After the sale in Texas: plates, titles, taxes and records, deadline by deadline
Last verified: November 9, 2026. Every rule links to its official source.
After a sale in Texas you put a metal plate on the car at delivery and charge the buyer a fixed $10 fee. Texas gives a dealer 30 days from the sale date to file title and registration (45 if you financed the sale yourself). Treat 20 business days as your working deadline and 30 days as the limit. Then you keep the deal jacket for 48 months.
Texas after-the-sale deadlines at a glance
| Duty | Deadline | Where it goes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plate the car, charge $10, give the buyer the plate receipt | At the sale | ePLATE | 43 TAC 215.156 |
| File title and registration, remit sales tax | 20 business days as your working deadline; 30 days as the limit (45 if dealer-financed, 60 for a military buyer) | County tax assessor-collector, through webDEALER | 43 TAC 215.144 |
| Vehicle Transfer Notification on each car you take in | No statutory deadline; TxDMV’s handout says 30 days | ePLATE | Transportation Code 501.147 |
| Dispose of trade-in plates you do not reuse | 10th day after removal | As TxDMV prescribes | Transportation Code 504.901 |
| Report a lost or stolen plate | 24 hours | TxDMV’s designated system | 43 TAC 215.158 |
| Inventory tax statement and prepayment | 10th of every month, even with no sales | County tax assessor-collector | Tax Code 23.122 |
| Annual inventory tax declaration | By February 1 (file by January 31 to be safe) | Appraisal district | Tax Code 23.121 |
| Seller-financed sales tax return | 20th of the month after each month or quarter | Comptroller | Comptroller |
| Send records TxDMV asks for | 15 days | The address in the request | 43 TAC 215.144 |
How do plates work when you sell a car in Texas?
Since July 1, 2025, under HB 718, a Texas dealer puts a metal license plate on a retail sale instead of a paper tag. Older materials still describe paper buyer’s tags, a $5 tag fee and internet-down tags; all three ended that day.
You assign plates in ePLATE (called eTAG before July 1, 2025) and order them in TxDMV’s Inventory Management System.
| Plate | What it is for | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer’s license plate (the General Issue plate in TxDMV handouts) | A retail sale. Valid while the registration you filed is pending | Transportation Code 503.063 |
| Buyer’s provisional plate | No suitable general issue plate in stock. Expires 14 days after the permanent plate is assigned | 43 TAC 215.153 |
| Out-of-state buyer’s temporary plate | Until registration or the 60th day after purchase, whichever is first | 43 TAC 215.155 |
| Dealer temporary plate | Your transit, loaner and test-drive plate, $10 each. Never for delivering a car to a buyer | TxDMV: dealer plates; HB 718 |
TxDMV’s HB 718 page still shows 7 days for the provisional plate; the rule in force since October 29, 2026 says 14.
Which cars qualify. A buyer’s plate goes only on a street-legal car from your own inventory, after the sale is complete, with a valid inspection where one is required. Wholesale deals get none.
The fee. It is fixed: “A dealer shall charge a buyer a fee of $10,” unless the vehicle is exempt from registration fees. TxDMV’s dealer handout adds: “You cannot charge more than $10.”
The receipt. You must print the buyer’s license plate receipt from TxDMV’s system, give it to the buyer, and tell the buyer to keep a copy in the car until it is registered (43 TAC 215.156). Since October 29, 2026, your copy belongs in the sales file.
Internet outages. You must have 24-hour internet access at the lot. If you cannot connect, use an Internet Down Receipt and submit the sale by the next business day.
Trade-in, voided and lost plates
- Trade-ins. You must remove the plates from every car that comes to you. A removed plate goes on a car you sell if it fits that car’s class; otherwise you dispose of it as TxDMV prescribes by the 10th day (Transportation Code 504.901). Specialty and personalized plates stay with the customer.
- Voided plates. Mark it “VOID” or with a large “X”, then within 10 days destroy it, recycle it through a registered metal recycler, or return it to TxDMV or the county (43 TAC 215.158).
- Lost, stolen or destroyed plates. Report within 24 hours of finding out. Since October 29, 2026, that covers every plate.
Plate storage and access
Plates must be kept in a locked room or closet, or a locked safe or steel cabinet bolted to the floor or wall. You must limit plate system users to owners and bona fide employees who need access, and prevent password sharing (43 TAC 215.150).
You are liable for missing or misused plates. Since October 29, 2026, three acts are new sanction grounds: the wrong plate type, a plate on a sold car but not assigned in the system, and voiding and reissuing a plate to stretch a filing deadline. How TxDMV checks is in who can inspect a Texas dealership.
What does a dealer need for webDEALER?
Every Texas dealer must file title and registration through webDEALER, mandatory since July 1, 2025 under Transportation Code 520.0055. Older materials describe it as optional.
