Hawaii Vehicle Bill of Sale
Hawaii titling is county-run; a notarized bill of sale is required when the owner does not release title.
Introduction
A Hawaii vehicle bill of sale records the sale of a car, truck, or motorcycle between a buyer and a seller, listing the parties, the vehicle and its VIN, the price, the odometer reading, and that the vehicle sells as-is. What sets Hawaii apart is that vehicle title and registration are county-administered: there is no statewide DMV. The City and County of Honolulu Division of Motor Vehicles, the County of Hawaii, Maui County, and Kauai County each run their own motor vehicle office and each publishes its own official Bill of Sale form. A bill of sale is optional in the ordinary case, but the City and County of Honolulu states that if the certificate of title is not released by the recorded owner, a notarized bill of sale must be provided, so notarization becomes mandatory in that situation. The odometer rule is age-based: you fill in the reading for vehicles 10 years old or less, while vehicles 11 years or older are exempt. Hawaii does not charge a retail sales tax on vehicle sales; it instead applies the 4% General Excise Tax, plus a 0.5% county surcharge on Oahu. Title at the county motor vehicle office, with the endorsed title due within 30 days of the seller's transfer date. DocDraft drafts a Hawaii vehicle bill of sale from your facts, attorney review available.
Key Things to Know
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Each county publishes its own official Bill of Sale form. Hawaii has no statewide DMV; the City and County of Honolulu Division of Motor Vehicles, the County of Hawaii, Maui County, and Kauai County each run a separate motor vehicle office and each issues its own Bill of Sale form. Honolulu's form is widely cited by aggregators as CS-L(MVR)40, but that printed form code is not confirmable on the primary county PDF, so verify the current form with your county motor vehicle office.
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A notarized bill of sale is required when title is not released by the recorded owner. The City and County of Honolulu states that if the certificate of title is not released by the recorded owner, a notarized bill of sale must be provided. Notarization of the seller's signature is otherwise optional, but Honolulu notes it prevents rejection for irregular signatures and helps when a transfer is recorded in another county.
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The odometer rule is age-based. The county directs you to fill in the odometer reading for vehicles that are 10 years old or less; vehicles 11 years or older are not required to have an odometer reading. The county Bill of Sale form integrates an odometer certification line.
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Hawaii taxes vehicle sales through the General Excise Tax, not a sales tax. Vehicle sales are not subject to a retail sales tax. Hawaii instead imposes the General Excise Tax at the 4% rate, with the City and County of Honolulu (Oahu) adding a 0.5% county surcharge applied only to the 4.0% rate, for a combined maximum pass-on rate of 4.7120%. Confirm current rates with the Hawaii Department of Taxation.
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You title at the county motor vehicle office, with deadlines on both sides. The buyer must submit the endorsed certificate of title within 30 days of the seller's date of transfer or a $50 penalty is added to the transfer fee, and the seller files a notice of transfer within 10 days. Title and registration are processed at the county level, not by a statewide DMV.
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A bill of sale is supplementary in the ordinary title-release case and required when it is not. When the recorded owner releases the certificate of title, the endorsed title transfers ownership and the bill of sale is a supporting record. When the recorded owner does not release the title, a notarized bill of sale must be provided to complete the transfer.
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The strongest distinctive feature is the county-administered system. Because Honolulu, Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai each operate their own motor vehicle office and publish their own Bill of Sale form, the official form, where you file, and the local guidance all depend on which county the vehicle is registered in.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Bill of Sale in Hawaii, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Bill of Sale guide walks through them.
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Hawaii Requirements for Bill of Sale
Hawaii has no statewide DMV; the City and County of Honolulu Division of Motor Vehicles, the County of Hawaii, Maui County, and Kauai County each publish their own official Bill of Sale form. A notarized bill of sale must be provided when the certificate of title is not released by the recorded owner; notarization is otherwise optional but prevents rejection for irregular signatures. Honolulu's form is widely cited as CS-L(MVR)40, but that code is not confirmable on the primary county PDF, so verify with your county motor vehicle office.
