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Bill of sale · Iowa

Iowa Bill of Sale

Iowa's bill of sale hides in plain sight — printed on the back of the title — while the real distinctives are the 5% fee that replaced sales tax, the 70% damage-disclosure rule, and the seller-protecting 411107 filing. All county treasurer business, all explained here.

The Iowa answer

Three forms do the heavy lifting.

The title back — Iowa prints a bill-of-sale section on the certificate of title, and price documentation is required at transfer. Form 411108 — the damage disclosure, mandatory for vehicles seven model years old or newer. Form 411107 — the seller’s notice of sale, which creates a legal presumption the title was delivered. The buyer carries it all to the county treasurer within 30 days; late means a $10 title penalty plus registration penalties accruing monthly.
The copy the title-back can’t give you
Build a standalone Iowa bill of sale — free
Both parties keep a signed record with photos — the title-back version leaves the seller with nothing.
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At the treasurer's counter

The 5% that isn't called a tax.

Iowa charges no sales tax on vehicles. Instead, the county treasurer collects a one-time fee for new registration— $10 plus 5% of the purchase price — at titling. It functions like a tax but lives in the registration statute, which is why the price on your bill of sale (or the title-back section) is what the counter works from. Iowa also staggers registration to expire in the owner’s birth month, and offers $25 thirty-day permits and $3 transit plates for edge cases like non-resident buyers driving a purchase home.

Not legal advice. Verified against Iowa DOT and county treasurer sources in July 2026 — official links in our 50-state requirements table.
Hawkeye questions

Iowa specifics, answered.

Does Iowa require a separate bill of sale document?

Often you don't need one — Iowa's title itself has a bill-of-sale section printed on it, and since 2022 documentation of the sale price has been required for transfers. A separate bill of sale (any complete generic form works) covers the cases where the title section is unavailable, and gives both parties their own copy — which the title-back version can't.

Why is there no sales tax line on my Iowa transfer?

Iowa replaced sales tax on vehicles with a one-time 'fee for new registration' — $10 plus 5% of the purchase price, paid at the county treasurer's office when the buyer titles the vehicle within 30 days. Different name, same wallet effect, but it's why Iowa paperwork reads differently from its neighbors.

What is Iowa's damage disclosure rule?

For vehicles seven model years old or newer, the seller completes a Damage Disclosure Statement (form 411108) revealing whether the vehicle was ever damaged beyond 70% of its pre-damage fair market value — a threshold raised from the old 50%. It rides along with the title assignment; skipping it stalls the transfer.

How does an Iowa seller stop being liable after the sale?

File form 411107 — Notice of Sale of Vehicle and Delivery of Title — with the county treasurer. Once it's on file, Iowa law presumes the seller assigned and delivered the title, which is exactly the presumption you want when the buyer never gets around to transferring. Plates stay with the seller, and unused registration can be refunded within six months.