Access comes from each county tax assessor-collector you file with, and the county can revoke it at any time without notice (43 TAC 217.74). Each new user must finish TxDMV’s on-demand webDEALER training, in English or Spanish, before getting permissions. Counties differ: Harris County requires ACH and a unique login for every employee.
How long does a Texas dealer have to transfer a title?
Texas gives a dealer 30 days from the sale date to file title and registration (45 if you financed the sale yourself). TxDMV tells new dealers to file within 20 business days, which is also when the Tax Code says the sales tax is due. Treat 20 business days as your working deadline and 30 days as the limit.
The same rule allows 60 days for a buyer in the U.S. armed forces or reserves. You file in the buyer’s name and remit the tax at the same time. Any of these counties will do: where the buyer lives, where the car was bought, where the lien was placed, or any county that accepts it (Transportation Code 501.0234).
Late costs. A dealer that files late owes a $10 late fee (Transportation Code 501.146). Late tax costs 5 percent, plus 5 percent more if still unpaid 30 days after it was due (Tax Code 152.066). TxDMV can fine up to $10,000 for each violation.
The paperwork. The title application is Form 130-U. It needs a current photo ID of the owner with a unique ID number, such as a driver’s license, state ID, passport or U.S. military ID. The county’s receipt for the application, marked paid, is what dealers call the white slip.
Sales tax on a cash or outside-lender deal
The tax is 6.25 percent of the total consideration; the Comptroller applies it to the sales price minus any trade-in allowance. You collect it from the buyer and remit it to the county. Seller-financed sales and vehicles over 11,000 pounds gross weight work differently. If a dealer keeps the tax, the buyer is not liable for it and the county reports the dealer to the Comptroller.
The Vehicle Transfer Notification
You must file a Vehicle Transfer Notification (VTN) in ePLATE for each car sold or transferred to you, by purchase or trade-in. The duty starts when the car comes in. The statute sets no deadline; TxDMV’s March 2025 handout says 30 days.
Does a used car need an inspection before a Texas sale?
Not a safety inspection, if it is non-commercial: that requirement ended January 1, 2025. An emissions test is still required before registration in 18 counties, and Bexar County joined the list on November 1, 2026.
Older materials still describe a safety inspection before a dealer sale. Commercial vehicles still need a passing commercial inspection. The 18 emissions counties are Bexar, Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson.
A buyer’s plate needs a valid inspection where one is required, so a car to be registered in those counties needs a passing emissions test before registration. The $7.50 Inspection Replacement Fee is collected at registration; on a retail installment contract the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) prefers a line labeled “Government vehicle inspection program replacement fee”.
What filings follow a sale every month?
Every dealer files an inventory tax statement; dealers who finance their own sales also file a Comptroller return.
The inventory tax. The Vehicle Inventory Tax (VIT), which most county tax offices and the pre-licensing course call special inventory tax (SIT), has a monthly statement, Form 50-246. File it by the 10th with the county tax assessor-collector, copy to the appraisal district, even with no sales, and deposit the unit property tax assigned to last month’s sales. A dealer not in business on January 1 files every month but assigns no tax and sends no money that year. Late statements cost $500 for each month or part of a month. More is in Texas Vehicle Inventory Tax (VIT), explained.
The seller-financed return. A dealer financing its own sales must apply for a Seller-Financed Sales Tax Permit. Returns are due by the 20th of the month after each period, monthly above $500 a month and quarterly below. Title is still due by the 45th day after delivery; past the 60th day, all unpaid tax on the car comes due. See Financing your own sales in Texas.
What goes in a Texas deal jacket?
A deal jacket is the file you keep for one sale. TxDMV’s records rule lists what goes in it:
- How the car came in: the purchase date, and the name and address of whoever sold it to you.
- The title, front and back, for your purchase and for the sale.
- The buyer’s order, bill of sale and sales contract, plus the work-up sheet and any waiver or other agreement. If you charge a documentary fee, the buyer’s order and contract must carry the state’s notice.
- The buyer’s photo ID, unless federal law prohibits keeping it.
- Your copy of the buyer’s license plate receipt, required since October 29, 2026.
- A copy of the title application, Form 130-U.
- The odometer disclosure statement, signed by the seller.
- The rebuilt salvage disclosure, where it applies, which the buyer signs separately.
- The county’s receipt, marked paid: the white slip. You should check it against the deal.
TxDMV’s list also names the sale date, VIN, buyer’s name and address, any consignor, and the manufacturer’s certificate and factory invoice where they apply. You should also keep a copy of the Buyers Guide, which federal law requires on every used car you offer to consumers once you have sold or offered five or more in 12 months. On a financed deal, add the retail installment contract and the credit application, which federal Regulation B has you keep for 25 months after you notify the applicant of your decision. With a trade-in on a financed sale, the buyer must get a completed Disclosure of Equity form before signing.
To see a deal file and its records kept in one system, book a LeftLane demo.
