# After the sale in Missouri: tags, titles, taxes, records, and who can inspect you > Missouri dealers pass the title at delivery or use Form 5830 with a $100,000 bond, issue one 30-day permit, and file the sales report by the 15th monthly. - Canonical URL: https://www.leftlanesoftware.com/blog/missouri-dealer-after-the-sale-and-inspections - Language: en-US - Spanish version (Español): https://www.leftlanesoftware.com/blog/despues-de-la-venta-en-missouri-placas-titulos-inspecciones - State: Missouri - Topic: After the sale - Last verified: 2026-11-09 _Last verified: November 9, 2026. Every rule links to its official source._ After a sale in Missouri, you hand the buyer the assigned title at delivery or sign a [30-day delayed-delivery agreement](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.210) backed by a $100,000 bond. You may issue one [30-day temporary permit](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.140) for up to $5. The buyer has [30 days to title and pay sales tax](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/titling-registration/buying-vehicle.html). Your [monthly sales report](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.280) is due by the 15th, and you keep deal files for at least five years. ## Missouri after-the-sale deadlines at a glance | What | By when | Where it goes | Source | | ------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Assigned title | At delivery | To the buyer | [RSMo 301.210](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.210) | | Or Form 5830 delayed delivery ($100,000 bond required) | Title within 30 days after delivery | To the buyer | [RSMo 301.210](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.210) | | Temporary permit, 30 days, $5 at most | At delivery, one per vehicle | Your permit log and sales report | [RSMo 301.140](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.140) | | Administrative fee notice | On the buyer's order | To the buyer | [RSMo 301.558](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.558) | | Title and sales tax (today) | Within 30 days of purchase | The buyer, at a license office | [DOR: buying a vehicle](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/titling-registration/buying-vehicle.html) | | Notice of lien, if you finance | Within 30 days | Director of revenue | [RSMo 301.600](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.600) | | Monthly sales report | Received by the 15th of the next month | DOR | [RSMo 301.280](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.280) | | State share of administrative fees | ACH on or about the 20th | DOR | [RSMo 301.558](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.558) | | Deal records | At least five years | At the licensed location | [RSMo 301.280](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.280) | ## What do you owe the buyer at delivery in Missouri? The title or a delayed-delivery agreement, a temporary permit if needed, the fee notice, and your warranty terms. ### The title, or a written 30-day agreement Under [RSMo 301.210](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.210), a sale where the assigned title does not pass at delivery "shall be presumed fraudulent and void" unless the parties signed a written agreement under subsection 5. That agreement is DOR's Form 5830 ([October 2026 dealer newsletter](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/dealers-lienholders/documents/Dealer-Newsletter-October-2026.pdf)). - **Who may use it.** Licensed dealers only, after filing a bond or letter of credit "in an amount not less than one hundred thousand dollars". - **The deadline.** The title goes to the buyer within 30 days after delivery, weekends and holidays included. - **The paperwork.** The customer gets a signed sales contract and a copy of the completed Form 5830. Miss the 30 days and the sale is "voidable at purchaser's option". You then pay off any purchase-money lien and refund the rest of 100 percent of the sale price, including the down payment, "the trade-in allowance even if the allowance reflected negative equity", and all optional services and products. The old 60-day agreements ended on December 31, 2020 ([RSMo 301.213](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.213)). ### The temporary permit [RSMo 301.140](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.140) and DOR's rules in [12 CSR 10-26](https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/adrules/csr/current/12csr/12c10-26.pdf) set the terms: - **Length and fee.** 30 days, or up to 60 under a delayed-delivery agreement. You may charge no more than $5; a license office adds a $9 processing fee. - **One per vehicle.** No more than one permit per vehicle sold, and it cannot be renewed. - **Your log.** Record each permit's number, your dealer number, the buyer, year, make, VIN, and issue and expiration dates, and list it on your sales report. - **No sharing.** "Dealer may not distribute permits to other dealers." - **Voids.