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Maine title transfer fees

How much is the title fee in Maine?

Explained below

In plain English

Maine's statute sets one fee of $33, paid to the Secretary of State, for a certificate of title after a transfer and for filing an application for a first certificate of title, including a lender's claim (a security interest). The same $33 list covers filing notice of a lender's claim after the first title has been issued.

“A fee of $33 must be paid to the Secretary of State for the following:”

The official words for the rest

“D. A certificate of title after a transfer;”

“B. Filing an application for a first certificate of title, including security interest;”

“C. Filing notice of a security interest after the first certificate of title has been issued;”

Worked example

Example: a $12,000 used car bought from a private seller in Maine. The title fee quoted for Maine is not one figure, so none is used here. 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?

What are the steps in Maine, and by when?

In plain English

  1. On new registrations of automobiles, trucks and truck tractors, excise tax must be paid before registration and covers one year from the registration date.

    The official words

    “On new registrations of automobiles, trucks and truck tractors, the excise tax payment must be made prior to registration and is for a one-year period from the date of registration.”

  2. The sales or use tax due on a vehicle that needs an original registration is collected at the time and place of registration.

    The official words

    “The Secretary of State shall act at the time and place of registration on behalf of the State Tax Assessor to collect the sales or use tax due under Title 36, Part 3 for a vehicle for which an original registration is required.”

  3. An application, certificate of title or other document that must be delivered to the Secretary of State is expected within 30 days. The sentence we hold does not say what the 30 days are counted from.

    The official words

    “If an application, certificate of title or other document required to be delivered to the Secretary of State is not delivered to the Secretary of State within 30 days, the Secretary of State shall collect $50 as a penalty.”

What if the car comes from another state?

New residents have

30 days

“An owner of a vehicle who becomes a resident of this State shall register that vehicle in this State within 30 days of establishing residency.”

In plain English

A vehicle owner who becomes a Maine resident has to register that vehicle in Maine within 30 days of establishing residency.

The official words

“An owner of a vehicle who becomes a resident of this State shall register that vehicle in this State within 30 days of establishing residency.”

What about tax on the purchase in Maine?

In plain English

The general sales tax statute sets a rate of 5.5% on the value of all tangible personal property and taxable services, for sales on or after October 1, 2019; it is the general rate, not a vehicle-only rate. The Secretary of State collects the sales or use tax at the time and place of registration, for a vehicle that needs an original registration.

The official words

“For sales occurring on or after October 1, 2019, the rate of tax is 5.5% on the value of all tangible personal property and taxable services”

“The Secretary of State shall act at the time and place of registration on behalf of the State Tax Assessor to collect the sales or use tax due under Title 36, Part 3 for a vehicle for which an original registration is required.”

We don’t work out tax for Maine.

What does a gift or family transfer change in Maine?

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

What happens if the transfer is late in Maine?

In plain English

This is about late paperwork: if an application, certificate of title or other required document is not delivered to the Secretary of State within 30 days, the Secretary of State collects a $50 penalty.

The official words

“If an application, certificate of title or other document required to be delivered to the Secretary of State is not delivered to the Secretary of State within 30 days, the Secretary of State shall collect $50 as a penalty.”

What the pages we read do not cover

The statutes we read do not say what papers to bring or which office handles a title application.

They do not say whether a gift or family transfer is taxed differently.

They do not mention an inspection for a vehicle coming from another state.

How Maine compares

The title fee quoted for Maine is not a single figure, so Maine is not placed among the other states.

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Add it up for Maine

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

9 quoted lines from 6 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 maine.gov.

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