When you sell or transfer the ownership of your vehicle in the State of Maryland you have to complete the odometer statement on the back of the vehicle’s Certificate of title in the Assignment of Ownership section. You have to record the odometer mileage for any vehicle model year 2011 or newer, self-propelled, and with a registered weight of 16,000 lbs. or less.
In the State of Maryland the following vehicles are exempt from odometer disclosure requirements: any vehicle model year 2010 or older, any vehicle over 16,000 pounds, any vehicle not self-propelled (trailer-type), low-speed vehicles (LSV), and scooters or mopeds.
Please understand that Federal and State law requires that you state the mileage in connection with the transfer of ownership. Failure to complete or providing a false statement may result in fines and/or imprisonment! Furthermore read all the instructions on the Certificate of title before you write on it. Be careful because any erasure or alteration will void the title!
Even though a separate official Odometer Disclosure Statement Form VR-197 is available in the State of Maryland usually this form is used by licensed dealers. However any individual can use the Form VR-197 to record a private transaction in addition to a copy of the assigned Certificate of title. By recording a vehicle transaction you can prevent future claims from the buyer. We also recommend that the seller or transferor to keep the copy of the assigned title (front and back) and of the odometer disclosure form for five years. View more details below.
Maryland Odometer Disclosure Statement Form
Below you can find the Maryland state-approved fillable PDF form for your optional use.
If you use the optional Maryland Odometer Disclosure Statement Form VR-197, this form is composed of four sections. Below you will understand how to complete this state-approved fillable PDF form:
Section 1
The first section includes seller’s full name and the certification of the current odometer reading. Complete the current odometer mileage by using only digits without tenths. However if the current odometer reading is in excess of the mechanical limits of the odometer or is not the actual mileage please check the corresponding box:
Section 2
The second section contains vehicle’s details. So here fill in first the Make, Model, Year, Body style/type and VIN Number:
Section 3:
In the third section complete first the seller’s signature. Following fill in the seller’s full printed name. Please write SELLER’S NAME using only Capital Letters. Next fill in here seller’s address, city, state, and ZIP code. Lastly complete seller’s date of statement:
Section 4:
In the last section complete first buyer’s signature. Next fill in the buyer’s full printed name. Please write BUYER’S NAME using only Capital Letters. Finally complete here buyer’s address, city, state, and ZIP code:
In the State of Maryland you may want to complete for your own record the Maryland Odometer Disclosure Statement Form – Form VR-197 (Rev. 06-17).
If you want to learn how to record the correct odometer reading you can find details here: Reading the Odometer – How to read an Odometer.
Tip: to complete the Maryland Odometer Disclosure Statement Form on your device (computer / phone / tablet) open this PDF form in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Also you may complete this form by hand. However please use a pen and not a pencil.
How to complete the Maryland Odometer Disclosure Statement
When you complete the Odometer Disclosure Statement in the Assignment of Ownership section of the vehicle’s Certificate of Title you have to complete the next required details.
As a seller or transferor first fill in the buyer(s) full name(s). Please write BUYER’S NAME using only Capital Letters. Next fill in the buyer’s address, city, county, state, and ZIP code.
Following the seller needs to certify and fill in the current odometer reading and use only digits without tenths. Only if it’s the case the seller may check if the mileage stated is in excess of the odometer’s mechanical limits or the Odometer reading is NOT the actual mileage (Odometer Discrepancy).
After that the sellers completes the selling price and the date of sale.
Next the seller signs and completes his or her printed full name. Please write SELLER’S NAME using only Capital Letters.
Finally the buyer signs and fills in his or her printed name. This means to use only Capital Letters to write BUYER’S NAME. Optionally if there are co-sellers and/or co-buyers they also need to sign and complete their printed names:
Odometer Fraud in Maryland
If you think you are a victim of odometer fraud please try first to resolve the problem with the seller. However if you cannot find a solution file a complaint here: Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration – Investigation and Internal Affairs.
Find more information about the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration
For more details please visit Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.
The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration provides excellent driver and vehicle services. Furthermore Maryland MVA promotes also mobility and safety.