Do You Need a Notary for a Bill of Sale?

In most cases, no. A bill of sale is legally valid with the signatures of the buyer and the seller alone, and no state requires notarization for ordinary sales of goods, equipment, or business assets. Notarization comes up mainly with vehicle transfers, where a small number of states require it, and where some lenders or buyers request it voluntarily on high-value purchases.

Last updated July 2026. State requirements change; confirm with the relevant DMV or title agency before closing.

The confusion is understandable. People associate notaries with anything official-looking, and a bill of sale is the document that transfers ownership of something valuable. But notarization is not a general requirement for contracts in the United States. It is a targeted identity-verification step that specific statutes impose on specific documents, mostly real property deeds, certain affidavits, and a narrow set of motor vehicle filings.

What does notarizing a bill of sale actually do?

A notary does not review the deal, verify the price, or confirm that the seller owns what they are selling. The notary checks government-issued identification, watches the signature happen, and certifies that the person who signed is the person named. That is the entire service.

The value is evidentiary. A notarized signature is much harder to repudiate later, which is why states apply the requirement where forged transfers have historically been a problem, and vehicle titles are exactly that kind of document. For a used forklift sold between two contractors, nobody has ever thought the risk justified the step.

Which states require a notarized bill of sale?

The requirement is limited and it is specific to motor vehicles. The states most commonly cited as requiring a notarized vehicle bill of sale are Louisiana, Nebraska, Maryland, Montana, New Hampshire, and West Virginia. The conditions are not identical: West Virginia ties its requirement to sale price relative to the vehicle's book value, and Maryland's requirement has been the subject of recent legislative change.

A second group of states requires notarization of the title assignment, meaning the seller's signature on the certificate of title itself, rather than a separate bill of sale. Kentucky, Wyoming, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania are commonly listed here. In practice this is the more frequent scenario, and it catches people out because they notarize the wrong document.

Treat that table as a starting point for the right question, not as legal advice. State legislatures amend these provisions regularly, and the authoritative answer for any given sale is on the state agency's own title transfer page.

Can a notarized bill of sale be signed electronically?

Yes, through remote online notarization. Most states now authorize a commissioned notary to perform the notarial act over live audio and video, verifying identity electronically and applying an electronic notarial seal. The signer and the notary never share a room, and the finished document is electronic end to end.

What you cannot do is skip the notary by signing electronically. An e-signature and a notarization are different things: the signature shows intent to be bound, the notarization certifies identity. If a statute requires the second, satisfying only the first leaves the filing incomplete. The rest of the transaction, including the sale terms and the parties' signatures, can be handled with ordinary bill of sale e-signature software.

Does a bill of sale need witnesses instead?

Generally no. A handful of states ask for a witness signature on particular transfers, and some parties add witnesses voluntarily on high-value sales as extra evidence. Witnessing and notarization serve a similar purpose, corroborating that the signature is genuine, but a witness is not a substitute where a statute names a notary specifically.

If you are unsure which applies, the sequence is: check whether the asset requires a state title filing, then check that agency's instructions for the transfer, then follow them exactly. Guessing generously by notarizing everything wastes time and money; guessing the other way means a rejected filing and a second trip.

Is a bill of sale still valid without a notary?

Yes, in almost every case. Absent a statute requiring notarization for that specific asset in that specific state, a bill of sale signed by both parties is a valid, enforceable record of the transaction. Courts enforce unnotarized bills of sale routinely, and businesses execute thousands of them every day.

Where it can matter is when someone later denies signing. Without a notary, the burden shifts to the other evidence around the signature, which is precisely why an electronic audit trail is worth having. A completion certificate showing the signer's email, IP address, and timestamps for viewing and signing is durable proof that a paper signature on a page simply does not carry.

What to do instead of defaulting to a notary

Build the evidence into the document. Require both parties to complete their own fields rather than one party filling in everything. Capture the asset identifier as a required field so the record is unambiguous. Send to a verified email address you already have on file for the counterparty. Deliver the executed copy to both sides automatically.

Those four habits do more for the average business than notarization would, because they address the failures that actually occur: incomplete documents, missing copies, and vague descriptions of what was sold. Notarization prevents forgery, which is rare; sloppy paperwork causes disputes, which is not.

For businesses selling assets as part of a larger transaction, the bill of sale is only one instrument among several, and the terms usually live in a purchase agreement signed alongside it. If the transaction is a sale of an entire operation rather than a schedule of equipment, it also pays to have a defensible valuation of the business in hand before the numbers get written into either document.

Frequently asked questions

Does a bill of sale need to be notarized to be legal? No. A bill of sale is legally binding once both parties sign, unless a specific state statute requires notarization for that asset type, which mainly applies to motor vehicle transfers in a small number of states.

Can I notarize a bill of sale after it is signed? No. A notary must witness the signature or take the signer's acknowledgment in the notary's presence, whether in person or over an approved remote video session. Signing first and presenting the document later defeats the purpose.

How much does notarizing a bill of sale cost? Fees are capped by state law and typically run from a few dollars to about fifteen per notarial act for in-person notarization, with remote online notarization usually costing more, often in the twenty to thirty dollar range per session. Banks and credit unions frequently provide notary service free to account holders.

Do both the buyer and the seller need to be notarized? Where notarization is required it usually applies to the seller's signature, since the seller is the party transferring ownership. Some state forms require both. Read the form itself, which will show a notarial block under each signature that needs one.