgan.
- Air pollution control fee: $3 in Salt Lake, Davis and Cache counties, $2 in Utah and Weber counties. Electric cars don't pay it.
- Driver education fee: $2.50.
- Uninsured motorist fee: $1 a year.
Base registration fee: not available. The law raises it with inflation every January 1. The DMV shows the current amount only in its online Fee Estimator, not on its fee pages, so this guide and the calculator leave it out.
Plates
Plates stay with the seller. When a car is sold, its registration ends. Unless the plates are part of the sale, the seller removes them. Within 20 days the seller either sends them to the DMV to be destroyed or has them put on another car they own. Moving plates doesn't move any unused registration.
Electric and hybrid cars
- Electric car: pays a flat $180 in 2026 at registration. Or the owner can join the state's road usage charge instead: 1.25 cents a mile, capped at $180 a year. From January 1, 2027 it's 1.5 cents a mile, capped at $280, and the flat fee becomes $280.
- Hybrids and plug-in hybrids: pay a flat fee too, but it rises with inflation each January and the current amount isn't published on the DMV's pages: not available.
New residents
- Deadline: 60 days to transfer your title and registration to Utah.
- Who counts as a resident: you have a permanent home here, live here 6 months in total, work here, claim resident privileges or get a Utah driver license. Full-time nonresident students and temporary military are exceptions.
- Before registering: property tax or uniform fee clearance from the county, an emissions test where required, and a VIN inspection (a check of the vehicle identification number).
- If a lender holds your out-of-state title, Utah can issue the registration only.
What documents do you need?
- The title signed over to you. No notary is needed.
- Form TC-656, Application for Utah Title and Registration.
- Odometer disclosure, Form TC-891 (not needed for cars 20 or more years old).
- A bill of sale, Form TC-843, so you're taxed on the price you paid.
- Your driver license.
- An emissions certificate if you register in Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, Cache or Utah County.
- A VIN inspection if the car is being titled in Utah for the first time (new cars from a dealer are exempt).
A private sale of a car with a Utah title can be done online through the DMV's Motor Vehicle Portal. Out-of-state titles need an office visit.
What this guide doesn't cover
Six-month and two-year registration periods, emissions test fees, motorcycles, trucks and other vehicle classes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to transfer a car title in Utah?
$6. With sales tax at 8.45% and the first year's fees, a $30,000 car comes to $2,707.50, before the base registration fee.
How long do I have to transfer a title in Utah after buying a car?
There is no set number of days. You must title and register the car before you drive it on a public road.
Do I pay sales tax on a car from a family member in Utah?
Yes, if you pay for it. Utah has no family-sale exemption. A true gift with no payment is not taxed.
How much is the sales tax on a car in Utah?
The combined state and local rate, 6.35% to 10.05% depending on the location. Dealers use their own location's rate. Private buyers pay at the rate where the car is registered.
How much is car registration in Utah?
The uniform fee is $10 to $150 a year by model year, plus up to $16.50 in small fees and the base registration fee, which changes each January.
See title transfer fees for all 50 states
Calculate your Utah fees
Example for a $30,000 car. Enter your own price to update it.
- Registration fee (1 yr)2026 amount not published ($44 + $7 base, indexed yearly)Utah Code 41-1a-1206 (effective 2026-10-01): $44 + $7 registration, $21.75 hybrid, $56.50 plug-in hybrid, electric = road usage charge cap; amounts indexed to CPI each January 1 and rounded up to the nearest 25 cents · checked Oct 17, 2026not available
- Uniform age-based feeModel year 2024-2026Utah DMV · checked Oct 17, 2026$150.00
- Corridor feeCounty fee$10.00
- Air pollution control feeCounty fee$3.00
- Driver education fee$2.50
- Uninsured motorist fee$1.00
- Title feeUtah DMV · checked Oct 17, 2026$6.00
- Sales tax8.45% of priceUtah State Tax Commission · checked Oct 17, 2026$2,535.00
Total excludes items marked "not available".
What you'll pay later
Renewal at today's rates: $166.50/yr + items not available
5-year total: not shown, because the age-based fee drops as the car ages.
Estimate only, at today's rates for the same car.
Rates and sources for every fee are on the Utah car registration fee calculator page.
- Utah DMV – Summary of Common Fees (title $6, duplicate title $6, title correction incl. lien release $6, temporary permits)
- Utah State Tax Commission – Sales and Use Tax Rates (combined rates by location, 2026 fourth quarter)
- Utah DMV – Registration Taxes & Fees (sales tax on the purchase price, vehicle-for-vehicle trade-ins, no family-sale exemption, corridor, air pollution control, driver education and uninsured motorist fees, road usage charge or flat fee) (cited by name, not linked)
- Utah DMV – Uniform Fees (age-based uniform fee by model year) (cited by name, not linked)
- Utah DMV – Responsibilities of Buyer and Seller (48 hours to deliver the title, bill of sale TC-843, fair market value) (cited by name, not linked)
- Utah DMV – Registering Your Vehicle in Utah (new residents 60 days) and Transfer a Plate (cited by name, not linked)
- Utah State Tax Commission – Publication 5 (dealer and private-sale tax, trade-in exemption, family sales, gifts with no payment, under-reporting penalty) (cited by name, not linked)
- Utah Code §§ 41-1a-701 and 41-1a-702 (plates, seller's title delivery), 41-1a-703 (buyer before operating), 41-1a-1206 (registration fees, CPI indexing), 41-1a-1307 (penalty equal to the fees), 59-2-405 (uniform fee), 72-1-213.1 (road usage charge) (cited by name, not linked)
General information, not tax or legal advice. Fees and tax rules change; confirm with the agency listed before you pay.
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