2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 45 | Motor Vehicles-Aeronautics-Watercraft › Chapter 4505 | Certificate of Motor Vehicle Title Law › Section 4505.06 | Application for Certificate of Title.

Effective:
October 3, 2023
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly
(A)(1) Application for a certificate of title shall be made in a form prescribed by the registrar of motor vehicles and shall be sworn to before a notary public or other officer empowered to administer oaths. The application shall be filed with the clerk of any court of common pleas. An application for a certificate of title may be filed electronically by any electronic means approved by the registrar in any county with the clerk of the court of common pleas of that county. Any payments required by this chapter shall be considered as accompanying any electronically transmitted application when payment actually is received by the clerk. Payment of any fee or taxes may be made by electronic transfer of funds.
(2) The application for a certificate of title shall be accompanied by the fee prescribed in section 4505.09 of the Revised Code. The fee shall be retained by the clerk who issues the certificate of title and shall be distributed in accordance with that section. If a clerk of a court of common pleas, other than the clerk of the court of common pleas of an applicant's county of residence, issues a certificate of title to the applicant, the clerk shall transmit data related to the transaction to the automated title processing system.
(3) If a certificate of title previously has been issued for a motor vehicle in this state, the application for a certificate of title also shall be accompanied by that certificate of title duly assigned, unless otherwise provided in this chapter. If a certificate of title previously has not been issued for the motor vehicle in this state, the application, unless otherwise provided in this chapter, shall be accompanied by a manufacturer's or importer's certificate or by a certificate of title of another state from which the motor vehicle was brought into this state. If the application refers to a motor vehicle last previously registered in another state, the application also shall be accompanied by the physical inspection certificate required by section 4505.061 of the Revised Code. If the application is made by two persons regarding a motor vehicle in which they wish to establish joint ownership with right of survivorship, they may do so as provided in section 2131.12 of the Revised Code. If the applicant requests a designation of the motor vehicle in beneficiary form so that upon the death of the owner of the motor vehicle, ownership of the motor vehicle will pass to a designated transfer-on-death beneficiary or beneficiaries, the applicant may do so as provided in section 2131.13 of the Revised Code. A person who establishes ownership of a motor vehicle that is transferable on death in accordance with section 2131.13 of the Revised Code may terminate that type of ownership or change the designation of the transfer-on-death beneficiary or beneficiaries by applying for a certificate of title pursuant to this section. The clerk shall retain the evidence of title presented by the applicant and on which the certificate of title is issued, except that, if an application for a certificate of title is filed electronically by an electronic motor vehicle dealer on behalf of the purchaser of a motor vehicle, the clerk shall retain the completed electronic record to which the dealer converted the certificate of title application and other required documents. The registrar, after consultation with the attorney general, shall adopt rules that govern the location at which, and the manner in which, are stored the actual application and all other documents relating to the transfer of a motor vehicle when an electronic motor vehicle dealer files the application for a certificate of title electronically on behalf of the purchaser. Not later than December 31, 2017, the registrar shall arrange for a service that enables all electronic motor vehicle dealers to file applications for certificates of title on behalf of purchasers of motor vehicles electronically by transferring the applications directly from the computer systems of the dealers to the clerk.
The clerk shall use reasonable diligence in ascertaining whether or not the facts in the application for a certificate of title are true by checking the application and documents accompanying it or the electronic record to which a dealer converted the application and accompanying documents with the records of motor vehicles in the clerk's office. If the clerk is satisfied that the applicant is the owner of the motor vehicle and that the application is in the proper form, the clerk, within five business days after the application is filed and except as provided in section 4505.021 of the Revised Code, shall issue a physical certificate of title over the clerk's signature and sealed with the clerk's seal, unless the applicant specifically requests the clerk not to issue a physical certificate of title and instead to issue an electronic certificate of title. For purposes of the transfer of a certificate of title, if the clerk is satisfied that the secured party has duly discharged a lien notation but has not canceled the lien notation with a clerk, the clerk may cancel the lien notation on the automated title processing system and notify the clerk of the county of origin.
