Do you fit any of these criteria?
You received a bill of sale – but no title
You received no car title and no bill of sale
You received an improperly signed title and need a new one
Your car title was lost before you transferred it to your name
If that sounds familiar, there are a few ways you can go forward to replace a missing or lost car title. Not all of them work for every situation, and I’ll tell you right now, the easiest option by far is letting us do the hard work for you. But if you prefer to go it alone, there are four main ways to recover a lost title yourself.
Learn how Dirt Legal can get you a new title for cars, motorcycles, and almost anything with wheels.
Get a New Title Through the DMV
I can’t tell you how many times I sat at the DMV on my lunch hour in a plastic chair next to someone who clearly had the flu, only to return to work before my turn came up.
We all know about the infamous pit of despair known as the local DMV. What you might not know is that depending on where you live you could wait over an hour just to talk to an agent about getting a new title.
To replace a lost title through the DMV, you’ll have to start by filling out your state’s specific car title forms. That usually means downloading at least two forms, getting at least one of them notarized, and delivering them to your local DMV in person so you can pay the processing fees.
You’ll then wait several weeks while your lost title request is worked into the queue. That is, unless you live in a state that offers rush processing, like California – if so, you can get it done faster if you pay more. Funny how that works.
And if you forget to fill out a single line of those forms, or if you made a mistake anywhere at all, you don’t get your money back, and the DMV might not even notify you that your title replacement request has failed. Also, if the DMV finds anything fishy during their search – a history of title washing, jumped titles, previous new title filings, and especially reports of theft – they will halt the process and could even deny you a replacement car title.
In short, using the DMV to replace a car title isn’t a fun time.
Get a Bonded Car Title
This method of getting a replacement title also requires visiting your local DMV, except this time you’re seeking approval to purchase a Lost Title Bond. You would then buy such a bond from an independent surety bond provider, turning the existing car title into a Bonded Title.
A Bonded Title is a new title which has a Bond held against it – a form of “bought and paid for” insurance protecting the DMV and any former owners of the car against wrongdoing. With a bonded title, you’ll be able to obtain a clear title within 3 to 5 years providing none of the previous owners contest the bond. You retain ownership of the car during that time.
Sounds complicated? It is. But there’s an even more laborious path you could take.
Check your local laws. Not all states allow bonds against a lost title, and those that do won’t approve them in all situations. The DMV is a business like any other – if they can find a reason to save time, money, and hassle, they’ll do it.
Find the Last Titled Owner of the Car
If the person who sold you the car didn’t have a title, maybe the person before them did.
Try looking around the vehicle for any signs of the last owner whose name appeared on the car title. Business cards, receipts, fuel ledgers, and even personal items might be clues to the identity of the previous owner.
If you manage to find that person, you could proceed with getting a replacement car title. Maybe they have found the original title in the meantime and can sign it over to you. Either way, this is a laborious process.
Sounds crazy? It kind of is. Knocking on a stranger’s door can be dangerous. It could also result in legal action by the last legal owner of the lost title. If you’re going to play private investigator, do plenty of research to make sure you’re not breaking any laws in the process.
Sometimes it Works, Though…
A friend once tracked down the last owner of a unique project car by finding a receipt in the car from a mechanic’s shop. They called every shop in the country that had that name, eventually found the right one, and asked for the name of the last owner. They then found that person on Facebook, sent a message, convinced him they weren’t a weirdo or stalker… and it all went well from there. It took 2 months and a whole lot of luck, and it only worked because the car was extremely unique, but it did work.
I also used this approach to try and replace a motorcycle title once – I bought a motorcycle with no title locally, and because of its unique paint and modifications I was able to track down a previous owner simply by asking around town. I got his address from someone who knew him and I drove over there, straight into a neighborhood where I definitely didn’t want to go knocking on any doors. When I arrived at the house there was stuff strewn all over the yard, cut up cars and motorcycles everywhere, and people outside who could easily tell I was out of my element. I never got out of the car.
In short, tracking down the previous owner manually could work but it’s not the best idea.
Buy a New Title with Dirt Legal
We can recover a lost title for cars, motorcycles, and almost anything with wheels. Follow those links to learn more.
The fact is, trying to replace a lost car title yourself is a costly and time-consuming endeavor. There’s really no sense in going through all that when there’s a company that will do the work for you.
Our first step is making sure your car isn’t stolen and there are no loans against it, so you know you’re safe and your car is legit.
When it comes to filing DMV paperwork, mistakes cost money. The professionals at Dirt Legal will do the paperwork right the first time.
We have a pipeline straight to the fastest and smoothest DMVs in the country, so you’ll have your new title in no time.
Stick to what you do best and let Dirt Legal do the same – getting your car title replaced without all the headaches.
Contact us anytime with questions or for a no-obligation quote.
See our Services to learn what we can do for you.
We are not attorneys. This article is not legal advice.
As many as 1 in 325 cars in the US may have a fraudulent title that has been washed.