** Void a cancelled permit on the Temporary Registration Permit website, or face "a noncompliance investigation" ([January 2026 newsletter](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/dealers-lienholders/documents/Dealer-Newsletter-January-2026.pdf)). A 2025 change waits in the statute: once the director gives notice after the new titling system, permits will require "satisfaction of all applicable taxes under chapter 144". We saw no such notice by November 9, 2026. ### The administrative fee notice If you charge an administrative (doc) fee, [RSMo 301.558](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.558) requires a conspicuous notice near it, its own line on the buyer's order, and the same fee for every retail customer. The notice begins "AN ADMINISTRATIVE FEE IS NOT AN OFFICIAL FEE AND IS NOT REQUIRED BY LAW BUT MAY BE CHARGED BY A DEALER." Caps and remittance: [Financing your own sales in Missouri](/blog/missouri-buy-here-pay-here-financing-rules). ### Warranties, "as is" and cancellation - **As is.** Under [RSMo 400.2-316](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=400.2-316), a disclaimer of merchantability must mention merchantability and, if written, be conspicuous. Terms like "as is" or "with all faults" exclude implied warranties unless the circumstances indicate otherwise. - **State used-car warranty.** We found no Missouri used-car warranty law. - **Cancellation.** We found no general three-day cancellation right for Missouri car purchases. On a financed sale, until you give or mail a seller-signed copy of the contract, a buyer who has not received the vehicle may cancel ([RSMo 365.070](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=365.070)). ### What the buyer needs to register - **Safety inspection.** Not made more than 60 days before registration; for a dealer sale, one made within 90 days counts if it was valid within 60 days of the purchase date. Vehicles with under 150,000 miles are exempt for the 10 years after their model year ([RSMo 307.350](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=307.350)). The section states no duty on you to inspect before the sale. - **Emissions.** Buyers living in St. Louis City or Jefferson, St. Charles or St. Louis counties need an inspection not more than 60 days old ([DOR: buying a vehicle](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/titling-registration/buying-vehicle.html)). - **Property tax.** New plates need a paid personal property tax receipt or a statement of non-assessment. ## What is due within 30 days of a Missouri sale? The buyer's title and sales tax. DOR's [buyer page](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/titling-registration/buying-vehicle.html) says: "You have 30 days from the date of purchase to title and pay sales tax." A $25 penalty starts on the 31st day and grows $25 for every 30 days late, up to $200. Today most Missouri buyers pay at the license office: 4.225 percent state sales tax plus local tax, on the price less any trade-in. Title is $8.50 plus $9 processing; registration processing is $9 for one year or $18 for two. Rebates also lower the taxable price ([RSMo 144.025](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=144.025)), and finance charges are not taxed ([RSMo 144.070](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=144.070)). If you finance the sale, deliver your notice of lien to the director of revenue within 30 days so perfection dates from the lien's creation ([RSMo 301.600](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.600)). Late titles draw complaints. The [Attorney General](https://ago.mo.gov/attorney-general-hanaway-announces-missourians-top-consumer-complaints-in-2025/) ranked automotive second in 2025, with "more than 2,400" complaints that "often involve failure to deliver titles in a timely manner from the dealership". ## How does FUSION change titles and sales tax? FUSION, DOR's new titling system announced for February 2027, makes you the tax collector ([October 2026 FUSION newsletter](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/fusion-rollout/October-2026-Dealer-FUSION-Newsletter.pdf)). [RSMo 144.070](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=144.070) already requires every licensed dealer to collect and remit the tax "as soon as technologically possible" once such a system exists. DOR's [FUSION dealer manual](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/fusion-rollout/missouri-titling-registration-dealer-manual.pdf) and [Dealer Title and Registration Information](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/fusion-rollout/Dealer-Title-and-Registration-Information.pdf) (October 20, 2026) set out the changes: - **Where.** Title and registration go through your MyDMV-Business account, with exceptions such as an out-of-state buyer or a buyer without proof of insurance. - **The tax.** A Dealer Pre-Check estimates state and local tax from the buyer's address, and you keep 2 percent. - **The money.** Tax and fees are pulled by ACH nightly, with a 10-business-day delay. You set up the ACH account in FUSION before the rollout. - **Plates.