How to fill out the SFN 18609 in North Dakota
A field-by-field walkthrough of the North Dakota SFN 18609 (Damage/Salvage Disclosure Statement) 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 October 2026.
Filing these every week? Upload the SFN 18609 to DealerVLO once and it fills from every deal you enter, $29/month flat. See pricing
Filling out the ND SFN 18609 after a sale:
- What it is
- North Dakota's damage and salvage disclosure for vehicles under nine model years old (2019 and newer in 2026)
- Who completes it
- The seller (your dealership) completes and signs it; the buyer signs Section 5 when any answer is Yes
- Where to file it
- Given to the buyer, then attached to the SFN 2872 title application to the Motor Vehicle Division
- Processing time
- None of its own. It travels with the title application
- Cost
- No fee listed on the form
This guide is informational and does not replace the official North Dakota instructions. Always confirm the current form and procedure with North Dakota Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division before you file.
The SFN 18609 is one car's paperwork. A 20-second read on your lot, and the tax-and-fee math for the whole deal — built for dealers, no signup. Free calculators dealers actually use — no signup, no email.
Upload the fillable North Dakota SFN 18609 to DealerVLO once. It maps the fields, then fills the form from every deal — buyer, co-buyer, the vehicle you sold, and your dealership already in place. $29/month, free to try — cancel any time.
What the SFN 18609 is and why it matters
SFN 18609 is North Dakota's Damage/Salvage Disclosure Statement. Under NDCC 39-05-17.2, the owner of a recent-model vehicle has to tell the buyer in writing whether it was damaged, and the Motor Vehicle Division won't transfer the title without the statement. On a retail deal, the owner is you. The form asks three questions in order: was the car damaged in the past eight years, did that damage reach the greater of $10,000 or 25% of its pre-damage value, and did it pass 75% of its value? The answers decide whether the buyer's new title carries a PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED brand and whether the car should have been a salvage title in the first place.
It's one page, but it's a certification: the form warns that a false statement is a Class A misdemeanor. Dealers who take in trades and buy at auction need the math right, because the threshold runs on repair cost at retail, not on what you paid. This guide walks each section in order, with NDDOT's own worked examples.
SFN 18609 is a separate form from the SFN 2872 title application. The SFN 2872 only carries a notice telling you to attach it. The current revision is SFN 18609 (4-2026). NDDOT's dealer page says it must be completed by the seller whenever the vehicle is less than nine model years old, and state law says the department may not transfer the title without it. DealerVLO doesn't have a built-in SFN 18609, but the official PDF is fillable: upload it once under Settings → Forms and DealerVLO fills the vehicle, buyer, and dealership boxes from every deal. The yes/no damage answers stay with you. It's a sworn statement about what you know, so mark those by hand.
Documents to have before you start
Gather these before you complete the SFN 18609. A missing attachment is the number-one reason the North Dakota Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division bounces a title application back.
- The title, so you can copy the VIN and title number exactly — Check it for an existing brand first. NDDOT's form shows "title already branded for the damage disclosed above" as an example of the "Other" box in Section 3A.
- Repair records or estimates for any damage you know about — Damage is measured as the retail value of all labor, parts, and materials used to repair it. Own-labor repairs are priced at flat-rate hours times $35 under NDCC 39-05-17.2(5).
- The vehicle's pre-damage retail value from the NADA official used car guide — Both the 25% test and the 75% salvage test are measured against that NADA retail value. Use the value at the time the vehicle was damaged, not today's value.
- The SFN 2872 title application for the deal — SFN 18609 goes in with it. See the SFN 2872 guide for the application itself.
- For a rebuilt salvage vehicle: the salvage certificate and an SFN 2486 inspection — A vehicle damaged past 75% can't be retitled for the road until a registered repair business that didn't rebuild it inspects it on SFN 2486.
SFN 18609, section by section
Vehicle: year, make, model, style, VIN, title number
The top block ties the statement to one vehicle. Copy the VIN and title number from the title, not from the window sticker or your inventory list. A statement for the wrong VIN won't support the title transfer. Style is the body style (sedan, pickup, SUV). Before you go further, check the model year against the age window. NDCC 39-05-17.2 covers vehicles of the current model year and the seven before it, and NDDOT's Registration Manual turns that into a table: in 2026, the form is required for model year 2019 and newer. Older vehicles don't need SFN 18609. Salvage rules still apply to them, though, because salvage requirements cover all model years.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Year, make, model, style Year in YYYY format. Should match the title. | You (dealer) |
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) All 17 characters, copied from the title. | You (dealer) |
Title number From the North Dakota (or out-of-state) title you're transferring. | You (dealer) |
Section 1: Any damage in the past eight years?
