What a bill of sale does in a Georgia private car sale, what it cannot do, and exactly what to confirm with Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division before you sign.
Read this first. We are not going to tell you what Georgia law requires, because vehicle rules change often and the summaries floating around the web contradict each other. The one authoritative source is Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division. Everything below is general guidance that holds in every state, plus the specific questions worth asking them.
A bill of sale is a written record that a vehicle changed hands: who sold it, who bought it, what it was, what was paid, and when. Between the two of you it is generally enforceable as a contract, and it is the document that protects a Georgia seller when the car they sold turns up weeks later attached to a toll violation, a parking ticket, or a crash.
It also settles the quieter argument — the buyer who comes back in three weeks insisting you promised the transmission was rebuilt. As-is, in writing, signed by both parties is a far better answer than your memory of the conversation.
| It does not transfer title | Ownership passes through the certificate of title at Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division. The bill of sale is the receipt, not the deed. |
| It does not register the car | The buyer still has to title and register it in their own name and pay whatever tax Georgia assesses at that point. |
| It does not release a lien | If a lender holds a lien, that lender has to release it before clean title can pass. |
| It does not end your liability | Most states require the seller to file a separate release of liability or notice of transfer, often within days. Ask Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division whether Georgia does. |
| It does not verify anything | It records what the two parties assert — not that the seller owns the car or that the mileage is genuine. |
Take this list to their website or a field office. These are the questions whose answers actually differ from state to state:
One rule that is federal, not state. A written odometer disclosure is required on transfer for most vehicles under 20 model years old under 49 U.S.C. § 32705, in every state. Our bill of sale includes one automatically — and correctly leaves it out for boats, trailers and off-road machines, which the rule does not cover.
Whether Georgia issues a title depends on what you are selling, not just where you are. This is the part that catches people out, because the answer differs inside a single state:
| Cars, trucks & motorcycles | Titled in every state. Signed title plus a bill of sale. |
| Motorhomes | Titled as motor vehicles. Towable campers are titled as trailers instead. |
| Trailers | Many states title above a GVWR threshold and only register below it. Ask what GA's threshold is. |
| Boats & PWC | Some states title vessels, some only register them, and federally documented boats go through the U.S. Coast Guard instead. |
| ATVs, UTVs & snowmobiles | Some states title off-road machines, some only register them for trail use, some do neither. |
| Heavy equipment | Almost never titled anywhere. The bill of sale is the ownership record, and liens are recorded as UCC filings rather than on a title. |
Where there is no title, the bill of sale is the ownership record — so the serial number and both parties' full details matter more, not less. Ask Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division which of these categories Georgia titles, and at what threshold.
Each of these covers what identifies that category, whether an odometer disclosure applies, and what to ask Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division about it specifically:
Category guides: boat · motorcycle · RV · ATV · trailer · equipment
You do not have to print anything or meet twice. Fill in the deal, sign, and send the other party a link — they review it, can propose a different price, and sign from their own phone. When both signatures are in, the completed legal PDF is emailed to both of you, with the odometer disclosure and an as-is clause already in it.