Atlanta car sale paperwork: what Georgia asks of the seller and the buyer

Signing the back of your Georgia title

You transfer the car on the original Georgia title. DOR's instructions for the back of it run like a checklist: the buyer's full legal name as it appears on their Georgia driver's license or ID card, the buyer's current address, the date of sale, and the odometer reading in whole miles. Then comes your part: "Print and sign your name under seller. If jointly owned, each seller must print and sign."

Use blue or black ink. DOR warns that any alteration or erasure may void the title, and a changed purchase date can bring a $10 penalty fee (the amount on that page as of October 2026).

Those instructions name no notary and no witness. They do insist on the buyer's name: DOR quotes Georgia Code 40-3-91(c), which makes handing over or accepting a title assigned in blank a misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $100 or up to 30 days in jail per title. Any recorded lien must also be released in the spaces on the title; the title problems page covers payoffs.

Source: DOR: Transfer a vehicle titled in Georgia; DOR: Responsibilities of sellers and buyers; DOR: Title and register a vehicle bought in a casual sale.

Odometer disclosure and the federal exemption in 2026

DOR gives the seller two possible entries for the odometer box: the actual mileage, or the word exempt when the vehicle is exempt. Whole miles only, no tenths. If the odometer has rolled past its limit or was broken or replaced, tick the matching box on the title.

The exemption itself is federal, in 49 CFR 580.17. A 2010 or older model year is exempt once transferred at least 10 years after January 1 of its model year; from model year 2011 on, the wait is 20 years, and the rule's own example puts model year 2011 at 2031. For a 2026 sale, a 2010 or older model is exempt and a 2011 or newer one is not.

DOR's odometer page and the T-7 still say 20 model years old or older, which is stricter for late-2000s cars. The true mileage is always one of DOR's two accepted entries, so write it when unsure. When the reading is given, the buyer prints and signs to acknowledge it; DOR tells a buyer not to sign that line on an exempt title.

Source: eCFR: 49 CFR 580.17 Exemptions; DOR: Odometer disclosure information; DOR: Transfer a vehicle titled in Georgia; DOR: Responsibilities of sellers and buyers.

The T-7 bill of sale: when DOR asks for one

DOR's seller page lists a Bill of Sale Form T-7 right after the title step, and tells you to keep a copy of the title and any bill of sale. For an older car, the bill of sale is required. DOR's casual-sale checklist reads: "Provide Bill of Sale if the vehicle is 1985 or older and does not require a title." A car of that age that was never registered in Georgia also needs a Form T-22B inspection certificate.

The T-7 itself says a Georgia title is required for a 1986 or newer motor vehicle. On those cars the signed title carries the transfer and the bill of sale is your proof of the deal, so fill one in anyway. It records the VIN, mileage, sale date and price, both parties and any lienholder, with both signatures. Its header warns that any correction or alteration voids the form.

Source: DOR: I sold my car, what do I do now?; DOR: Title and register a vehicle bought in a casual sale; DOR Form T-7 Bill of Sale (PDF).

The plate stays with you, and the registration ends

Remove the plate before the car leaves. DOR's seller page lists the plates among the things you keep, because a Georgia plate stays with its owner and is not part of the sale. DOR lets you move a valid plate to another car you buy that takes the same plate class, once the plate is properly transferred at your county tag office.

Your second job is cancelling the registration, either online through DRIVES e-Services or in person with Form MV-18J at the tag office in the county where you live. Online, you need the plate number or VIN plus your driver's license number or a DOR Letter ID. DOR says to cancel the registration before you cancel the insurance on that car, to avoid fines and penalties.

Source: DOR: I sold my car, what do I do now?; DOR: Fees, fines and penalties; DOR: Cancellation and reinstatement of registration.

What the buyer does at the county tag office

DOR gives the buyer 7 days from the purchase date to title and register the car, at the tag office for the county where the buyer lives; DeKalb's own page words it as seven business days for a private purchase. As of October 2026, DOR's fee schedule adds a $10 title penalty after 30 days, and a casual-sale TAVT penalty of 10% after day 30 plus 1% each month after.

The buyer brings the title you signed, a Form MV-1 application, a Georgia driver's license or ID card, proof of insurance, an emissions certificate if their county requires one (see the emissions test page), a $20 plate fee and an $18 title fee (DOR's amounts as of October 2026), the title ad valorem tax and any penalties due.

TAVT is a one-time tax paid when the vehicle is titled, and DOR says it is paid again each time ownership changes hands. As of October 29, 2026, DOR's TAVT page sets the rate at 7.0% of the vehicle's fair market value. For a used car, DOR takes fair market value from the state motor vehicle assessment manual, and a private sale gets no trade-in reduction. As an example only: if the manual values a car at $8,000, the TAVT at 7.0% is $560.

Source: DOR: Title and register a vehicle bought in a casual sale; DOR: Responsibilities of sellers and buyers; DeKalb Tax Commissioner: vehicle registration; DOR: Fees, fines and penalties; DOR: TAVT and annual ad valorem tax; DOR: TAVT FAQ.

Fulton and DeKalb tag offices, and DRIVES online

The city of Atlanta reaches into both Fulton and DeKalb counties. Fulton's Tax Commissioner lists the city of Atlanta among the places it collects property taxes for, and it collects motor vehicle taxes and tag and title fees for all Fulton County citizens. DeKalb's Tax Commissioner refers to City of Atlanta properties in DeKalb. The buyer uses the office for their own county.

• Fulton County: the Government Center downtown at 141 Pryor Street SW, Suite 1113, Atlanta 30303, and the Greenbriar Mall Service Center at 2841 Greenbriar Parkway, Suite 124, Atlanta 30331. Fulton also lists centers in Sandy Springs, College Park and Alpharetta.
• DeKalb County: the Central Office at 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 100, Decatur 30032; the North Office at 3653 Clairmont Road, Chamblee 30341; and the South Office at 2801 Candler Road, Suite 66, Decatur 30034. DeKalb says registration and the title application must be made in person at one of these three.

DOR sends registration and most title applications to the tag office. DRIVES e-Services, DOR's online portal, lists these other services: cancelling a registration, the TAVT estimator, title status, registration and insurance status, address changes, and a pre-application the buyer can complete before the tag office visit.

Source: Fulton County: Tax Commissioner; DeKalb Tax Commissioner: office locations; DeKalb Tax Commissioner: vehicle registration; DeKalb Tax Commissioner: property tax; DOR: DRIVES e-Services.

An Atlanta sale on one screen

1. Find your original title and check that any lien on it is released.
2. Take down the buyer's legal name and address from their license or ID.
3. Fill in the back of the title in blue or black ink: buyer, address, date, mileage or exempt, then every owner prints and signs.
4. Complete a T-7 bill of sale with the buyer, both sign it, and keep a copy of it and of the signed title.
5. Once you are paid, hand over the title and keys. Unscrew the plate and keep it.
6. Cancel the registration on DRIVES e-Services or with Form MV-18J, and only then call your insurer.
7. The buyer titles the car within 7 days at their own county tag office and pays the TAVT.

With the partner buyer, the buyer's driver verifies the car and completes the title-transfer paperwork. Your signature, the plate and the cancellation stay with you.

Source: DOR: I sold my car, what do I do now?; DOR: Responsibilities of sellers and buyers; The buyer: selling and free pickup.

Before you hand over the keys

With the title signed, the after-you-sell checklist walks through insurance, tolls and late notices. If you would rather have the partner buyer's driver collect the car, read how the offer works, or call (943) 230-8677 to talk it through.