Classic Car Dealers in Arkansas

In Arkansas the title comes from the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Motor Vehicle, through your local State Revenue Office, and sales tax is collected there when you title the car. You get 60 days to do it, and the paperwork includes a county tax assessment and proof of insurance. Arkansas also has a clear antique plate route for any car 30 years old or older.

Titling the car

A motor vehicle must be titled and registered within 60 calendar days of the sale. After that the state adds a penalty of $3.00 for each 10-day period, capped at one year's registration fee, plus 10% on any unpaid sales tax. The title fee is $10.00, and registration for a passenger car runs $17, $25 or $30 by weight, plus a $2.50 decal and $0.50 postage.

Buying from a private seller, you take the previous owner's title properly assigned to you, a bill of sale showing the full price, and an odometer statement (required when the vehicle is under 20 years old) to a State Revenue Office. You also need proof from the county assessor that the car is assessed for the current year, proof that personal property taxes due the previous October are paid, and proof of liability insurance. When the title is an out-of-state one, or an older Arkansas title, a separate bill of sale and odometer statement are required. If joint owners are listed with "and" on the paperwork, all of them must sign the application. The seller may file a Notice of Transfer of Ownership with the Office of Motor Vehicle to show the sale was completed.

A car from another state keeps its title process simple: surrender the out-of-state title and the other paperwork above. A VIN verification is required only when the out-of-state title carries a Salvage, Prior Salvage or similar brand; a city or county law enforcement officer, the Arkansas State Police or an Arkansas State Police designee performs it. New residents have 60 days after establishing residency to register.

Antique plates

• Age: Act 325 of 2025 lowered the age for historic and special interest vehicles from 45 to 30 years, and the DFA antique plate is open to any vehicle 30 years old or older that is essentially unaltered from original specifications.
• Fee: registration as a historic or special interest vehicle carries a $7.00 fee under state law.
• Application: an affidavit for antique motor vehicle registration plus proof of ownership showing year, make, model and VIN. A car assembled from parts needs bills of sale for the principal parts that give the motor or body serial number.
• Originality: era-correct changes and safety changes such as brakes, sealed beam headlights and seat belts are allowed. If the car is altered beyond that, the owner agrees to give up the plate, and a violation means the plate is seized and a $100 fine.
• Daily driver rule: the owner must also have at least one other registered vehicle used for regular transportation.
• Year-of-manufacture plates: an original Arkansas plate issued in the car's model year can be used instead, after the Office of Motor Vehicle inspects it, for a $10 handling fee on top of the regular registration fee.

Emissions and inspection

The DFA's registration and renewal requirements list no emissions test and no safety inspection, so a classic is not tested at titling or renewal, whatever its age. Renewal depends on a county assessment, personal property taxes paid and liability insurance.

Sales tax

• The state rate is 6.5% on vehicles priced at $4,000 or more, with local city and county tax added depending on where you live (7% state rate for Texarkana residents). Each local tax is capped at $25 per 1% of tax.
• Used vehicles get a reduced state rate: no state tax under $4,000, 3.5% from $4,000 to $9,999, and 6.5% from $10,000. The local tax is not reduced.
• Private sales are taxed too, on the price paid, when you title the car. A trade-in lowers the taxable amount, and selling a vehicle within a short window around the purchase can earn a similar credit if you have a signed bill of sale.
• Buying out of state, you owe Arkansas use tax at the same rate when you register. Do not count on a credit for tax paid to another state, because state law says no credit is allowed on a vehicle first registered in Arkansas.

Salvage and rebuilt titles

Arkansas brands a car Salvage when it is water damaged above the dashboard or the damage reaches 70% of its average retail value, and Rebuilt after it is repaired and an affidavit of reconstruction is filed. A brand from another state is carried forward onto the Arkansas title whatever the car's age, so an old classic with a prior salvage brand will show it. The Attorney General also notes that sellers must disclose prior damage.

Dealers, private sellers and no-title cars

Used motor vehicle dealers are licensed by the Arkansas State Police, and anyone who sells five or more used vehicles in a calendar year is presumed to be in the business. A person selling a personal vehicle titled in his or her own name is not a dealer. In an "as is" sale you accept the car with its defects and pay for repairs yourself, and a dealer must post the federal Buyer's Guide. The Arkansas lemon law covers new vehicles, so it does not help with a classic. A dealer may not hold back the title assignment until you finish paying, and a dealer who neglects to deliver a title to the buyer breaks the dealer licensing law. If a car has no title, Arkansas has a bonded title process through the Office of Motor Vehicle, and a car assembled from parts with only one bill of sale must use it.

Sources: Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Motor Vehicle (vehicle registration and title requirements, fee schedule, antique plate page and affidavit, Notice of Transfer, salvage rule 2007-8, sales and use tax information), Act 325 of 2025, the Arkansas Attorney General (car buying tips, lemon law guide), and the used motor vehicle dealer statute (Ark. Code 23-112-601 and following). Rules and fees change; confirm with your State Revenue Office before you buy.