Buy a Car Private-Party in Orange County? Title It Within 30 Days

The Orange County Tax Assessor-Collector is TxDMV's local agent for title work. The office handles about 15,000 title transfers a year, plus about 74,000 vehicle registrations.

After a private sale, the buyer has 30 calendar days to title the vehicle. Miss that window and the penalty starts at $25, then adds $25 for each month the title stays late. Active-duty military get 30 extra days.

One porch-rule detail: do not pay for a private-sale vehicle unless the signed title is in hand. This tax office handles the vehicle title. Driver licenses and state IDs are DPS work.