Maine Title Transfer in a Private Sale: Excise Tax, 5.5% Sales Tax, $33 Title

In a Maine private sale you pay municipal excise tax at your town office first, then register. For model year 2001 and newer (as of January 1, 2026) you also need a title signed over by the seller, a signed bill of sale, Maine's 5.5 percent sales tax on the purchase price, and a $33 title application fee. Passenger plates run $35. Older cars can skip the title, but they still owe excise tax, sales tax and registration.

I read the Maine BMV titles and passenger-vehicle registration pages, the Maine Revenue Services excise-tax explainer, and the registration fee chart on October 16, 2026. Maine splits the trip: money and paper start at the town, and some towns issue the registration themselves while others send you on to a BMV branch after the excise receipt is in hand.

Which cars still need a Maine title

Maine titles vehicles with a model year inside the last 25 years, and the cutoff rolls forward every January 1. The BMV titles page states that as of January 1, 2026, model year 2001 and newer must have a title, and as of January 1, 2027 the floor becomes 2002. So in mid October 2026 you are still in the 2001 rule: a 2000 model is title-exempt, a 2001 is not. If a seller of a borderline car still has a title, take the assignment anyway and avoid the argument at the counter.

For titled cars the seller signs the title over to you. For every private sale the BMV also wants a signed bill of sale. Do not buy a titled car on a handshake and a story about a title "in the mail."

Excise tax at the town, before anything else

Maine Revenue Services calls excise tax an annual tax for the privilege of operating on public ways, and it is due before registration. You pay it at the municipal office where you live. The amount is MSRP multiplied by a mill rate that drops with age: 0.0240 in year one, 0.0175 in year two, 0.0135 in year three, 0.0100 in year four, 0.0065 in year five, and 0.0040 from year six on, per the excise tax page and 36 M.R.S. section 1482. Towns often look up MSRP from a guide by VIN. That tax is local revenue, usually for roads, and it has nothing to do with what you paid the seller.

Sales tax, title fee and registration

The register a passenger vehicle page is clear for private sales and out-of-state dealers: you owe Maine sales tax at 5.5 percent of the purchase price, a $33 title application fee on vehicles that still require a title, and the plate fee. A standard passenger (PC) plate is $35 on the registration fee chart. Vanity plates add $25 at a BMV branch. Bring proof of insurance plus the white and yellow copies of the registration application and excise tax receipt. Our used car sales tax guide puts Maine next to other states that split local and state pieces.

New Maine residents get 30 days after establishing residency to convert out-of-state registrations and titles. That path can use a use-tax form to show sales tax already paid elsewhere; private in-state deals do not get that shortcut.

Salvage brands and VIN surprises

A title-exempt 1999 has no Maine title brand to read at all, which is exactly when a history report matters more. Salvage and rebuilt cars follow separate BMV rules; see our Maine salvage and rebuilt title rules. If the VIN on the dash does not match the paperwork, stop. Our VIN verification for title transfer post covers the common mismatch patterns.

Honest tip from the counter line: pack the signed title (if required), the signed bill of sale, your insurance card, a photo ID, and cash or a payment method your town accepts for excise tax. Towns vary on cards versus checks. If your municipality does not issue registrations, ask which BMV branch they send people to and if an appointment is required. Showing up with an unsigned title is the fastest way to waste a Saturday.

Check the car before you sign the bill of sale

Search the VIN on NMVTIS and pull your own CARFAX or AutoCheck rather than accepting a seller screenshot. Our private-party CARFAX guide flags the sections that hide flood and title wash. CarVins sells licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reports and has no corporate tie to CARFAX, AutoCheck or Experian. As of mid October 2026 we usually charge about $5.50 per report as a guest, $4.50 as a member, and about $6.75 for both together, while retail storefronts often ask $39.99 to $44.99; confirm the total before you click pay. CARFAX explains what lands in a report.

Sources

• Maine BMV: Titles
• Maine BMV: Register a passenger vehicle
• Maine Revenue Services: Excise tax
• 36 M.R.S. section 1482 (excise tax)