Section 1 asks whether, within the past eight years, the vehicle sustained body or structural damage from a crash or accident, including fire, vandalism, weather, or submersion in water. The form and the statute both exclude body or structural modifications, normal wear and tear, glass damage, hail damage, and normal maintenance and repair. So a windshield, a hail-dented roof, or a lift kit doesn't make this a Yes. If you check No, skip to Section 4. If you check Yes, the form says Sections 2 and 3 must be completed. You answer from what you know: your own repair records, the history report you ran when you bought the car, and anything the previous owner disclosed.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Section 1: Yes / No Yes means Sections 2 and 3 must be completed. Mark it by hand. | You (dealer) |
Section 2: The $10,000 or 25% test
Section 2 asks whether the damage equals or exceeds the greater of $10,000 or 25% of the vehicle's pre-damage retail value in the NADA official used car guide. NDDOT's instructions on page 2 give the formula. Take 25% of the vehicle's retail value at the time it was damaged, compare it to $10,000, and use whichever is higher as the line. Then compare the damage, measured as the retail value of all labor, parts, and materials used to repair it. NDDOT's own examples: a $15,000 car has a 25% figure of $3,750, so the $10,000 line applies and $7,000 of damage is a No. A $50,000 car has a 25% figure of $12,500, which is higher than $10,000, so $13,000 of damage is a Yes. One wording difference: the page 2 formula says damage must be "greater than" the line, while the statute and the Section 2 question say "equals or exceeds." The statute controls, so damage landing exactly on the line counts. A Yes here is what puts PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED on the buyer's new title.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Section 2: Yes / No Line = the greater of $10,000 or 25% of pre-damage NADA retail value. | You (dealer) |
Section 3: Over 75%, and what happened (3A, 3B, explanation)
Section 3 asks whether the damage exceeds 75% of the vehicle's retail value, the salvage line in NDCC 39-05-20.2. Glass and hail damage are excluded here too. Under that section, an owner of a vehicle damaged past 75% must send the title to NDDOT within ten days, and the department issues a salvage certificate of title. If you answer Yes, complete 3A and 3B. 3A asks which statement fits your ownership: the damage happened in a single occurrence while you owned it, you acquired it with unrepaired damage, the damage happened before your ownership and you bought it repaired, or Other with an explanation. NDDOT's example of Other is a title already branded for the damage. 3B is check-all-that-apply: collision, weather, theft, interior, water, vandalism, fire, undercarriage, or other. The Explanation of Damage box takes a short description. NDDOT's example is "Hit a deer."
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Section 3: Yes / No (over 75%) The salvage line. Mark it by hand. | You (dealer) |
3A: How you came to own the damage Pick one. "Other" must be explained. | You (dealer) |
3B: Type of damage Check all that apply. | You (dealer) |
Explanation of damage Short and plain, for example "front-end collision, repaired." | You (dealer) |
Section 4: Seller (transferor) information and signature
Section 4 is the seller: on a retail sale, your dealership's name, daytime phone, mailing address, city, state, and ZIP, then the signature and date. NDDOT's instructions say the seller's information must be completed in full, and North Dakota's rule NDAC 37-09-01-02 says the statement must be completed, signed, and certified by the transferor. The line above Section 4 is the reminder that matters: any person who makes a false statement on this form is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. If you take a trade-in under the age window, it's worth having the customer fill out an SFN 18609 to you as well. It puts their damage history in writing before you retail the car.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Name of transferor (seller) Your dealership's legal name on a retail sale. | You (dealer) |
Daytime phone, mailing address, city, state, ZIP Complete in full. | You (dealer) |
Signature of transferor and date Ink, on the form that goes with the title application. | You (dealer) |
Section 5: Buyer (transferee) information and signature
Section 5 is the buyer's legal name, daytime phone, mailing address, signature, and date. The page 1 header says the form must be given to and signed by the buyer. The page 2 instructions say the buyer only has to complete Section 5 if any answer above is Yes. On a deal where everything is No, the buyer's signature isn't required by the instructions. Having them sign anyway costs nothing and shows they received the statement. When there's a Yes, the signature is how you prove the buyer saw the disclosure before the sale.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Legal name of transferee (buyer) Exactly as on the SFN 2872 title application. | Buyer |
Daytime phone, mailing address, city, state, ZIP | Buyer |
Signature of transferee and date Required when any answer is Yes. | Buyer |
If the vehicle is salvage: inspection before it goes back on the road
A vehicle damaged past 75% doesn't just get a Yes on this form; it gets a salvage certificate. NDDOT's Dealer Handbook prints the brand as SALVAGE TITLE – VEHICLE INSPECTION REQUIRED PRIOR TO REGISTRATION, and says such a vehicle can't be driven or have a temporary or registration issued until it passes inspection. The Handbook tells dealers directly not to issue a temporary registration on a title branded SALVAGE. To retitle a rebuilt vehicle, NDCC 39-05-20.2 requires an inspection certificate (SFN 2486, Certificate of Motor Vehicle Inspection), the salvage certificate, and a $5 fee. The inspection must be done by a business registered with the Secretary of State, in good standing, that offers repair to the public, and it can't be the business that rebuilt the car. The new title reads PREVIOUSLY SALVAGED. That brand carries forward on every title after it, regardless of the vehicle's age. North Dakota won't accept out-of-state titles branded junk, dismantled, parts only, non-rebuildable, or similar.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Salvage certificate of title Issued after the title is surrendered within 10 days of the damage. | At the counter |
SFN 2486 inspection (salvage rebuilt/repaired) By an independent registered repair business, not the rebuilder. | You (dealer) |
PREVIOUSLY SALVAGED title $5 fee. The brand stays on every later title. | At the counter |
Common SFN 18609 mistakes that cause rejections
The form says that if Section 1 is Yes, Sections 2 and 3 must be completed. Answer both, even when the damage is small enough that both are No.