Record the full names and addresses of both the seller and the buyer. These identify the parties to the sale and carry over to the title transfer processed at the county motor vehicle office.
Describe the vehicle by year, make, model, body style, color, and the full Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The VIN ties the bill of sale to the certificate of title recorded at the county motor vehicle office.
Fill in the odometer reading for vehicles that are 10 years old or less; vehicles 11 years or older are not required to have an odometer reading. The county Bill of Sale form integrates an odometer certification line. Record the current reading where it applies.
State the sale price and the date of sale. The date of the seller's transfer starts the 30-day clock for the buyer to submit the endorsed title, and the price is the consideration recorded for the sale.
Hawaii does not charge a retail sales tax on vehicle sales. It instead imposes the General Excise Tax at the 4% rate, with the City and County of Honolulu (Oahu) adding a 0.5% county surcharge applied only to the 4.0% rate, for a combined maximum pass-on rate of 4.7120%. Confirm current rates and application with the Hawaii Department of Taxation.
Title and register at the county motor vehicle office, not a statewide DMV. The buyer must submit the endorsed certificate of title within 30 days of the seller's date of transfer or a $50 penalty is added to the transfer fee. The seller files a notice of transfer within 10 days.
When the recorded owner releases the certificate of title, the endorsed title transfers ownership and the bill of sale is supplementary. When the recorded owner does not release the title, a notarized bill of sale must be provided to complete the county transfer.
Frequently Asked Questions
A bill of sale is optional in the ordinary case, because when the recorded owner releases the certificate of title, the endorsed title transfers ownership. But the City and County of Honolulu states that if the certificate of title is not released by the recorded owner, a notarized bill of sale must be provided, so it becomes required in that situation. For any private sale a written bill of sale is still useful as a record of the parties, the vehicle, the price, the odometer reading, and the as-is terms.
It depends on the situation. The City and County of Honolulu states that a notarized bill of sale must be provided when the certificate of title is not released by the recorded owner, which covers many out-of-county and out-of-state transfers. Notarization of the seller's signature is otherwise optional, but the county notes it prevents rejection for irregular signatures and helps when the transfer is recorded in another county. When notarization applies, the seller signs before a notary public.
There is no statewide DMV form because Hawaii titling is county-administered. The City and County of Honolulu Division of Motor Vehicles, the County of Hawaii, Maui County, and Kauai County each publish their own Bill of Sale form. Honolulu's form is commonly cited by aggregators as CS-L(MVR)40, but that printed code is not confirmable on the primary county PDF, so check with your county motor vehicle office for the current official form. A bill of sale you prepare yourself can document the sale alongside the title transfer.
Hawaii does not charge a retail sales tax on vehicle sales. It instead applies the General Excise Tax at the 4% rate. The City and County of Honolulu (Oahu) adds a 0.5% county surcharge on top of the 4.0% rate, producing a combined maximum pass-on rate of 4.7120%. Counties without the surcharge use the 4% rate. Confirm current rates and how the tax applies to your transaction with the Hawaii Department of Taxation.
You title and register at the county motor vehicle office for the county where the vehicle is registered, because Hawaii has no statewide DMV. The City and County of Honolulu Division of Motor Vehicles, the County of Hawaii, Maui County, and Kauai County each run their own office. The buyer must submit the endorsed certificate of title within 30 days of the seller's date of transfer or a $50 penalty is added to the transfer fee, and the seller files a notice of transfer within 10 days.
Include the seller and buyer names and addresses, the vehicle description with VIN, year, make, model, body style, and color, the sale price, and the date of sale. Include the odometer reading for vehicles 10 years old or less; vehicles 11 years or older are exempt. Add an as-is statement. Because a notarized bill of sale is required when the recorded owner does not release the title, plan to sign before a notary public in that situation, and use your county motor vehicle office's official Bill of Sale form.