Free Indiana Trailer Bill of Sale Template

An Indiana trailer bill of sale records a private trailer sale. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles publishes its own version as State Form 44237 and sets out exactly when it will accept one as proof of ownership.

In a short, named list of situations. The bureau will take State Form 44237, or a similar document, as proof of vehicle ownership only where one of its listed circumstances applies.

Two of those circumstances are trailer-specific and turn on dates. A utility trailer purchased before 1 January 1990 qualifies, as does a pop-up trailer purchased before 1 July 2016.

The list also covers a person voluntarily applying for a title on something not required to be titled, a case where the prior owner was not required to obtain a title, a sheriff’s bill of sale, an abandoned vehicle sold at auction, and a purchase from the federal government.

Where the paperwork has gone missing, Indiana has a dedicated route rather than a general affidavit.

The Trailer Ownership Affidavit

State Form 43753 exists for an applicant who cannot produce ownership documentation for a trailer. Its legal authority is IC 9-17, and every applicant claiming ownership has to sign it.

Trailers built from parts

Where a trailer was privately assembled from parts on hand, proof of ownership is required for all major parts such as doors and frames. A bill of sale or receipt is acceptable as that proof, which is the clearest reason to keep receipts through a build.

Getting a number assigned

A privately assembled trailer needs a state-issued identification number before it can be titled and registered. That comes from Application for Special Identification Number, State Form 12907, submitted to BMV Central Office.

How Indiana measures weight

Declared gross vehicle weight for a trailer is the empty weight plus the heaviest load it will carry during the registration year. The bureau’s own worked example adds a 2,210 pound empty trailer to a 5,290 pound maximum load for a declared weight of 7,500 pounds.

The rest of the paperwork

Titling runs on Application for Certificate of Title for a Vehicle, State Form 205, with the Certificate of Gross Retail or Use Tax Paid covering the tax side.

Establish first whether your trailer is one the state requires to be titled.

1. Complete the bill of sale with the purchase date, price, and identification number.
2. Collect the assigned title where one exists.
3. If no ownership document exists, complete the Trailer Ownership Affidavit and check which listed reason applies.
4. For a privately assembled trailer, apply for a Special Identification Number before anything else.
5. Work out the declared gross weight and take everything to a BMV branch.

Fees are set by the state and change from time to time, so confirm current amounts with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles before you go.

Give the year, make, and identification number, the purchase price, the date, and both parties’ names, addresses, and signatures.

For a trailer built from parts, keep the component receipts filed with it. Those receipts are the proof of ownership the bureau asks for on the major parts.

Store the signed document with the affidavit, since the branch may want to see them together.