South Dakota Bill of Sale (SD)
We don't offer a separate template for South Dakota: the rules below name the South Dakota Department of Revenue's own bill of sale form.
- Whether South Dakota requires a bill of sale depends on the case. Details and source
- The South Dakota Department of Revenue's bill of sale form is 1025 (Bill of Sale). Details and source
Forms for a South Dakota sale
South Dakota's official form
1025: Bill of Sale (opens in a new tab)Official form from the South Dakota Department of Revenue (external site). We don't accept or file forms.
We could not confirm in a South Dakota government source whether a bill of sale has to be notarized. That does not mean the answer is no.
Last checked against the sources below on September 30, 2026. Rules can change, so confirm with the South Dakota Department of Revenue before you file.
This page covers selling a car, truck or van in South Dakota. Other items have national templates, which don't cover state rules.
After the sale in South Dakota
What the sources say happens after the sale. A step is marked Seller or Buyer where its source names that party, and each step links to its source.
- Seller Upon the sale, the owner, seller, or auctioneer must accurately complete the odometer disclosure information on the vehicle's title document and, if applicable, the secured power of attorney before surrendering or transferring the title. Source: sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-30.1 (opens in a new tab)
- Seller When ownership of a vehicle registered under SDCL chapter 32-5 is transferred or assigned, the transferor must remove the number plates from the vehicle. Source: sdlegislature.gov: 32-5-2.7 (opens in a new tab)
- Seller At the time of sale, the seller must file a report of sale with the Department of Revenue, indicating the purchaser's name and address. Source: sdlegislature.gov: 32-5-2.10 (opens in a new tab), sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-1 (opens in a new tab)
- The application for a certificate of title goes to the county treasurer and must be filed within 45 days after the date of assignment. A $10 fee accompanies it, and the Department of Revenue's pages list other fees. Source: sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-26 (opens in a new tab), sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-18 (opens in a new tab), dor.sd.gov: cars-trucks-vans (opens in a new tab), dor.sd.gov: all-vehicles-title-fees-registration (opens in a new tab)
- A person pays an excise tax of four percent of the purchase price of a motor vehicle bought or acquired for use on South Dakota's streets and highways and required to be registered there. SDCL 32-5B-2 lists vehicles exempted from the tax. Source: sdlegislature.gov: 32-5B-1 (opens in a new tab), sdlegislature.gov: 32-5B-4 (opens in a new tab), sdlegislature.gov: 32-5B-2 (opens in a new tab)
What's different in South Dakota
SDCL 32-3-18 says an application for a certificate of title shall be made to the county treasurer, upon a form prescribed by the secretary, and that the application shall be accompanied by a fee of ten dollars. The Department of Revenue's pages list other fees as well. Its page on cars, trucks and vans says, “See below for all applicable license fees. These fees must be paid to the county treasurer.”
Another of its pages describes a technology fee as “A $2 fee applied to certain transactions to help cover the cost of maintaining, upgrading, and securing the technology systems that support our services.”
On timing, SDCL 32-3-26 says the application for certificate of title shall be filed within forty-five days after the date of assignment. What the table below lists as sales tax is, in the words of SDCL 32-5B-1, “an excise tax at the rate of four percent on the purchase price”
of a motor vehicle.
The Department of Revenue publishes its own Bill of Sale, Form 1025, and this page links it instead of offering a template of ours. On the seller's side, SDCL 32-5-2.10 makes failure to file the report of sale a Class 2 misdemeanor, and SDCL 32-3-1 defines the department that receives it as the Department of Revenue. When ownership of a vehicle registered under chapter 32-5 of the South Dakota Codified Laws is transferred or assigned, SDCL 32-5-2.7 has the transferor remove the number plates from the vehicle and receive credit for the unexpired months at the time the plates are attached to another vehicle.
