2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 61. Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3. Certificates of Title, Registration, and Taxation of Motor Vehicles › Part 2. Certificates of Title › 61-3-217. Certificate of title -- duties -- examination of application -- records check -- incomplete application

61-3-217. Certificate of title -- duties -- examination of application -- records check -- incomplete application.
(1) (a) Upon receipt of an application for a certificate of title and any supporting documents, an authorized agent of the department or a county treasurer shall:
(i) review the application and documents;
(ii) complete the records check required in subsection (2); and
(iii) if an authorized agent of the department or the county treasurer is satisfied as to the genuineness and regularity of the application and satisfied that the applicant is entitled to the issuance of a certificate of title, enter the transfer of interest on the electronic record of title.
(b) If an authorized agent of the department or the county treasurer is not satisfied as to the genuineness and regularity of the application or is not satisfied that the applicant is entitled to the issuance of a certificate of title, the authorized agent or the county treasurer may not enter the transfer of interest on the electronic record of title.
(c) If an authorized agent of the department or the county treasurer enters the transfer of interest on the electronic record of title, an authorized agent or the county treasurer shall:
(i) issue a transaction summary receipt to the applicant and, if requested, to any secured party or lienholder with a perfected security interest; and
(ii) as prescribed by the department, forward to the department the application, the assigned certificate of title, and any other documents provided in support of the application.
(2) The department, its authorized agent, or a county treasurer who first receives an application for a certificate of title shall check the vehicle identification number shown on the application against:
(a) the records of motor vehicles, trailers, semitrailers, pole trailers, campers, motorboats, personal watercraft, sailboats, or snowmobiles maintained by the department under 61-3-101;
(b) the reported stolen motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, or snowmobile databases maintained on the state's criminal justice information network and by the national crime information center; and
(c) any other records or databases prescribed by the department.
(3) (a) Upon receipt of an application for a certificate of title and supporting documents that have been processed by an authorized agent of the department or a county treasurer, the department shall review the documents to determine if the application is complete. If the department determines that the application is incomplete, the department shall enter the incomplete status of the application on the electronic record of title for the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, or snowmobile and return to the applicant, by first-class mail, the application and all supporting documents. The department shall provide a statement with a specific description of the additional information or documents that must be supplied by the applicant to complete the application process.
(b) The department may not complete the application process, remove the incomplete status notation on the electronic record of title, or issue a certificate of title until the applicant returns the completed application, including any supporting additional information or documents, to the department.
History: En. Sec. 6, Ch. 477, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 57, Ch. 542, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 44, Ch. 596, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 53, Ch. 44, L. 2007.