How long must a Texas dealer keep records, and where?
Keep a complete record of every purchase and sale for at least 48 months, with the last 13 months at your licensed location. When TxDMV asks, you must deliver copies within 15 days.
| Record | How long | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase and sales records | 48 months; the last 13 at the lot | 43 TAC 215.144 |
| Records for the Comptroller | At least 4 years | 34 TAC 3.74 |
| OCCC licensee records | 4 years from the contract or 2 from the final entry, whichever is later | 7 TAC 84.708 |
| Titles stamped “SURRENDERED” in webDEALER | At least 4 calendar years | 43 TAC 217.74 |
Older records may be kept off-site; some older guides limit that to the same county, but the current rule sets no county limit. Electronic records are fine if you can print them at the lot.
Your dealer plate log is a record too: for each standard dealer plate, the plate number, year and make, VIN and the person in control, kept in TxDMV’s designated system (43 TAC 215.138). Report a missing or damaged dealer plate within three days.
Why do five sales a year matter?
TxDMV may cancel a GDN held at least 12 months if the dealer has not assigned at least five vehicles in the previous 12 months. If your annual inventory tax declaration shows fewer than five sales in the prior year, the chief appraiser shall report you to TxDMV to start cancellation. More is in What is a GDN?, and the whole path is in How to start a used car dealership in Texas.
What trips people up
- Working to 30 days instead of 20 business days. Thirty days is the limit. Past it, you owe a $10 late fee and risk a fine of up to $10,000.
- Charging more than $10 for the plate. The fee is fixed, and TxDMV’s handout says you cannot charge more.
- A jacket without the plate receipt. Your copy has been required since October 29, 2026.
- Voiding and reissuing a plate to buy time. That is now a sanction ground on its own.
- Skipping the VTN on trade-ins. It is owed when the car comes in, not when it leaves.
- Delivering a car on a dealer temporary plate. Those plates never go to a buyer.
What changed recently
- November 1, 2026. Bexar County joined emissions testing.
- October 29, 2026. Amended TxDMV rules: plate receipt copy in the sales file, 14-day provisional plates, three new plate violations.
- July 1, 2025. Metal plates and the $10 fee replaced paper tags; webDEALER became mandatory.
- January 1, 2025. Safety inspections ended for non-commercial vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Texas dealer have to transfer a title?
Texas gives a dealer 30 days from the sale date to file title and registration (45 if you financed the sale yourself). TxDMV tells new dealers to file within 20 business days, which is also when the Tax Code says the sales tax is due. Treat 20 business days as your working deadline and 30 days as the limit.
How much can a Texas dealer charge for a plate at the sale?
$10. TxDMV’s rule says a dealer shall charge a buyer a fee of $10, unless the vehicle is exempt from registration fees, and TxDMV’s dealer handout says you cannot charge more. It replaced the $5 buyer’s tag fee on July 1, 2025.
What happens to the plates on a trade-in?
Since July 1, 2025, you must remove them. A removed plate goes on a car you sell if it fits that car’s class; any plate you do not reuse must be disposed of as TxDMV prescribes by the 10th day after removal. Specialty and personalized plates stay with the customer.
Does a used car need a state inspection before I sell it in Texas?
Non-commercial vehicles have needed no safety inspection since January 1, 2025; commercial vehicles still do. In 18 counties, including Bexar since November 1, 2026, the car needs a passing emissions test before registration, and a buyer’s plate may go only on a vehicle with a valid inspection where one is required.
Do I file the inventory tax statement in a month with no sales?
Yes. The statute requires the monthly statement whether or not you sold a vehicle, filed by the 10th with the county tax assessor-collector and copied to the appraisal district. A late statement costs $500 for each month or part of a month. A first-year dealer files but sends no money.
Your next step
To see how a deal file and your records can be kept in one place, book a LeftLane demo. LeftLane is a dealer management system for independent and buy-here-pay-here dealers. If you are moving from another system, LeftLane’s team moves your data over, and real people in the U.S. answer at 512-222-9549.
Sources
- TxDMV: HB 718, HB 718 dealer handout, dealer plates, webDEALER, Form LP801, forms, Register your vehicle
- TxDMV: rule adoption effective October 29, 2026; Texas Register notice
- 43 TAC: 215.138, 215.144, 215.150, 215.155, 215.156, 215.158, 215.160, 217.5, 217.74
- Texas statutes: Transportation Code 501, 503, 504, 520; Occupations Code 2301; Tax Code 23, 152; Finance Code 348
- Comptroller: dealers, penalties, seller-financed sales, seller-financed tax, special inventory, 34 TAC 3.74
- OCCC: 7 TAC 84.708, Bulletin B25-1, Disclosure of Equity form
- Federal: 16 CFR 455; 12 CFR 1002.12
- Harris County Tax Office: webDEALER
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.