Free Arizona Trailer Bill of Sale
Arizona treats trailers better than almost any vehicle it titles: private-party sales are exempt from sales tax (the TPT applies to dealers only), and noncommercial trailers get a PERMANENT registration — a one-time $125 fee for trailers up to 10,000 pounds declared gross weight, after which there is no annual vehicle license tax and no renewal, just a PERM tab on the plate for the trailer's lifetime. Heavier trailers can go permanent too ($800 one-time), and trailers arriving from out of state convert at reduced rates ($500 if under six model years old, $195 at six or older). The transfer itself is standard MVD fare: title required for every trailer, Form 96-0236, 15 days.
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Arizona Trailer Bill of Sale — What You Need to Know
Sales Tax Details
No sales tax on private-party trailer sales.
Arizona Trailer Sale — Step-by-Step Checklist
- Verify the VIN on the trailer tongue against the Arizona title — every AZ trailer is titled, new or used.
- Complete the bill of sale with VIN, type, length, declared gross weight, sale price, date, and both signatures.
- Seller signs the title over — and reports the sale to the MVD to cut liability.
- Buyer files Form 96-0236 at the AZ MVD (or an authorized third-party office) within 15 days.
- Buyer pays the $4 title fee — no sales tax on a private-party trailer sale.
- Choose permanent registration: $125 one-time for noncommercial trailers up to 10,000 lbs declared GVW — no annual VLT, no renewals, a PERM tab for life.
- Bringing a trailer from out of state? The permanent-registration conversion is $500 (under 6 model years) or $195 (6 years or older).
Common Pitfalls
- Budgeting annual registration costs — a permanently registered Arizona trailer never renews and never pays vehicle license tax again; pricing it like a car overestimates ownership cost.
- Expecting a tax bill on the purchase — private-party trailer sales are TPT-exempt in Arizona; only dealer sales are taxed.
- Missing the 15-day title window — one of the shorter deadlines in the West, and it applies to trailers fully.
- Forgetting that even small utility trailers are titled here — Arizona requires a title for all trailers, unlike the weight-threshold states around it.
Pro Tip
Arizona trailers: titled always, taxed never (private sales), and registered ONCE — $125 buys a PERM tab that outlives every renewal cycle the trailer would have had elsewhere.