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Connecticut title transfer fees
How much is the title fee in Connecticut?
$25
In plain English
The Connecticut DMV fee page's Title only line lists a $25 title fee and a $10 administrative fee. The page also lists a $10 lien fee, if applicable, alongside the $25 title fee.
“Title only $10 administrative fee $25 title fee”
The official words for the rest
“$25 title fee $10 lien fee, if applicable”
Worked example
Example: a $12,000 used car bought from a private seller in Connecticut. Title fee: $25. Administrative fee: $10. All the quoted flat fees due on a title transfer: $35. 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 other fees come with it?
- Administrative fee$10in the second line
“Title only $10 administrative fee $25 title fee”
- Out-of-state inspection
“Vehicles that are exempt from emissions testing will need a vehicle identification number (VIN) verification”
- Out-of-state inspection$10not added
“The fee for VIN Verification services at these locations is $10.”
- Lien fee$10added if there is a loan
“$25 title fee $10 lien fee, if applicable”
- All the quoted flat fees due on a title transfer$35.00
The title fee plus administrative fee. Each of those quotes says the fee is charged on every title transaction. Tax, registration, a lien fee and anything marked “not added” are outside it.
What are the steps in Connecticut, and by when?
In plain English
For registering a regular passenger car, SUV or van, the fee page row reads $120 registration fee, $5 plate fee, $25 title fee, $10 administrative fee and $15 Clean Air Act fee.
The official words
“Passenger car, SUV, van (regular) $120 registration fee $5 plate fee $25 title fee $10 administrative fee $15 Clean Air Act fee”
What if the car comes from another state?
New residents have
90 days
“You have 90 days to register a vehicle in Connecticut after purchasing it from another state, or 90 days from when you’ve established residency if you’re new to CT.”
In plain English
A buyer has 90 days to register a vehicle in Connecticut after purchasing it from another state, and a new resident has 90 days from establishing residency.
The official words
“You have 90 days to register a vehicle in Connecticut after purchasing it from another state, or 90 days from when you’ve established residency if you’re new to CT.”
Vehicles that are exempt from emissions testing need a vehicle identification number (VIN) verification.
The official words
“Vehicles that are exempt from emissions testing will need a vehicle identification number (VIN) verification”
The DMV's VIN verification page gives a fee of $10 for the service at the locations it names.
The official words
“The fee for VIN Verification services at these locations is $10.”
New Connecticut residents are not required to pay sales tax if the vehicle was registered in the same name in another state for at least 30 days before establishing Connecticut residency.
The official words
“New Connecticut residents aren’t required to pay sales tax if the vehicle was registered in the same name in another state for at least 30 days prior to establishing Connecticut residency.”
What about tax on the purchase in Connecticut?
In plain English
Passenger vehicles and light duty trucks bought from private owners, not a dealership, are subject to sales tax of 6.35%, or 7.75% for vehicles over $50,000.
The official words
“Passenger vehicles and light duty trucks purchased from private owners (not a dealership) are subject to sales tax of 6.35% (or 7.75% for vehicles over $50,000).”
We don’t work out tax for Connecticut.
A calculator on a state or county government site: Sales tax calculator (portal.ct.gov).
What does a gift or family transfer change in Connecticut?
In plain English
Sales and use tax is not owed on a vehicle received as a gift. No tax is due on a vehicle received through a transfer or sale by a member of the immediate family.
The official words
“You don’t need to pay sales and use tax on a vehicle or vessel received as a gift.”
“No tax is due on a vehicle received through the transfer or sale by a member of the immediate family.”
What happens if the transfer is late in Connecticut?
Nothing on this in the official pages we read for Connecticut. That is about our reading, not about Connecticut’s rules.
What the pages we read do not cover
The pages we read do not give a deadline for a vehicle bought inside Connecticut.
They do not say what happens when a title or registration is late.
They do not say which relatives count as immediate family.
How Connecticut compares
The title fee quoted for Connecticut is $25. Of the other 37 states with a figure, 24 states quote less and 13 states quote more. A title fee is one line, not the whole cost.
LowerHigher
The states whose flat title fee sits closest to Connecticut’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.
Every state in one table · How a title transfer works
Add it up for Connecticut
Reference only, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with the agency. Full statement
Sources
11 quoted lines from 4 official sources, each matched word for word on November 12, 2026. The state’s own titling page is portal.ct.gov.
- Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Connecticut DMV fees · portal.ct.gov
- Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Register a vehicle purchased out of state · portal.ct.gov
- Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Verify a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) · portal.ct.gov
- Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Sales tax on registrations · portal.ct.gov