How to Fill Out an Odometer Disclosure Statement

To fill out an odometer disclosure statement, write the vehicle’s current mileage in whole miles on the title (or on the specific form your state provides), check one of three boxes certifying whether that reading is accurate, and have both the seller and buyer print their names, sign, and date the document. The form is short. The details are what matter, because a wrong entry or the wrong certification box is a federal violation.

First, Confirm a Disclosure Is Required

Federal law requires the disclosure on most vehicle transfers, but several categories are exempt. You do not need to complete one for:

A vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating above 16,000 pounds.
A non-self-propelled vehicle, such as a trailer.
A model-year 2010 or earlier vehicle (these fall under a 10-year exemption window and are exempt for 2026 transfers).
A model-year 2011 or later vehicle that has aged out under the 20-year window. The first model year to qualify is 2011, which becomes exempt in 2031, so no vehicle from 2011 onward is exempt in 2026.
A vehicle sold directly by the manufacturer to a federal agency under contract.
A new vehicle transferred from a manufacturer to a dealer before its first retail sale.

The age cutoff shifted in 2020, and it catches people. A 2010 model is exempt now; a 2011 model, one year newer, will not be exempt until 2031. Check the model year before skipping the paperwork.¹

Where the Disclosure Actually Goes

Federal rules usually require the disclosure to be written directly on the vehicle’s title, not on a separate sheet. If the vehicle already has a title in the seller’s name, that is where the mileage goes.²

A standalone disclosure form is used only when the vehicle has never been titled, such as a brand-new car being sold for the first time. Some states also use reassignment documents when a titled vehicle passes through a dealer before reaching the final buyer, but a reassignment can only be used after the original seller has already made their disclosure on the title itself.

If your state uses electronic titles, the disclosure happens inside the state’s titling system, and the state must give both the buyer and seller a way to access or print the completed record.

Vehicle and Party Information

The top of the disclosure identifies the vehicle and the two parties. Enter the Vehicle Identification Number, make, model, year, and body type. Copy the VIN directly from the dashboard plate or the driver-side door jamb. A single transposed character can invalidate the disclosure.²

Both parties enter their full legal names, printed as well as signed, and their current mailing addresses. Use the name exactly as it appears on your identification. Nicknames and abbreviations create problems when the state processes the transfer. If the vehicle has multiple owners, list each one in the seller section.

Recording the Mileage

Read the odometer at the vehicle at the time of transfer. Record the number in whole miles only, dropping any tenths. An odometer showing 87,342.6 is entered as 87,342.²

Then check one of three certifications about that reading:

Actual mileage. The reading reflects the true distance the vehicle has traveled. This applies to most sales.
Exceeds mechanical limits. The odometer has rolled past its maximum, such as a five-digit odometer that read 99,999 and started over at zero. The number on the dash is correct but does not account for the full distance driven.
Not actual mileage. The reading is unreliable for some other reason: the odometer was replaced, malfunctioned, or you have reason to believe the number does not match reality. This certification puts the buyer on notice that there is a discrepancy.

Picking the wrong box is where the legal risk sits. If you know the odometer was replaced or tampered with and you check “actual mileage” anyway, that is a federal violation. When you are not sure, “not actual mileage” is the safer choice.³

If You Make a Mistake

Federal disclosure forms are printed on security paper that reveals alterations through erasure-sensitive inks, security lamination, and similar features. Do not cross out an entry or use correction fluid. In most cases you will need to request a new title or disclosure form from your state’s titling agency and start over. That is cheaper than the fallout from a form that looks tampered with.

Signing and Dating

Both seller and buyer sign and print their names. The date should be the day the transfer actually happens, not the day you agreed on the sale or the day you plan to register the vehicle. Undated or misdated disclosures can hold up the title transfer.

Electronic signatures are allowed if the state’s electronic titling system meets specific federal security standards, including identity authentication and audit logging.² Whether your state still requires ink signatures depends on whether it has adopted a qualifying electronic system. Check with your state motor vehicle agency.

Special Situations

The Odometer Was Repaired or Replaced

Federal law allows odometer service, repair, or replacement as long as the mileage reading stays the same afterward. When the original mileage cannot be preserved, two things must happen: the odometer must be set to zero, and the owner must attach a written notice to the left door frame stating the mileage before the repair and the date of the work.⁴ Removing or altering that door frame notice with intent to defraud is a separate federal offense.

When you sell a vehicle whose odometer was replaced, check “not actual mileage” on the disclosure unless the replacement was set to the vehicle’s true cumulative mileage. The door frame notice helps document the gap, but the disclosure form itself still has to flag it.

You Cannot Fill Out the Title Directly

Sometimes the seller cannot write the disclosure on the title, usually because a lienholder holds the physical title, the title is lost, or an electronic title is inaccessible. Federal rules then allow the seller to make the disclosure on a special power of attorney form.²

The form must be one issued by your state’s titling jurisdiction. A generic power of attorney does not work. It requires the same information as a standard disclosure, and it appoints the buyer as the seller’s attorney-in-fact for the sole purpose of transferring the mileage onto the new title. Both parties sign, and the buyer keeps a copy.

When the buyer applies for a new title, they must enter the mileage exactly as the seller disclosed it, without rounding or adjustment. If the mileage on the power of attorney is lower than what already appears on the existing title, the power of attorney is automatically void unless the seller certified “exceeds mechanical limits” or “not actual mileage.” The buyer submits the power of attorney to the state, which keeps it for at least three years.

After You Sign

The signed title or disclosure document goes to the state titling agency as part of the ownership transfer. The state updates the vehicle’s official record with the mileage you reported, which creates a paper trail that future buyers, law enforcement, and vehicle history services can use.

Keep a copy of whatever you signed. Dealers and distributors must retain copies of every odometer disclosure they issue or receive for five years, in a format that cannot be altered without detection.⁵ No federal regulation sets a retention period for private sellers, but five years is a reasonable target. If a dispute arises later about the mileage you reported, your copy of the signed disclosure is your primary defense. Auction companies face the same five-year requirement, and their records must be available for law enforcement inspection.

What Happens If You Get It Wrong

Federal law makes it illegal to tamper with an odometer, disconnect or reset one with intent to change the mileage, or operate a vehicle on public roads with a broken odometer for the purpose of deceiving a buyer.⁶ Conspiring with someone else to do any of those things is a standalone violation.

A person who knowingly and willfully violates the odometer disclosure rules, including making a false statement on the form, faces up to three years in federal prison and fines set under federal sentencing guidelines.⁷

A buyer who discovers the disclosure was false can sue the person who made it. Federal law provides damages that can significantly exceed the buyer’s actual loss, plus attorney’s fees and court costs.⁸ A dealer or reseller who accepts a disclosure they know is incomplete also violates federal law. You cannot knowingly look the other way.³

1
eCFR. 49 CFR 580.17 – Exemptions
2
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32705 – Disclosure Requirements on Transfer of Motor Vehicles
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32704 – Service, Repair, and Replacement
5
eCFR. 49 CFR 580.8 – Odometer Disclosure Statement Retention
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32703 – Preventing Tampering
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32709 – Penalties
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32710 – Civil Actions by Private Persons