** You issue 30-day interim plates, 30-day in-transit permits and 15-day intrastate permits, and may charge up to $5 for each. - **Limits.** "There is not an interface available between MyDMV- Business and Dealer Management Systems." It will not support eSignatures, and you keep original title documents 90 days before destroying them. | Rescinded sale | What happens under FUSION | | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Within 10 days | You complete the rescinded-sale transaction in MyDMV-Business | | Days 11 to 60 | You title the vehicle in the dealership's name at a license office (Forms 768 and 108); the customer requests a refund on Form 426 | | After day 60 | "a rescinded sale cannot occur" | The 2 percent you retained is refundable. The refund itself rests on [RSMo 144.071](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=144.071): a purchaser who rescinds and returns the vehicle within 60 days may claim it within one year of paying. ## What is due every month? - **Sales report by the 15th.** It must be "actually received by the department of revenue on or before the fifteenth day" of the next month, even with no sales ([RSMo 301.280](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.280)). DOR's [operating manual](https://dor.mo.gov/forms/Dealer-Operating-Manual.pdf) charges $300 per late or incomplete report and will not renew your license while a penalty is due. A knowingly false report is a class A misdemeanor. - **Fee share around the 20th.** DOR pulls 10 percent of each administrative fee by ACH for the prior month's sales. ## What records must a Missouri dealer keep, and for how long? Keep deal files at the licensed location for at least five years. [RSMo 301.280](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.280) says vehicle records "shall be kept for five years", and DOR's manual agrees. DOR's records rule, [12 CSR 10-26.050](https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/adrules/csr/current/12csr/12c10-26.pdf), still prints three years, so plan on five. - **Odometer disclosure copies.** Five years, per the manual. - **Demonstration agreements.** One year. - **Titles and other secure documents.** The manual says they "must continue to be maintained in paper format". Under FUSION, keep original title documents 90 days before destroying them. - **Finance company records.** A Motor Vehicle Time Sales licensee keeps contract records 2 years from the final payment ([20 CSR 1140-4](https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/adrules/csr/current/20csr/20c1140-4.pdf)). ## Who can inspect or audit a Missouri dealership? Five groups: | Who | What it looks at | How it starts | What it can do | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [DOR Dealer Services Group](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/dealer-complaints.html) | Bond, fee remittances, permits, sales reports | Monthly checks; a consumer complaint on Form 4683 | $300 per late or incomplete report; no renewal until paid; license discipline | | [DOR staff and law enforcement](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.564) | Titles, title assignments, inventory records | A visit during normal business hours | Inspect your records | | [Highway Patrol](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.560) | Your place of business | Scheduled certification on Form 5748 | Certify the site for your license | | [Attorney General](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=407.100) | Deceptive or unfair sales practices | Complaints and investigations | Injunction, restitution, civil penalty up to $1,000 per violation | | [Division of Finance](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=365.050) | Finance company books | An examination or a buyer's written complaint | Examine and compel records | ## What does the Department of Revenue check? Your bond and fee remittances every month: its [January 2026 newsletter](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/dealers-lienholders/documents/Dealer-Newsletter-January-2026.pdf) says "Monthly checks are completed" on both. Unvoided permits can bring "a noncompliance investigation". Consumers complain on Form 4683. DOR's [complaint page](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/dealer-complaints.html) lists fraud and misrepresentation, false ads, odometer fraud, dealer plate misuse, location or hours, and illegal Sunday operation. Advertising counts: breaking [RSMo 301.567](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.567), for example with bait advertising, is treated as obtaining a fee by "fraud, deception or misrepresentation". ## How does Missouri discipline a dealer license? Through the Administrative Hearing Commission, or a director's hearing for the most serious cases ([RSMo 301.562](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.562)). - **Grounds.** Fraud in getting the license, violations of the dealer laws, "no bona fide place of business", false advertising, and certain convictions within ten years. - **Outcomes.