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Arizona title transfer fees

How much is the title fee in Arizona?

$4

In plain English

Arizona's statute sets a fee of $4 for each certificate of title. The same $4 applies to a salvage, restored salvage or nonrepairable vehicle certificate of title.

“For each certificate of title, salvage certificate of title, restored salvage certificate of title or nonrepairable vehicle certificate of title, $4.”

Worked example

Example: a $12,000 used car bought from a private seller in Arizona. Title fee: $4. Tax is left out of this example. Not included: registration and plates, a lien fee, an out-of-state inspection, county or office add-ons, and late fees.

A made-up price; every other figure is from the quotes on this page. It is an illustration, not a bill.

What are the steps in Arizona, and by when?

In plain English

  1. The statute requires the title application within fifteen days after the purchase or transfer of the vehicle, while a licensed motor vehicle dealer has thirty days.

    The official words

    “The person shall make the application within fifteen days after the purchase or transfer of the vehicle, trailer or semitrailer except that a licensed motor vehicle dealer shall make the application within thirty days after the purchase or transfer.”

  2. For a private-party purchase, the Department of Revenue says to bring to MVD, when registering, a copy of the bill of sale or any documentation showing the vehicle was bought from a private party.

    The official words

    “Casual sales between private parties are not taxable. When you register your vehicle at MVD, bring a copy of the bill of sale or any documentation that shows you purchased the vehicle from a private party.”

  3. At the time of application, and before a vehicle is registered each year, the registering officer collects the vehicle license tax.

    The official words

    “At the time of application for and before registration each year of a vehicle, the registering officer shall collect the vehicle license tax imposed by article IX, section 11, Constitution of Arizona.”

What if the car comes from another state?

In plain English

With documentation proving that sales tax or excise tax was paid on an out-of-state vehicle purchase, MVD reduces the Arizona state and city use tax by the corresponding amount of state and city tax paid.

The official words

“If you have documentation to prove that you paid sales tax or excise tax on your out-of-state vehicle purchase, MVD will reduce your Arizona state and city use tax by the corresponding amount of state and city tax paid.”

What about tax on the purchase in Arizona?

In plain English

The Department of Revenue gives the state use tax rate as 5.6%, says there is no county use tax in Arizona, and says city use tax rates vary by city. It also says casual sales between private parties are not taxable.

The official words

“The state use tax rate is 5.6%. There is no county use tax in Arizona. City use tax rates vary by city”

“Casual sales between private parties are not taxable. When you register your vehicle at MVD, bring a copy of the bill of sale or any documentation that shows you purchased the vehicle from a private party.”

We don’t work out tax for Arizona.

A calculator on a state or county government site: Vehicle Use Tax Calculator (azdor.gov).

What does a gift or family transfer change in Arizona?

Nothing on this in the official pages we read for Arizona. That is about our reading, not about Arizona’s rules.

What happens if the transfer is late in Arizona?

In plain English

The statute section on delinquent registration and failure to apply for a title sets a penalty of eight dollars for the first month of delinquency and four dollars for each additional month, up to a total of one hundred dollars. The quoted sentence does not itself say which kind of lateness it covers.

The official words

“The penalty is eight dollars for the first month of delinquency and four dollars for each additional month, not to exceed a total penalty of one hundred dollars.”

What the pages we read do not cover

The quotes we hold do not give a fee for recording a lender's claim on the title.

They do not give a deadline or an inspection rule for a new resident.

They do not cover gifts or transfers within a family.

How Arizona compares

The title fee quoted for Arizona is $4. Of the other 37 states with a figure, 0 states quote less and 37 states quote more. A title fee is one line, not the whole cost.

LowerHigher

The states whose flat title fee sits closest to Arizona’s. Each figure is copied from the quote at the top of that state’s page, with its source and read date. A title fee is one line, not the whole cost.

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Add it up for Arizona

Anything else?

Reference only, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with the agency. Full statement

Pages that refused our script

These official pages answered our script with a refusal or a bot check on November 12, 2026. We did not work around it, and nothing here is drawn from them.

Sources

7 quoted lines from 5 official sources, each matched word for word on November 12, 2026. Some official pages refused our script, so these lines could not be compared with them; a figure in a statute can differ from the fee an office posts today. The state’s own titling page is azdot.gov.

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