If you sell your car or ATV, new law says you’ve got to notify the state

A new state law has gone into effect making people who sell their cars and ATVs responsible for notifying the Missouri Department of Revenue of the transaction.

The law became effective on Jan. 1 and, according to Maura Browning, public information officer for the Department of Revenue, sellers must fill out a free form and mail it to the state within 30 days of the transaction.

“This (law) gives us a check on the system,” she explained, adding, “In the past, we would not be aware if a sale had occurred between a seller and buyer and depended solely on the purchaser (of the vehicle) for that information when they came in for a new title.”

This law, Browning said, allows the state to be informed of the sale so that buyers who do not get a title or registration within the required time (30 days) will be notified by letter and reminded of their responsibility.

The form should be submitted directly to the Department of Revenue, Browning said, and added that as well as collecting them at the local license office, they may be acquired from the Internet at: http://www.dor.mo.gov/mvdl/motorv/nos/. “The form itself is not real complicated. All required information is spelled out,” she said.

Browning also said that there have already been some instances where sellers have passed on the forms to the buyers instead of handling it themselves.

“Some of the sellers have just given the notice of sale form to the purchaser, which is not a great idea,” she said, explaining that the seller has the sole responsibility of informing the state of the transaction and can be held liable if the buyer of the vehicle doesn’t fill out the form.

In that case, Browning explained fines and penalties could be assessed against the seller once the state became aware of the transaction when the buyer of the vehicle attempted to get a title of the car.