Signing Over A Car
S.C. Code 56-19-360 — the seller assigns the title at delivery, and the sale is not complete between the two until the buyer applies
When an owner, manufacturer or dealer transfers an interest in a vehicle other than by creating a security interest, the transferor, at the time the vehicle is delivered, signs an assignment and warranty of title to the transferee in the space provided on the certificate, and has the certificate and assignment mailed or delivered to the transferee or to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The transferee, promptly after the vehicle is delivered, signs the application for a new certificate of title in the space provided on the certificate, and has the certificate and application mailed or delivered to the Department.
Not effective between the two until it is done. Apart from the exceptions in section 56-19-370, a transfer by an owner is not effective as between the parties until both of those steps have been taken.
On receiving a properly assigned certificate with the application, the required fee and any other documents the law requires, the Department issues a new certificate of title in the transferee's name as owner and mails it to the owner named in it.
Transfers to and from dealers, and transfers by operation of law such as an inheritance or a repossession, run under neighboring sections. A dispute over a sale is for a court and a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- S.C. Code 56-19-360 — Procedures for voluntary transfer; duties of transferor and transferee
- S.C. Code 56-19-380 — Procedures for voluntary transfer; issuance of new certificate
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed South Carolina attorney.