South Dakota rules at a glance
| Topic | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bill of sale required | A bill of sale is required in some cases in South Dakota. South Dakota's excise tax law (SDCL 32-5B-4) says that for a used motor vehicle sold, leased, or transferred by any person other than a licensed motor vehicle dealer, “The purchaser and seller of the motor vehicle shall submit to the county treasurer a bill of sale, approved and supplied by the secretary. If a bill of sale is not submitted, the excise tax will be assessed on the retail value as stated in a nationally recognized dealers' guide as approved by the secretary of revenue.” | sdlegislature.gov: 32-5B-4 (opens in a new tab) |
| Agency form | The South Dakota Department of Revenue's bill of sale form is 1025 (Bill of Sale). The South Dakota Department of Revenue requires its own form. South Dakota law (SDCL 32-5B-4) says that when a used motor vehicle is sold by “any person other than a licensed motor vehicle dealer,”the bill of sale submitted to the county treasurer is one “approved and supplied by the secretary.”The Department of Revenue's form page says, “Please print your completed form and submit it with your title paperwork to the applicable county treasurer's office.” | dor.sd.gov: cars-trucks-vans (opens in a new tab) dorresources.sd.gov: 1025 (opens in a new tab) sdlegislature.gov: 32-5B-4 (opens in a new tab) sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-1 (opens in a new tab) |
| Odometer disclosure | Upon the sale or trade-in of a motor vehicle, the owner, seller, or auctioneer must accurately complete the odometer disclosure information contained on the vehicle's title document and, if applicable, the secured power of attorney before surrendering or transferring the title. South Dakota law (SDCL 32-3-30.1) also says, “It is a Class 6 felony to falsify any information contained within the odometer disclosure statement. The department may refuse to transfer the title or issue a new title if the owner, seller, or auctioneer does not complete the odometer disclosure information on the vehicle title.” | sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-30.1 (opens in a new tab) |
| Title transfer | Title transfers in South Dakota are handled by the county treasurer. The fee is $10 for an application for a certificate of title, and the Department of Revenue's pages list other fees, including a $2 technology fee. The deadline is 45 days. The 45 days run from the date of assignment. | sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-26 (opens in a new tab) sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-18 (opens in a new tab) dor.sd.gov: cars-trucks-vans (opens in a new tab) dor.sd.gov: all-vehicles-title-fees-registration (opens in a new tab) |
| Sales tax | A person pays an excise tax of four percent of the purchase price of a motor vehicle purchased or acquired for use on the streets and highways of South Dakota and required to be registered under South Dakota law. For a used motor vehicle sold by any person other than a licensed motor vehicle dealer, SDCL 32-5B-4 says the purchase price is “the total consideration received in money or otherwise. However, when a motor vehicle is taken in trade as a credit or part payment on a used motor vehicle, the credit or trade-in value shall be deducted from the total consideration so that the net consideration is established.”SDCL 32-5B-2 lists motor vehicles exempted from the tax, including “Any motor vehicle sold or transferred that is eleven or more model years old and that is sold or transferred for two thousand five hundred dollars or less before trade-in”. | sdlegislature.gov: 32-5B-1 (opens in a new tab) sdlegislature.gov: 32-5B-4 (opens in a new tab) sdlegislature.gov: 32-5B-2 (opens in a new tab) |
| License plates | South Dakota law (SDCL 32-5-2.7) says, “If the ownership of a vehicle registered pursuant to the provisions of this chapter is transferred or assigned, the transferor shall remove the number plates from the vehicle and shall receive credit for the unexpired months at the time the plates are attached to another vehicle.” | sdlegislature.gov: 32-5-2.7 (opens in a new tab) |
| Notice of sale | Sellers must notify the South Dakota Department of Revenue of the sale. South Dakota law (SDCL 32-5-2.10) says, “At the time of sale of a vehicle, the seller shall file a report of sale with the department indicating the purchaser's name and address.” | sdlegislature.gov: 32-5-2.10 (opens in a new tab) sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-1 (opens in a new tab) |
South Dakota bill of sale questions
Does the South Dakota Department of Revenue have its own bill of sale?
Yes, Form 1025, Bill of Sale. The Department's page on cars, trucks and vans lists it as “Bill of Sale Form 1025”
, and the form page asks for the completed form to be printed and submitted “with your title paperwork to the applicable county treasurer's office.”
What is the deadline to apply for a South Dakota title?
Forty-five days after the date of assignment. SDCL 32-3-26 says, “In any transfer of a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer, the application for certificate of title shall be filed within forty-five days after the date of assignment of such motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer.”
Under SDCL 32-3-18, the application is made to the county treasurer.
Who files a report of sale in South Dakota?
The seller. SDCL 32-5-2.10 says, “At the time of sale of a vehicle, the seller shall file a report of sale with the department indicating the purchaser's name and address. Failure to file such a report is a Class 2 misdemeanor.”
SDCL 32-3-1 defines the department as the Department of Revenue.
Sources
Last checked against the sources below on September 30, 2026. Rules can change, so confirm with the South Dakota Department of Revenue before you file.
- sdlegislature.gov: 32-5B-4 (opens in a new tab)
- dor.sd.gov: cars-trucks-vans (opens in a new tab)
- dorresources.sd.gov: 1025 (opens in a new tab)
- sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-1 (opens in a new tab)
- sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-30.1 (opens in a new tab)
- sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-26 (opens in a new tab)
- sdlegislature.gov: 32-3-18 (opens in a new tab)
- dor.sd.gov: all-vehicles-title-fees-registration (opens in a new tab)
- sdlegislature.gov: 32-5B-1 (opens in a new tab)
- sdlegislature.gov: 32-5B-2 (opens in a new tab)
- sdlegislature.gov: 32-5-2.7 (opens in a new tab)
- sdlegislature.gov: 32-5-2.10 (opens in a new tab)