A field-by-field walkthrough of the Ohio Form BMV 3774 (Application(s) for Certificate of Title to a Motor Vehicle) for licensed used car dealers — what goes in every section, who signs what, and the documents you attach. Verified against the official form as of July 2026.
This guide is informational and does not replace the official Ohio instructions. Always confirm the current form and procedure with Ohio BMV / County Clerk of Courts Title Offices before you file.
DealerVLO fills the official Ohio Form BMV 3774 straight from your deal — VIN-decoded vehicle, buyer, co-buyer, and sale price already in place. $99/month, free to try — no credit card.
Form BMV 3774 is how a vehicle gets its Ohio certificate of title. On a dealer sale, the dealer prepares it for the buyer and submits it — with the notarized title assignment, the tax payment, and the fees — to a county Clerk of Courts title office within 30 days of the assignment.
Ohio's quirk is that the tax and the title happen at the same counter: sales tax is collected when the title is issued, calculated from the purchase price and trade-in figures you put on this application. Get those numbers wrong and you've either overcharged your buyer or underpaid the state. This guide walks every section a dealer fills.
BMV 3774 is Ohio's title application, but it isn't filed with the BMV directly — Ohio titles are issued by the county Clerk of Courts title offices, and since titling went statewide you can use any county's office, not just the buyer's. The buyer pays Ohio sales/use tax at the title counter based on the purchase price, which makes the price and trade-in figures on this form tax documents, not just formalities.
Gather these before you complete the Form BMV 3774. A missing attachment is the number-one reason the Ohio BMV / County Clerk of Courts Title Offices bounces a title application back.
The buyer — the person the title will be issued to. Enter the legal name, Ohio address, and SSN (or EIN for a business buyer) exactly as they appear on the buyer's ID. Joint applicants should decide whether the title reads "and" (both signatures needed to sell) or "or" (either can sign) — including survivorship wording if they want it.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Applicant's full legal name From the buyer's license — match it exactly. | You (dealer) |
Ohio address | You (dealer) |
Social Security number / EIN | Buyer |
Co-applicant and 'and/or' / survivorship designation Ask the buyers — it changes who can sell the car later. | You (dealer) |
Identifies the vehicle. The VIN, year, make, model, and body type must match the assigned title exactly — the Clerk of Courts checks character by character.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
VIN Must match the assigned title and the VIN plate. | You (dealer) |
Year, make, model, body type | You (dealer) |
Odometer reading and status Must match the disclosure on the notarized assignment. | You (dealer) |
This is the tax section. Enter the purchase price, subtract the trade-in allowance (Ohio gives trade-in credit on dealer sales), and compute the sales/use tax at the combined rate for the buyer's county of residence. The clerk collects this tax when the title is issued — the figures here are what the state audits against your deal jacket.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Purchase price Match the buyer's order / bill of sale. | You (dealer) |
Trade-in allowance Subtracted before tax on a dealer sale. | You (dealer) |
Taxable amount and gross tax due State 5.75% plus the buyer's county rate. | You (dealer) |
Tax exemption reason (if exempt) Resale, out-of-state, and other exemptions need the reason stated. | You (dealer) |
Cash deal? Leave it blank. Financed? Record the lender's name and address so the lien is noted on the new title. Ohio charges a lien notation fee (an additional $15) and sends the title to the lienholder, not the buyer.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Lienholder name Blank for a cash sale. | You (dealer) |
Lienholder address | You (dealer) |
The buyer signs the application as the applicant. The application itself is signed at the title office or prepared for submission — the notarization requirement in Ohio attaches to the title assignment (the seller's signature on the back of the title), which must already be complete before you file.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Applicant signature and date | Buyer |
Co-applicant signature (if any) | Buyer |
Dealer information (selling dealer name / permit number) | You (dealer) |
Ohio law requires the title application within 30 days of the assignment date; filing late adds a $5 late fee and, worse, an aging deal jacket. File the week of the sale, not the week the buyer calls asking where their title is.
The seller's assignment on an Ohio title must be notarized. Take the title in without it and the clerk sends you home. Notarize at delivery — most dealerships keep a notary on staff for exactly this.
A vehicle coming in on an out-of-state title needs a physical VIN inspection before Ohio will title it. As a licensed dealer you can perform it — do it when the vehicle hits the lot so it never holds up a deal.
The price on the BMV 3774 sets the tax the clerk collects. A number that doesn't match the buyer's order invites both a tax problem and an audit finding. Pull it straight from the final buyer's order.
Ohio sales/use tax on a vehicle is the state 5.75% plus the local rate for the buyer's county of residence — not the county where your lot sits. Look it up by the buyer's address.
BMV 3774 is Ohio's Application for Certificate of Title to a Motor Vehicle. It's the form the buyer (prepared by the dealer) files to get an Ohio title after a sale, an out-of-state move, or any transfer of ownership.
No — Ohio titles are issued by the county Clerk of Courts title offices, not BMV deputy registrars. Since Ohio titling went statewide, any county's title office can process the application regardless of where the buyer lives.
The base title fee is $15, plus $15 for a lien notation if the vehicle is financed. Filing more than 30 days after the assignment adds a $5 late fee. Sales/use tax on the purchase price is collected at the same counter when the title is issued.
At titling. The Clerk of Courts collects the sales/use tax when the title is issued, computed from the purchase price minus trade-in allowance on the application, at the state 5.75% plus the buyer's county rate.
Yes. Ohio requires the seller's assignment on the certificate of title to be notarized — one of the few states that still does. An un-notarized assignment is the most common reason a title package bounces at the clerk's counter.
Yes, on a dealer sale — the trade-in allowance is subtracted from the purchase price before tax is computed. Enter the allowance on the BMV 3774 so the clerk taxes only the difference.
DealerVLO fills the official OH Form BMV 3774 straight from your deal jacket — VIN-decoded vehicle, buyer, co-buyer, lienholder, and sale price already in place. Print, sign, and file in about 90 seconds. $99/month. No credit card to start.