What identifies it
A Montana trailer bill of sale is only as good as the identifier on it. For trailers that is the VIN or serial number, found on the manufacturer's certification plate, usually riveted to the tongue or the left front frame rail.
Read it off the machine itself rather than from the advert, and check it against whatever paperwork the seller produces. A document describing the wrong trailer protects nobody.
Odometer disclosure
No odometer disclosure applies. The federal rule under 49 U.S.C. § 32705 covers highway motor vehicles, and trailers are not among them. Our form leaves it out rather than asking you to certify something that does not apply to what you are selling.
Does Montana title trailers?
Many states title trailers above a gross weight threshold and only register lighter ones — and the threshold is not the same everywhere. GVWR is therefore the number that decides which process applies to you.
For this category you will normally be dealing with the state motor vehicle agency. In Montana the starting point is Montana Motor Vehicle Division .
Where there is no title, the bill of sale is not a formality — it is the ownership record. That makes the identifier and both parties' full legal names and addresses matter more, not less.
What goes wrong with trailers
| A homemade trailer with no serial number | A shop-built trailer often has no plate at all, so the document cannot prove which trailer was sold. Most states have a process for assigning a state-issued number, usually involving an inspection and receipts for the materials. Sort it out before money changes hands — the buyer is the one who gets stuck. |
| Guessing at the GVWR | It is stamped on the manufacturer's plate. It decides the registration class and, in many states, whether a title is issued at all. |
| Assuming it transfers with the boat or the tow vehicle | It is a separate item with a separate identifier and usually a separate title. |
What to confirm with Montana Motor Vehicle Division
These are the questions whose answers genuinely differ from state to state and category to category. Take this list to their website or a field office:
- Does Montana title trailers? If it does not, the bill of sale is your only ownership record, so it needs to be complete.
- Is a bill of sale required to transfer one here, or only recommended?
- Is there an official MT form that has to be used instead of a generic bill of sale?
- Does anything need to be notarized — the bill of sale, the title assignment, or neither? An electronic signature is not a notarization; if a notary is required you need one in person.
- How many days does the buyer have to complete the transfer, and what is the penalty for being late?
- Who pays sales or use tax, and is it charged on the price paid or on a state valuation?
- What is the GVWR threshold above which a title is issued rather than a registration?
- What is the process for a homemade trailer with no manufacturer serial number?
- Must the seller file a release of liability or notice of transfer, and within how long?
How to do the paperwork
Whatever Montana requires on top, both parties should walk away with a signed record showing the trailer, its vin or serial number, the price, the date and an as-is clause. Fill it in, sign on your phone, and send the other party a link — they review, can propose a different price, and sign from their own phone. The completed legal PDF is emailed to both of you.
Start a Montana trailer bill of sale — free