South Carolina Car Dealer Forms
These are the SCDMV forms a licensed dealer needs to buy, sell, and title vehicles in South Carolina. From the South Carolina title and registration application to the bill of sale, odometer disclosure, title reassignment, and temporary tag paperwork, each links to the official source where available. Download the current version straight from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV), Dealer License & Audit Unit or the federal agency, never a copy that's gone stale.
Which South Carolina form goes with which deal
A form list on its own does not tell you what to grab on a Saturday afternoon. Here is the same set arranged by the deal in front of you.
- Retail sale to a customer in state
- SCDMV Form 400, Application for Certificate of Title and Registration, SCDMV Form 5047, Secured Power of Attorney & Odometer Disclosure, the FTC Buyers Guide, and a bill of sale. This is the stack behind almost every deal jacket you build.
- Retail sale to an out-of-state buyer
- Same paperwork, but the buyer titles in their home state, so the South Carolina title has to be assigned cleanly and the odometer reading has to match on every document. A correction later means a duplicate title and a delayed deal.
- Wholesale to another licensed dealer
- No Buyers Guide is required on a dealer-to-dealer sale, but the title assignment and odometer disclosure still are. Keep the invoice with the jacket, it is what proves the unit left your inventory.
- Taking a trade-in
- You need the customer's signed title assignment and odometer disclosure, plus a lien payoff quote in writing if the trade is financed. Take the trade in your books at actual cash value, not at the number you allowed on the deal.
- Title is not in hand at signing
- SCDMV Form 5047, Secured Power of Attorney & Odometer Disclosure covers the assignment and mileage disclosure until the title arrives. Track the promise: an unresolved title is the single most common reason a deal unwinds.
- Customer pays more than $10,000 in cash
- IRS Form 8300 is federal and applies in South Carolina like everywhere else. It covers cash and cash equivalents in one transaction or in related transactions, and it is due within 15 days.
South Carolina state forms
| Form | What it's for | When |
|---|---|---|
| SCDMV Form 400, Application for Certificate of Title and Registration ↗ | Titles and registers each vehicle at sale and collects the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee. | Every deal |
| SCDMV Form 5047, Secured Power of Attorney & Odometer Disclosure ↗ | Combined odometer disclosure and secured POA when the title is held by a lienholder. | As needed |
| Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF, via Form 400) | South Carolina charges 5% of purchase price capped at $500 in lieu of sales tax on titled vehicles, collected at titling. | Every deal |
Federal forms (every state)
| Form | What it's for | When |
|---|---|---|
| Odometer Disclosure (federal, on title) | Federally required mileage disclosure at transfer, completed on the title assignment or Form 5047. | Every deal |
| Buyers Guide (FTC) ↗ | As-is vs. warranty window sticker required on every used vehicle offered for sale. | Every deal |
| IRS Form 8300 ↗ | Report cash payments over $10,000 in a single transaction. | As needed |
Temporary tags and dealer plates in South Carolina
SCDMV issues traceable temporary license plates at the point of sale through Electronic Vehicle Registration (EVR): one plate per purchaser, valid 45 days for both in-state and out-of-state buyers (the old 30-day out-of-state temp plate ended Jan 18, 2024). Issuing a second temp plate to the same buyer is a violation.
Where South Carolina dealer forms come from
In South Carolina the agency really is the DMV, so South Carolina DMV forms and SCDMV forms mean the same thing. Everything below comes from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV), Dealer License & Audit Unit.
Paperwork mistakes that cost dealers money
None of these are exotic. They are the four that turn up again and again in audits and in unwound deals.
- Assuming an older car is odometer exempt. The federal rule changed for model year 2011 and newer: those vehicles carry a 20 year disclosure window, not 10. Dealers who learned the old rule skip disclosures they still owe.
- A Buyers Guide that is not on the car. The Used Car Rule wants it displayed on the vehicle while it is offered for sale, not produced at signing. It also has to match what you actually agreed to sell, and the copy the buyer takes home governs over the contract if the two disagree.
- A title assigned in the wrong hand. Reassignments are limited, the signature has to match the name printed on the title, and a correction fluid fix voids it. That is a duplicate title application and weeks of delay.
- Paperwork that lives in a drawer. A form you filed but cannot find is a form you did not file, as far as an auditor is concerned. Store documents against the VIN, not in a filing cabinet by month.
South Carolina dealer forms FAQ
What forms do car dealers need in South Carolina?+
South Carolina dealers use SCDMV Form 400, Application for Certificate of Title and Registration, SCDMV Form 5047, Secured Power of Attorney & Odometer Disclosure, Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF, via Form 400), plus federal forms every dealer needs like the FTC Buyers Guide and the odometer disclosure. Each is listed below with its purpose and official link.
Where do I get official South Carolina dealer forms?+
Download current forms directly from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV), Dealer License & Audit Unit. Third-party copies go out of date, always pull the latest version from the official source linked on this page.
Is it the South Carolina DMV that handles dealer forms?+
Yes. In South Carolina the agency is the SCDMV, so "South Carolina DMV forms" and "SCDMV forms" mean the same thing. The links on this page all point there.
Do I need an FTC Buyers Guide on every used car in South Carolina?+
Yes. The federal Used Car Rule requires an as-is/warranty Buyers Guide displayed on every used vehicle offered for sale, in South Carolina and every other state.
Does an old car still need an odometer disclosure?+
Usually, yes. The federal exemption changed for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, which now require disclosure for 20 model years instead of 10. A 2011 model still needs a disclosure through 2031, so treat "it's an old car" as a reason to check, not to skip.
How long should I keep South Carolina deal paperwork?+
Keep the complete deal jacket, not just the forms you filed. State record-retention rules run for years and an audit or a customer dispute can land long after the sale. Loturn stores every document against the VIN so the jacket rebuilds itself.
Let the paperwork build itself
Loturn fills and stores your deal documents against each vehicle and customer, a complete, audit-ready deal jacket without the filing cabinet.
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