Ohio Bill of Sale — and Form BMV 3774 Explained

About These Forms

Covers: Ohio Bill of Sale — and Form BMV 3774 Explained

Agency: Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles

Purpose: Documents a private vehicle sale in Ohio (price and odometer). The notarized title assignment plus BMV 3774 carry the transfer at the county Clerk of Courts; the price sets the 5.75%+county sales tax.

When required: Buyers title the vehicle at the county Clerk of Courts within 30 days of purchase ($5 late fee). The title fee is $18.

What BMV 3774 is

BMV 3774 (12/25) is the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles' Application(s) for Certificate of Title to a Motor Vehicle. Type or print it in ink. At the top you check the kind of title you want: original, duplicate, replacement, memorandum or salvage.

For a private purchase, you apply for an original certificate of title at a county Clerk of Courts title office, with the title the seller signed over to you.

What the buyer fills in

1. Your name, Social Security number or EIN, address and county, and the same for any co-applicant.
2. Evidence of ownership, such as the previous title number, and how you got the vehicle.
3. The previous owner's name and address, and whether the seller is a minor.
4. Every lien on the vehicle, or "none". Attach a list if there is more than one.
5. The vehicle: year, VIN, make, model, body type and any conversion.
6. The money: purchase price, trade-in allowance, gross tax due, vendor's discount, tax paid, and any tax exemption with its reason.
7. Options: the condition (good, fair, poor or wrecked), whether to print a paper title, right of survivorship, and transfer on death (which needs Form BMV 3811).
8. Special cases: an applicant who is a minor (date of birth and Form BMV 3751), a replica vehicle, or an adaptive mobility vehicle.

Sign in front of a notary

You declare under penalty of perjury that you are the lawful owner, purchaser or lienholder. Your signature is sworn before a notary public or another officer authorized by law. Licensed dealers who own or bought the vehicle are exempt from notarization (R.C. 4505.063).

Separately, the seller's signature on the back of the Ohio title must be notarized.

State the true price

The form warns that the law requires the true selling price. A false statement breaks R.C. 2921.13 and can bring up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

Every transfer is audited by the Ohio Department of Taxation. The seller and the buyer must give it any information it asks for, and the buyer can be billed for any extra tax found to be due.

Fees and deadlines

• Apply within 30 days of the title assignment. After that, a $5.00 late fee applies.
• The title fee is $18, paid to the county Clerk of Courts with the sales tax (5.75% state plus your county rate).
• Ohio has no official bill of sale form, and one is not required for a private sale with an Ohio title. A written bill of sale is still a useful record of the price and the odometer.

What to Include in an Ohio Bill of Sale

A complete bill of sale usually includes:

• Seller name, address
• Buyer name, address
• Year, make, model
• VIN
• Odometer
• Sale price
• Date of sale
• Both signatures