** Probation of "one day to five years", suspension "from one day to six days", a license for "a period of less than two years", a private reprimand, refusal or revocation. - **"Clear and present danger."** A lapsed bond, no place of business, qualifying convictions, or three or more established violations. After a hearing on at least 10 days' notice, the director's order comes within 20 business days and takes effect 10 days later. - **Compliance agreements.** An assessment "not to exceed five hundred dollars per violation or five thousand dollars in the aggregate". ## Can the Highway Patrol or police inspect your records? Yes. [RSMo 301.564](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.564) has you let a DOR employee or "any law enforcement official" inspect titles, assignments and "Any inventory and related documentation" during normal business hours. That includes the Attorney General, prosecuting attorneys, the Highway Patrol, sheriffs and deputies, and certified peace officers. The Highway Patrol also certifies your site, "annual for the first three years and then every other year" ([RSMo 301.560](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.560)); the [Missouri dealer license guide](/blog/missouri-dealer-license-step-by-step) covers it. Unlicensed dealing goes to the county prosecuting attorney ([RSMo 301.570](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.570)). ## What can the Missouri Attorney General do? Enforce the Merchandising Practices Act. [RSMo 407.020](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=407.020) bans "any deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, misrepresentation, unfair practice" in a sale. A willful violation with intent to defraud is a class E felony. Under [RSMo 407.100](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=407.100), the office may get an injunction, restitution and "a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars per violation". In April 2023 it won a [$27,000 default judgment](https://ago.mo.gov/attorney-general-bailey-obtains-judgment-against-laclede-county-car-dealership) against a Lebanon dealership whose buyers "purchased cars and never received certificates of title or promised warranty work." ## When does the Division of Finance examine you? If you hold a Motor Vehicle Time Sales license, or a buyer complains. The director "may examine the licensee or any other person having personal knowledge of the matters under investigation" ([RSMo 365.050](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=365.050)). Licensee books are open "at any time without previous notice" ([20 CSR 1140-4](https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/adrules/csr/current/20csr/20c1140-4.pdf)). ## Be ready: check five recent deal files Each file should show: 1. The assigned title at delivery, or a Form 5830 with the title delivered within 30 days and the $100,000 bond on file. 2. One temporary permit, logged and listed on the sales report, and any cancelled permit voided. 3. The administrative fee on its own line, the notice beside it, and the same amount as every other retail sale. 4. That month's sales report received by the 15th. 5. For a financed deal, the notice of lien delivered within 30 days. 6. The paper title documents, kept at the licensed location. If that takes all afternoon, [see how LeftLane keeps the deal file in one place](https://meetings.hubspot.com/greg954/leftlane-request-demo?uuid=b03d2fbc-01be-4deb-8a2a-bf6c5ff6943d). ## What trips people up - **Delivering before you hold the title.** Without Form 5830 and the $100,000 bond, the sale is presumed fraudulent and void. - **A delayed title past day 30.** The buyer can void the sale and get the full price back, negative equity included. - **Skipping the report in a slow month.** It is due with no sales, at $300 per miss. - **Keeping records three years.** Plan on five. - **Expecting FUSION to read your system.** DOR says there is no interface with dealer management systems. ## What changed recently - **February 2027 (announced).** FUSION: dealer-collected sales tax with 2 percent retained, nightly ACH pulls with a 10-business-day delay, and interim plates. - **November 2026.** DOR's [November newsletter](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/dealers-lienholders/documents/Dealer-Newsletter-November-2026.pdf) calls this "the final renewal completed in the current DMV Connect system before the transition to FUSION". - **February 28, 2026.** DOR rescinded its old complaint rule, 12 CSR 10-26.120. - **August 28, 2025.** Senate Bill 28 added the tax-before-permit rule, effective on the director's notice. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long does a Missouri buyer have to title a car? 30 days from the date of purchase to title and pay sales tax. DOR charges a $25 penalty on the 31st day, rising $25 for every 30 days late, to a maximum of $200. Under FUSION, announced for February 2027, dealers complete most title work. ### Can a Missouri dealer deliver a car before having the title? Only with a written delayed-delivery agreement on Form 5830, after filing a bond or letter of credit of at least $100,000. The title must reach the buyer within 30 days after delivery, weekends and holidays included. Otherwise the buyer may void the sale and get a full refund. ### When is the Missouri dealer sales report due? DOR must receive it by the 15th of the month after the sales month, even if you sold nothing. A late or incomplete report costs $300, and DOR will not renew your license while a penalty is unpaid. A knowingly false report is a class A misdemeanor. ### How long must a Missouri dealer keep records? At least five years, at the licensed location. The statute and DOR's manual say five years, though DOR's records rule prints three. Keep titles and other secure documents on paper; under FUSION, keep original title documents 90 days before destroying them. ### Does Missouri have a 3-day right to cancel a car purchase? We found no general three-day cancellation right for Missouri car purchases. One confirmed right is narrow: on a financed sale, until the seller gives or mails a signed copy of the contract, a buyer who has not received the vehicle may cancel under section 365.070. ## Your next step To see deal files and records kept in one place, [book a LeftLane demo](https://meetings.hubspot.com/greg954/leftlane-request-demo?uuid=b03d2fbc-01be-4deb-8a2a-bf6c5ff6943d). LeftLane replaces several separate tools with one system, and if you are on another system, LeftLane's team moves your data over. Real people answer the phone at 512-222-9549. Starting out? See the [Missouri startup guide](/blog/how-to-start-a-used-car-dealership-in-missouri). ## Sources - RSMo Chapter 301: [301.140](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.140), [301.210](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.210), [301.213](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.213), [301.280](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.280), [301.558](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.558), [301.560](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.560), [301.562](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.562), [301.564](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.564), [301.567](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.567), [301.570](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.570), [301.600](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=301.600) - Other RSMo sections: [144.025](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=144.025), [144.070](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=144.070), [144.071](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=144.071), [307.350](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=307.350), [365.050](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=365.050), [365.070](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=365.070), [400.2-316](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=400.2-316), [407.020](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=407.020), [407.100](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=407.100) - [12 CSR 10-26: dealer rules](https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/adrules/csr/current/12csr/12c10-26.pdf) and [20 CSR 1140-4: motor vehicle time sales rules](https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/adrules/csr/current/20csr/20c1140-4.pdf) - Missouri DOR: [buying a vehicle](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/titling-registration/buying-vehicle.html), [Dealer and Business Operating Manual](https://dor.mo.gov/forms/Dealer-Operating-Manual.pdf), [dealer complaints](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/dealer-complaints.html), and dealer newsletters for [January 2026](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/dealers-lienholders/documents/Dealer-Newsletter-January-2026.pdf), [October 2026](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/dealers-lienholders/documents/Dealer-Newsletter-October-2026.pdf) and [November 2026](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/dealers-lienholders/documents/Dealer-Newsletter-November-2026.pdf) - Missouri DOR FUSION: [October 2026 newsletter](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/fusion-rollout/October-2026-Dealer-FUSION-Newsletter.pdf), [dealer manual](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/fusion-rollout/missouri-titling-registration-dealer-manual.pdf) and [Dealer Title and Registration Information](https://dor.mo.gov/motor-vehicle/fusion-rollout/Dealer-Title-and-Registration-Information.pdf) - Missouri Attorney General: [top consumer complaints of 2025](https://ago.mo.gov/attorney-general-hanaway-announces-missourians-top-consumer-complaints-in-2025/) and [April 2023 judgment](https://ago.mo.gov/attorney-general-bailey-obtains-judgment-against-laclede-county-car-dealership) _This guide is general information for dealers, not legal advice. Rules and fees change. Confirm with the agency or a licensed attorney in your state before you act._