HSMV 82040 — Florida's title application, section by section.
HSMV 82040 is the form a Florida buyer files to put a title in their name. The current motor-vehicle version, HSMV 82040 MV (Rev. 07/23), is a two-page application with 13 sections: the owner, the vehicle, its brands, any lien, how you got it, the odometer, a VIN check for cars new to Florida, tax exemptions and the signatures. Older copies call it the "Application for Certificate of Title With/Without Registration", the name of the combined form it replaced. You file it with your county tax collector within 30 days of taking delivery. Here's what each section asks and what you'll pay.
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Quick Answer
- What is form HSMV 82040?
- The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' application for a certificate of title. For cars and trucks the current version is HSMV 82040 MV, "Application for Certificate of Motor Vehicle Title", Rev. 07/23, two pages; mobile homes and vessels have their own MH and VS versions. The older combined form (Rev. 11/15), "With/Without Registration", still turns up in some county packets. It's filed at a county tax collector's office or a license plate agency.
- How much does it cost to title a car in Florida?
- Florida law sets a $70 title fee, plus $1 for security materials and a $4.25 service charge: $75.25. A vehicle last registered in another state pays $10 more, recording a lien is $2, and county branch offices add $0.50 (Hillsborough's table shows $75.75). Then come 6% sales tax and any county surtax, and the plate and registration fees.
- Does HSMV 82040 need to be notarized?
- The applicant's signatures in Section 12 are made under penalty of perjury, and there's no notary block for them. The only notary field on the form is in Section 8, the VIN verification, where a Florida notary is one of the people allowed to inspect and sign.
Four steps from a Florida private sale to your title
The seller's half of the title and your HSMV 82040 travel to the tax collector together.
- 1The seller completes the titleBuyer's name, sales price, date and mileage on the title; both sign.
- 2Fill in HSMV 82040 MVSections 1 to 6 for most private buyers, then sign Section 12.
- 3VIN check if it's new to FloridaSection 8, for any used vehicle not currently titled in Florida.
- 4File within 30 daysAt your county tax collector, with ID, Florida insurance and payment.
The 13 Sections of HSMV 82040 MV
From HSMV 82040 MV (Rev. 07/23) as reproduced by the Hernando County Tax Collector, read on 28 October 2026.
| Section | What it asks |
|---|---|
| 1 — Owner/applicant | Florida residency, US citizenship, name as on your driver license, DL/ID or FEID number, sex, date of birth, mailing and street address; the same for a co-owner or lessee; an OR/AND box (left blank, the title says "and") |
| 2 — Vehicle | VIN, Florida title number, plate number, previous state, make, model, year, body, color, weight, fuel |
| 3 — Brands, usage and type | Bonded title, flood, rebuilt, kit car, manufacturer buyback, police vehicle, taxicab, lease and others |
| 4 — Lienholder | ID type, date of lien, name and address, and whether it's an electronic lien and title customer |
| 5 — Transfer type | Inheritance, sale and price, gift, repossession, court order or other; the date acquired |
| 6 — Odometer | Five or six digits, no tenths, and the date read: actual, not actual, or over mechanical limits |
| 7 — Dealers only | Sales tax and dealer license numbers, date of sale, tax and any trade-in |
| 8 — VIN verification | A physical inspection, for used vehicles not currently titled in Florida |
| 9 — Sales tax exemption | Inheritance, gift, divorce decree, married couple, even trade, exemption certificate |
| 10 — Repossession | The lienholder's repossession declaration |
| 11 — Non-use and other certifications | A lost or destroyed title; a vehicle that won't be driven until registered |
| 12 — Signatures | Owner and co-owner sign and date under penalty of perjury |
| 13 — Release of spouse or heirs | When an owner has died: date of death, will or no will, and the heirs' release |
Every field is required unless the form says otherwise or it doesn't apply. Sumter and Alachua counties' mail-in packets tell private buyers to complete Sections 1 to 6 and have every applicant sign Section 12.
What You'll Pay at the Tax Collector
The title fee is in statute: $70 for an original title, $1 for security materials and a $4.25 service charge, which is $75.25. A vehicle previously registered outside Florida pays $10 more, a lien is $2 to record, and a paper title mailed to you is $2.50. County branch offices add $0.50, which is why Hillsborough lists $75.75 for a Florida title and $85.75 for an out-of-state one. Need it fast? Fast Title costs $10 more, and the law gives the department 5 working days to issue it.
Sales tax is 6%, and Florida law applies it to occasional or isolated sales too, so a private sale is taxed. Counties add a discretionary surtax on the first $5,000 of the price only. Hillsborough's own example, with its 1.5% surtax: $675 on a $10,000 car. With a trade-in, the tax is on the cash difference. Bringing a car from another state? Florida credits like tax already paid elsewhere, and a vehicle used in another state for 6 months or more is presumed not to have been bought for use in Florida. No title is issued until the tax is paid.
For the plate, a $225 initial registration fee applies to the first registration of a private car, a truck of 5,000 lb or less, or a motor home. It isn't charged when you move a plate from a vehicle you've disposed of, between co-owners, or to an immediate family member in the same household; the exemption is claimed on HSMV 82002. Hillsborough lists a new plate at $28 and a plate transfer at $4.60.
