Montana Bill of Sale
No sales tax, permanent plates, county-treasurer titling — and as of October 2025, no notary either. Montana's private-sale paperwork is refreshingly light, and Form MV24 is the official bill of sale that anchors it.
Light paperwork, one county visit.
| Official form | MV24 — fillable bill of sale from the MVD |
| Sales tax | None (small county option tax in some counties) |
| Notary | Not required — repealed effective Oct 1, 2025 (HB 165) |
| Where to transfer | County treasurer's office — title & registration together |
| Deadline | 40 days to transfer the title |
| Odometer | Form MV90A for model year 2011 and newer |
What buyers of 11-year-old Montanas should know.
Not legal advice. Verified against Montana MVD and legislative sources in July 2026 — official links in our 50-state requirements table.
Montana specifics, answered.
Is there sales tax on a private vehicle sale in Montana?
No — Montana has no general sales tax on vehicle purchases, private or dealer. Some counties charge a small local option tax at registration, and a few charge none at all. What Montana does have is a luxury fee: vehicles under 11 years old with an original MSRP of $150,000 or more pay an $825 annual statutory fee.
Do I still need a notary for a Montana title transfer?
Not anymore. House Bill 165 eliminated the notarization requirement for title-transfer signatures effective October 1, 2025 — a sworn statement under state law now suffices. Older instructions and older title forms still mention notaries, which confuses people; the requirement is gone.
Does Montana's permanent registration transfer to the buyer?
No — and this surprises buyers. Vehicles 11 years and older can be permanently registered (one payment, no renewals), but permanent registration dies at the change of ownership. The buyer re-registers and pays fresh fees at the county treasurer's office, which handles both title and registration in one visit within 40 days.
Why do so many exotic cars wear Montana plates?
Because Montana LLCs can register vehicles here with no sales tax, out-of-state owners form Montana LLCs through registered agents to hold expensive vehicles and RVs. It's legal under Montana law — though other states increasingly treat their residents doing it as tax evasion. For ordinary Montanans selling a pickup, it changes nothing about your sale.