Title a Used Car in Your Name Within 30 Days in Galveston County

A handshake and a stack of cash doesn't finish a private car sale in Texas. You have 30 days from the date written on the title to get the vehicle retitled in your own name, and if you blow past that window the late-transfer penalty only grows the longer you wait. Bring the signed-over title, a filled-in Application for Texas Title and Registration (Form 130-U) with the real sale price on it, proof of insurance, and your ID to the Galveston County tax office.

The main counter sits in the courthouse at 722 Moody Avenue in Galveston, but the annexes in League City, Texas City, and Santa Fe handle titles too, so pick whichever is the shorter drive. If you're the one selling, file the Vehicle Transfer Notification online that same week. It flags the state's record that the car is no longer yours, so the buyer's toll bills and parking tickets don't come chasing you while they drag their feet on the transfer.

Get the sale price right on the 130-U, because that number is what the motor vehicle sales tax is figured on, and a lowball that doesn't match the car's standard value invites the tax office to bill you on the higher figure instead.