Both tests use the NADA retail value at the time the vehicle was damaged. On an older repair, today's lower value makes the damage look bigger than it was against the legal line.
The statute excludes glass damage, hail damage, modifications, normal wear and tear, and routine maintenance. A hail claim alone doesn't make Section 1 a Yes.
The form prints "Other - Must explain." Write the reason in the box beside it, for example that the title already carries a brand for this damage.
NDDOT's Dealer Handbook says white-out on documents will get your paperwork rejected. Start a clean form rather than fixing a mistake on the one you'll submit.
NDCC 39-05-17.2 says the department may not transfer the title without the required damage disclosure statement. On any vehicle in the age window (2019 and newer in 2026), attach it to the SFN 2872 every time, even when every answer is No.
Common questions
What is SFN 18609 in North Dakota?+
SFN 18609 is the North Dakota Department of Transportation's Damage/Salvage Disclosure Statement. The seller uses it to disclose whether a vehicle under nine model years old was damaged, whether the damage reached the greater of $10,000 or 25% of its pre-damage retail value, and whether it exceeded 75%. The seller signs it, gives it to the buyer, and it goes in with the SFN 2872 title application. The current revision is SFN 18609 (4-2026).
Which vehicles need a damage disclosure statement in North Dakota?+
Under NDCC 39-05-17.2, vehicles of the current model year and the seven model years before it. NDDOT's Registration Manual lists model year 2019 and newer for 2026, and the form says less than nine model years old. NDDOT's manual excludes trailers, off-highway vehicles, and snowmobiles. It also lists four transfers that don't need one: an out-of-state title brought in with no ownership change, a transfer where one existing owner stays on, a repossession to the lienholder, and a name change by marriage.
What makes a car "previously damaged" in North Dakota?+
Damage that equals or exceeds the greater of $10,000 or 25% of the vehicle's pre-damage retail value in the NADA official used car guide, measured as the retail value of all labor, parts, and materials used to repair it. Glass and hail damage, modifications, wear and tear, and routine maintenance don't count. When the disclosure shows damage at that level, the title is branded PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED.
When does a vehicle get a salvage title in North Dakota?+
When it's damaged in excess of 75% of its retail value in the NADA official used car guide, excluding glass and hail damage. Under NDCC 39-05-20.2 the owner must send the title to NDDOT within ten days and receives a salvage certificate of title. After the vehicle is rebuilt and passes an SFN 2486 inspection by an independent registered repair business, it can get a regular title branded PREVIOUSLY SALVAGED for a $5 fee.
Does the buyer have to sign SFN 18609?+
The page 1 header says the form must be given to and signed by the buyer. The page 2 instructions say the buyer only has to complete Section 5 when any answer on the form is Yes. When there is a Yes, the buyer's signature is your proof they received the disclosure. When everything is No, having the buyer sign anyway does no harm.
Can a North Dakota dealer issue a temporary permit on a salvage title?+
No. NDDOT's Dealer Handbook tells dealers not to issue a temporary registration to a vehicle with a title branded SALVAGE. The brand itself says the vehicle can't be driven or have a temporary, notary, or registration issued until it passes inspection. Get the SFN 2486 inspection and the PREVIOUSLY SALVAGED title first.
What's the penalty for a false damage disclosure in North Dakota?+
The form says any person who makes a false statement on it is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, and NDCC 39-05-17.2 makes violating the disclosure law a Class A misdemeanor too. In North Dakota that carries a maximum of 360 days in jail, a $3,000 fine, or both.
Is there software that fills out the SFN 18609 automatically?+
Yes. The North Dakota SFN 18609 is a fillable PDF, so dealer management software like DealerVLO can fill it for you: upload the blank form once, DealerVLO detects its fields and suggests a mapping you confirm, and from then on it fills from every deal you enter — the buyer, co-buyer, the vehicle you sold, and your dealership's details already in place. It's $29/month flat with a 14-day free trial, and the same deal also generates your federal documents (Bill of Sale, FTC Buyers Guide, odometer disclosure) and your state title paperwork.
Stop filling out the SFN 18609 by hand.
Upload the fillable ND SFN 18609 once. DealerVLO detects its fields, you confirm the mapping, and every deal after that prints it with the buyer, co-buyer, vehicle, and your dealership already in place. $29/month. 14-day free trial, cancel any time.
Curious how it works? See how DealerVLO auto-fills every dealer document — bill of sale, FTC Buyers Guide, odometer disclosure, and state title & registration forms for all 50 states, from one deal.
Bond amounts, fees, and form rules change. Get a short email when your state does. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.