Personal Property - Purchased, Sold, Moved

Purchasing, Selling and Moving Personal Property

When personal property, which includes aircraft, automobiles and trucks, boats, heavy equipment, low speed vehicles, mobile homes/RVs, motorcycles and trailers, is purchased, sold or moved, it must be reported to the Commissioner of the Revenue.

In most cases, this is an automatic process between the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Commissioner of the Revenue; however, it is the taxpayer’s responsibility to ensure that their personal property is registered with the Commissioner's office. For the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), the registered list is provided and reviewed annually. 

  1. Purchasing Personal Property

Purchasing Personal Property

The following must be done when purchasing personal property:

  • Title and register personal property, within 30 days of purchase, with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or, for boats, with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR). At that time, confirm your address and garaged/docked/used jurisdiction information is correct on your vehicle registration card.
  • Contact the Commissioner of the Revenue to register your vehicle for personal property tax purposes.
  • Prorating items (car, low speed vehicle, motor home, motorcycle or truck) purchased during the tax year will generate a tax bill.
  • Non-prorating items (aircraft, boat or trailer) purchased after Jan. 1 will not generate a tax bill.
  1. Selling Personal Property
  1. Moving Personal Property