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North Carolina title transfer fees

How much is the title fee in North Carolina?

$66.75

In plain English

North Carolina's fee schedule in statute lists $66.75 for each application for a certificate of title. The same schedule has a separate row, with its own amount, for each application to record a supplementary lien, a lender's claim.

“(1) Each application for certificate of title .........................................$66.75”

The official words for the rest

“(7) Each application for recording supplementary lien ........................25.00”

Worked example

Example: a $12,000 used car bought from a private seller in North Carolina. Title fee: $66.75. 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 North Carolina, and by when?

In plain English

  1. If the original title is a North Carolina title, it must be notarized.

    The official words

    “If the original title is a North Carolina title, it must also be notarized.”

  2. The application for a certificate of title must be submitted within 28 days after the vehicle is transferred.

    The official words

    “An application for a certificate of title must be submitted within 28 days after the vehicle is transferred.”

  3. Registration fees vary depending on the type of vehicle being plated.

    The official words

    “fees vary depending on the type of vehicle being plated.”

What if the car comes from another state?

In plain English

A maximum tax of $250.00 applies when the vehicle has been titled in the owner's name in another state for at least 90 days before the North Carolina title application.

The official words

“A maximum tax of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) applies when a certificate of title is issued for a motor vehicle that, at the time of applying for a certificate of title, is and has been titled in the name of the owner of the motor vehicle in another state for at least 90 days prior to the date of application for a certificate of title in this State.”

A person who paid a sales tax, an excise tax or a substantially equivalent tax on the vehicle to a jurisdiction outside North Carolina within 90 days before applying for a title gets a credit for that amount against the highway use tax.

The official words

“A person who, within 90 days before applying for a certificate of title for a motor vehicle on which the tax imposed by this Article is due, has paid a sales tax, an excise tax, or a tax substantially equivalent to the tax imposed by this Article on the vehicle to a taxing jurisdiction outside this State is allowed a credit against the tax due under this Article for the amount of tax paid to the other jurisdiction.”

What about tax on the purchase in North Carolina?

In plain English

The state charges a highway use tax, and the statute sets its rate at three percent (3%). When the title is issued because of a sale by a seller who is not a retailer, the tax is figured on the market value of the vehicle.

The official words

“The tax rate is three percent (3%).”

“The retail value of a motor vehicle for which a certificate of title is issued because of a sale of the motor vehicle by a seller who is not a retailer is the market value of the vehicle”

We don’t work out tax for North Carolina.

What does a gift or family transfer change in North Carolina?

In plain English

When a vehicle is transferred between spouses, a parent and child, or a stepparent and stepchild, the person receiving it is exempt from the highway use tax once the Highway-Use Tax Exemption Certificate (MVR-613) is completed.

The official words

“If transferring a vehicle between spouses, a parent and child or a stepparent and stepchild, the recipient is exempt from the highway-use tax upon completion of the Highway-Use Tax Exemption Certificate (MVR-613)”

What happens if the transfer is late in North Carolina?

In plain English

This is about late titling: a person who receives a vehicle and fails to apply for a certificate of title within the required time is subject to a civil penalty of $20.00 and is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.

The official words

“A person to whom a vehicle is transferred who fails to apply for a certificate of title within the required time is subject to a civil penalty of twenty dollars ($20.00) and is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.”

What the pages we read do not cover

The pages we read do not say which office takes the title application.

They do not mention an inspection for a vehicle coming from another state or a deadline for new residents.

They do not say whether an out-of-state title also needs to be notarized.

How North Carolina compares

The title fee quoted for North Carolina is $66.75. Of the other 37 states with a figure, 34 states quote less and 3 states quote more. A title fee is one line, not the whole cost.

LowerHigher

The states whose flat title fee sits closest to North Carolina’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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Anything else?

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

Sources

11 quoted lines from 7 official sources, each matched word for word on November 12, 2026. The state’s own titling page is ncdot.gov.

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