ES MOTORS
Where you file
File with the Harris County Tax Office. The county tells buyers to submit the title paperwork within 30 days of the sale.
Harris County title guide
How to transfer a title in Harris County.
In Harris County, a private-sale title transfer is filed with the Harris County Tax Office, the county tax assessor-collector. The seller signs the title. The buyer signs Form 130-U and files within 30 days of the sale to avoid a penalty.
Fee amounts are calculated by the tax office from the sale and the registration. This guide does not quote them.
What the buyer gathers
Bring these for a private sale.
- Original title, signed by the seller
- Completed Form 130-U, signed by the buyer
- Photo ID
- Proof of insurance in the buyer's name
- State inspection or emissions test, when the county requires it
El vendedor firma el título. El comprador firma la Forma 130-U y la presenta en la oficina de impuestos del Condado de Harris. Llámenos al (832) 665-7966.
Harris County
The public steps, without a fee chart.
A licensed Texas dealer in Harris County files a dealer sale. On a private sale, the buyer files, or ES MOTORS can file a clean title transfer in Houston so you skip the tax office wait. Clean title transfer→
ES MOTORS
The seller signs the title
On a Texas title, the seller signs the back, prints their name, and enters the buyer's name as it appears on the buyer's ID. If the vehicle is less than 10 model years old, the odometer on the title must match Form 130-U.
ES MOTORS
Form 130-U
The buyer completes and signs Form 130-U, the application for a Texas title. Harris County does not require the seller's signature on that form for a private-party sale.
ES MOTORS
ID, insurance, inspection
Bring a current photo ID and liability insurance in the buyer's name. Harris County also asks for an emissions test when the vehicle was last registered in a county that does not require one.
Simple process
From the signed title to the tax office.
01Seller signs
The seller signs the title assignment and writes the buyer's name to match the ID.
02Buyer signs 130-U
The buyer signs Form 130-U. The seller does not have to sign that form on a private sale.
03Add insurance
Add photo ID, insurance in the buyer's name, and an inspection only if the county requires it.
04File in 30 days
Take or send the file to the Harris County Tax Office within 30 days of the sale.
Visit ES MOTORS
5020 FM 1960 W Ste A8, Houston, TX 77069
Call or text (832) 665-7966 or email esmotorspro@gmail.com.