Arizona MVD Regulations for Selling Cars

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State Regulations in Arizona

Purchasing a used car from a private seller is often a good way to save money, but it has its risks. To protect yourself, you should cover the obvious bases by test-driving the automobile and having a trustworthy mechanic inspect it.

In addition, you should examine the title of the vehicle for the following warning signs:

• Match the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the title with the one on the vehicle. The VIN number is usually on the dashboard just below the glass. If they do not match, you will have problems registering the vehicle with the MVD.


• Look for the type, status, or brand of the vehicle on the title. If the words "dismantled" or "salvage" appear, you could be dealing with a vehicle that has been created using stolen parts from other vehicles.


• Look for the word "reconstructed" or "homemade" on the title. If the car has been specially constructed or built from scratch, it may be missing a VIN, so you will have problems registering it with the MVD.


• Check to make sure that the lienholder on the title is the person you are dealing with. If they are not, you will need a notarized release from the lienholder.


• Confirm that there is only one person listed as the owner of the vehicle. If there are multiple owners, you will need all of their signatures to release the vehicle to you.

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Title-Holding Details

The holder of the title is the owner of the vehicle in the state of Arizona. If you pay for the vehicle in full at the outset, you should receive the title from the seller to take to the MVD. It will need the seller's signature notarized.

However, if you plan to pay for the vehicle in installments, the vehicle's seller will hold the title of the vehicle until you pay it off. They will put their own name on the title as a lienholder until you do. This will allow you to register the car in your name which you must do in person at a local MVD office within 15 days of purchasing it. When you have paid for the vehicle in full, the seller will document it on the title, have it notarized, and mail it to you.

The seller must provide the title at the time of delivery of the vehicle. If the lienholder still has the title, the seller must first obtain it from the lienholder. If the seller has lost the title, he or she must obtain a duplicate from the MVD before the sale can proceed.

However, if you're selling your vehicle to a dealer but the lienholder still has the title, the dealer will have you sign a Dealer Acquisition Contract in order to complete the sale.

A seller doesn't need to produce the vehicle registration at the time of the sale. But showing it to a prospective buyer might help facilitate the sale. For example, the buyer might be able to verify that the tags are legitimate, and that the vehicle has passed recent emissions tests.

Bills of Sale and Sold Notices

Acquiring valid proof of the sale in the form of a Bill of Sale will help ensure that your registration, insurance, and titling go smoothly. Even though the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) does not require that you file the Bill of Sale, having the signatures of both you (the buyer) and the seller on a single notarized document will alleviate any confusion about the legitimacy of the transaction.

Likewise, if you sell an automobile in a private transaction, you can submit a Sold Notice online to inform the MVD that you have done so. The submission will limit your liability if the new owner drags their feet in registering the vehicle with the MVD under their name (they have 15 days to do so).

If you have trouble downloading the Arizona MVD's version of the Bill of Sale, DMV.ORG provides a generic form as well.

License Plate Refunds for Vehicle Sellers

Private vehicle sellers may be eligible to receive refunds on fees associated with the license plates of the vehicle they sell because license plates belong to people, not vehicles. To see if you qualify for reimbursement, you can utilize the online Plate Refund tool.

Find more details about buying and selling vehicles at the MVD's information page.

Also see related articles at Car Registration and Title Transfers on this site.

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Arizona lawmaker moves to end private gun sales without background checks

Arizona Rep. Randall Friese (D) wants to end private gun sales without a background check and place limits on gun use by those under 14. (Photo: Facebook)

An Arizona lawmaker has submitted a trio of bills that call for expanded background checks on private gun transfers and limits on firearm use by youth under 14.

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The legislation includes two measures, HB 2118 and HCR 2009, that would criminalize the private transfer of firearms by requiring all private transfers to be conducted through a federally licensed firearms dealer (FFL). The third, HB2371, would restrict the use of any autoloading firearm by a shooter under the age of 14 years old.

Newly elected Rep. Randall Friese (D) of Southern Arizona’s Legislative District 9, which includes Tucson and surrounding areas, introduced the bills.

House Bill 2118 would prohibit the current practice of private gun sales in the Grand Canyon State by legislative action. With few exceptions, it would require that most transfers first go through an FFL who would conduct a background check for which they would be allowed to collect a $20 fee.

Exceptions would include those for military and law enforcement, those loaned a gun for target practice at a shooting range provided it stays on the premises of the range, security guards using company-owned guns and those loaned a firearm by the owner for hunting as long as the owner accompanies them.

Violations of the law, should it take effect, would be considered Class 5 felonies. Under state law this would bring punishments ranging between 6 months and 2.5 years imprisonment.

The companion measure, HCR 2009, uses the same language but would send the question to the voters in the form of a ballot initiative.

State gun rights advocates are circling the wagons against these bills. The Arizona Citizens Defense League sent out a legislative alert Jan. 15 that warned the measures could be a stepping-stone on the way to backdoor gun registration.

“Under the proposed law, if you wish to sell or transfer a firearm, you would first need to surrender your firearm to an FFL who would treat the firearm as if it was an item in their inventory, entering all the information on it, and you, into his records,” read the alert in part.

The proposed legislation is the latest in a series of state laws proposed nationwide after the failure of the Manchin-Toomey expanded background check amendment in 2013. That bi-partisan bill came up short in the U.S. Senate but follow-on measures by state legislatures have been pursued in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and – most recently – Vermont.

No full autos for those under 14

Friese’s final bill, HB2371 would make it a crime for a person under 14 years of age to carry or fire any gun that is “capable of shooting more than one shot automatically, without manual reloading, by single function of the trigger.” Exceptions could be made for young shooters at a range under the control of a firearms instructor or coach.

Youth found with such a gun could face fines of up to $500 and suspension of driving rights until age 18 and the firearm forfeited unless the gun owner can be found. Adults responsible for violations of the law would be guilty of a Class 6 felony, which could bring between four months and two years in prison.

The bill comes only five months after the death of firearms instructor Charles Vacca, 39, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Vacca was killed in a tragic accident when a 9-year-old girl he was instructing lost control of a rented UZI submachine gun. However, with the exceptions in the language of HB2371, it is unclear if similar future rentals would be mandated unlawful.

A freshman representative to the Arizona House, Friese picked up his seat last year in a contentious battle with an incumbent Republican. In the lead up to that election, Friese garnered the endorsement of former U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Captain Mark Kelly, then publicly vowed that “I will stand up to the NRA.”

Friese, who is a trauma doctor, treated Giffords following her 2011 shooting.

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In Arizona, the GOP enjoys the trifecta of controlling both chambers of the state legislature by large margins as well as the governor’s mansion, meaning the ultimate passage of Friese’s bill is unlikely without substantial Republican support.

All three of the bills have been referred to the legislative calendar.

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