HSMV 82040 at a Glance
The fees, the tax and the deadline on one card.
From the Florida Statutes (2026), the HSMV 82040 MV form and county tax collector fee tables, read on 28 October 2026.
Section 8: Who Can Verify the VIN
Section 8 is needed for every used motor vehicle, and every trailer of 2,000 lb or more, that isn't currently titled in Florida: a car bought out of state, or a new resident's car. Someone has to physically inspect the VIN and sign: the form lists a licensed Florida dealer, a Florida notary public, a law enforcement officer, or an authorized FLHSMV, tax collector or license plate agency employee. The statute also lets the seller and buyer verify it together by sworn affidavit. The stand-alone version is HSMV 82042 (Rev. 06/19), and an out-of-state dealer who verifies a VIN has to do it on letterhead.
No VIN check is needed for a new vehicle, a mobile home, a trailer under 2,000 lb, or a travel trailer, camping trailer, truck camper or fifth-wheel. A used car titled in Florida for the first time also needs the owner's sworn odometer statement.
What gets a title transfer refused
- Seller not on the title: the seller must be shown as owner on its face.
- No sales price: the seller has to enter it on the title.
- Buyer's name left off: illegal; with intent to defraud, a misdemeanor.
- Seller's section unfinished: Orange County can't transfer it.
Check the Florida Title Before You File
Section 3 asks you to declare brands like flood and rebuilt. Enter the VIN for a free preview of the title brands, junk and salvage records and odometer readings on file.
What to Bring to the Tax Collector
From the Hillsborough and Orange County tax collectors' checklists.
The completed title
Signatures, printed names, purchase date, price and odometer from both sides.
HSMV 82040 MV
Signed by every applicant; page 2 needs original signatures.
Applicants and ID
Each applicant, or their power of attorney, present to sign and show ID.
Florida insurance
Proof of property damage (PD) and PIP cover to get a plate.
Payment
Title fee, tax and plate fees; a check or money order by mail.
By mail in Orange County
PO Box 545100, Orlando FL 32854; it aims to finish in 10 business days.
The Buyer's 30 Days and the Seller's 30 Days
Both sides of a Florida private sale have a filing to make.
Buyer
- File the title application within 30 days of delivery.
- $20 late fee after that, on top of everything else.
- HSMV 82040 MV plus the signed-over title.
- At the county tax collector or a license plate agency.
Seller
- Notify the department within 30 days of the sale.
- On the back of the title or on HSMV 82050.
- Protects the seller from later civil liability.
- HSMV 82050 also works as a bill of sale.
Buying from a Florida dealer? Orange County says the dealer must apply for your title and registration within 30 days.
Related Checks and Guides
The other DMV form guides, and the Florida pages they connect to.
Where These Facts Come From
From the Florida Statutes (2026) on flsenate.gov and county tax collectors' copies of FLHSMV's forms and fee tables, read on 28 October 2026. flhsmv.gov itself returned "Access Denied" to us, so get the current form from your county tax collector or FLHSMV before you file.
CarCheckerVIN is not affiliated with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or any county tax collector. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.
HSMV 82040 — Frequently Asked Questions
What Florida buyers and sellers ask most.
Where do I get the HSMV 82040 form?+
From FLHSMV or your county tax collector, whose websites link the form. For cars and trucks, use the motor-vehicle version, HSMV 82040 MV (Rev. 07/23); mobile homes and vessels have their own versions. Older copies titled "With/Without Registration" are the earlier combined form.
How long do I have to transfer a title in Florida?+
30 days after the vehicle is delivered to you. Filing later adds a $20 penalty to the other fees. The seller has 30 days of their own to notify the department of the sale.
Do I pay sales tax on a private car sale in Florida?+
Yes. The 6% sales tax covers occasional or isolated sales, plus any county surtax on the first $5,000. Section 9 of the form is where an exemption is claimed: inheritance, a gift, a divorce decree, a transfer between a married couple, an even trade or an exemption certificate.
Can a notary do the VIN verification in Florida?+
Yes. A Florida notary public is one of the people Section 8 lists, along with a licensed Florida dealer, a law enforcement officer and authorized FLHSMV, tax collector or plate agency employees. Florida law also lets the buyer and seller verify it together by sworn affidavit.
Can I get a Florida title the same day?+
Ask for Fast Title: $10 on top of the title fees, and the law requires the department to issue it within 5 working days. Hillsborough County prints Fast Titles on site at all its offices.
What if the seller has lost the title?+
The seller applies for a duplicate first, on HSMV 82101. Only the registered owner or the lienholder of record may apply, and Hillsborough County's tax collector says duplicates can also be requested online through FLHSMV's MyDMV Portal.
Run the VIN Before You Pay the Tax
Enter any 17-character VIN for a free preview. The full report lists title brands, NMVTIS junk and salvage records, insurance total-loss records, odometer readings, and auction records with the damage the auction recorded and its photos.
CarCheckerVIN is an independent vehicle-history service and is not affiliated with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. This guide summarizes FLHSMV's form as published by county tax collectors, the Florida Statutes and county fee tables, and is not legal or tax advice. Records in our reports reflect what was reported to our data providers. Our reports do not include police or repair-shop accident entries.
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