Bill of sale · Michigan

Michigan Bill of Sale

Michigan keeps it simple for cars — title assignment, no notary, same-day instant titles — and reserves its bill of sale form, TR-207, for the trailers, boats, and snowmobiles that carry no title. Both lanes explained, with the 18-month rule every seller should know.

The Michigan answer

Two lanes: titled cars, and everything else.

Titled vehicles transfer on the title assignment — price recorded there, no notary, ideally with both parties at the SOS branch together (the state’s own recommendation), where $5 extra prints the new title on the spot. Non-titled property — utility trailers, watercraft, snowmobiles — moves on a bill of sale, which is the job TR-207 was published for. Either way the buyer’s clock is 15 days.

Michigan Secretary of State Form TR-207, first page — buyer and seller signature lines — Michigan Form TR-207 as the Secretary of State publishes it. Click to download the full PDF.

Official state form

TR-207 — Michigan SOS Bill of Sale

Verified SOS copy — the form for trailers, watercraft, snowmobiles, and other non-titled transfers.

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Selling a trailer, boat, or sled?

Build the matching bill of sale — photos included

Our trailer, boat, and snowmobile builders carry the right ID fields for Michigan’s non-titled lane.

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Seller self-defense

The photocopy that outlasts the sale.

Michigan’s best seller advice is charmingly analog: if you can’t walk into the branch with your buyer, photocopy the completed title — both sides — and file it away for eighteen months. That copy pins down the sale date if the buyer stalls on the transfer, and pairs perfectly with a signed bill of sale carrying the price and AS-IS terms. On the money side, remember Treasury checks reported prices against book retail — the 6% use tax rides the higher number when a price looks invented.

Not legal advice. Verified against Michigan SOS and Treasury sources in July 2026 — official links in our 50-state requirements table.

Great Lakes questions

Michigan specifics, answered.

What is Michigan's TR-207 actually for?

The non-titled fleet: trailers, watercraft, snowmobiles, and other property that transfers without a Michigan title. For a titled car the bill of sale is optional — the title assignment itself records the price and is the only proof of ownership the SOS accepts — but TR-207 or your own bill of sale remains the receipt both parties keep.

What's Michigan's 18-month photocopy rule?

The SOS's own advice to sellers who can't accompany the buyer to the branch: photocopy the completed title, front and back, and keep it at least 18 months. If the buyer never transfers the title and their parking tickets come looking for you, the photocopy is your proof of when the vehicle left your hands.

How fast can the buyer get a Michigan title?

Same day — Michigan's instant title service produces the new title at any SOS office for an extra $5 over the standard $15 mailed title. The catch: every owner going on the title must appear in person, no agents. The transfer itself is due within 15 days of purchase.

Does Michigan tax the price I actually paid?

Only if it's believable. The 6% use tax is charged on the greater of your purchase price or the vehicle's book retail value, and Treasury cross-references reported prices against the NADA database. An honest below-book price is defensible; a fictional one gets recalculated. No notarization is required anywhere in the process.

Every item type

Twenty-four item types, one Michigan record.

The Michigan rules above apply to whatever you are selling. Pick the item type to get a form with the right identifying fields on it.