(4) In the case of the sale of a motor vehicle to a general buyer or user by a dealer, by a motor vehicle leasing dealer selling the motor vehicle to the lessee or, in a case in which the leasing dealer subleased the motor vehicle, the sublessee, at the end of the lease agreement or sublease agreement, or by a manufactured housing broker, the certificate of title shall be obtained in the name of the buyer by the dealer, leasing dealer, or manufactured housing broker, as the case may be, upon application signed by the buyer. The certificate of title shall be issued, or the process of entering the certificate of title application information into the automated title processing system if a physical certificate of title is not to be issued shall be completed, within five business days after the application for title is filed with the clerk. If the buyer of the motor vehicle previously leased the motor vehicle and is buying the motor vehicle at the end of the lease pursuant to that lease, the certificate of title shall be obtained in the name of the buyer by the motor vehicle leasing dealer who previously leased the motor vehicle to the buyer or by the motor vehicle leasing dealer who subleased the motor vehicle to the buyer under a sublease agreement.
In all other cases, except as provided in section 4505.032 and division (D)(2) of section 4505.11 of the Revised Code, such certificates shall be obtained by the buyer.
(5)(a)(i) If the certificate of title is being obtained in the name of the buyer by a motor vehicle dealer or motor vehicle leasing dealer and there is a security interest to be noted on the certificate of title, the dealer or leasing dealer shall submit the application for the certificate of title and payment of the applicable tax to a clerk within seven business days after the later of the delivery of the motor vehicle to the buyer or the date the dealer or leasing dealer obtains the manufacturer's or importer's certificate, or certificate of title issued in the name of the dealer or leasing dealer, for the motor vehicle. Submission of the application for the certificate of title and payment of the applicable tax within the required seven business days may be indicated by postmark or receipt by a clerk within that period.
(ii) Upon receipt of the certificate of title with the security interest noted on its face, the dealer or leasing dealer shall forward the certificate of title to the secured party at the location noted in the financing documents or otherwise specified by the secured party.
(iii) A motor vehicle dealer or motor vehicle leasing dealer is liable to a secured party for a late fee of ten dollars per day for each certificate of title application and payment of the applicable tax that is submitted to a clerk more than seven business days but less than twenty-one days after the later of the delivery of the motor vehicle to the buyer or the date the dealer or leasing dealer obtains the manufacturer's or importer's certificate, or certificate of title issued in the name of the dealer or leasing dealer, for the motor vehicle and, from then on, twenty-five dollars per day until the application and applicable tax are submitted to a clerk.
(b) In all cases of transfer of a motor vehicle except the transfer of a manufactured home or mobile home, the application for certificate of title shall be filed within thirty days after the assignment or delivery of the motor vehicle.
(c) An application for a certificate of title for a new manufactured home shall be filed within thirty days after the delivery of the new manufactured home to the purchaser. The date of the delivery shall be the date on which an occupancy permit for the manufactured home is delivered to the purchaser of the home by the appropriate legal authority.
(d) An application for a certificate of title for a used manufactured home or a used mobile home shall be filed as follows:
(i) If a certificate of title for the used manufactured home or used mobile home was issued to the motor vehicle dealer prior to the sale of the manufactured or mobile home to the purchaser, the application for certificate of title shall be filed within thirty days after the date on which an occupancy permit for the manufactured or mobile home is delivered to the purchaser by the appropriate legal authority.
(ii) If the motor vehicle dealer has been designated by a secured party to display the manufactured or mobile home for sale, or to sell the manufactured or mobile home under section 4505.20 of the Revised Code, but the certificate of title has not been transferred by the secured party to the motor vehicle dealer, and the dealer has complied with the requirements of division (A) of section 4505.181 of the Revised Code, the application for certificate of title shall be filed within thirty days after the date on which the motor vehicle dealer obtains the certificate of title for the home from the secured party or the date on which an occupancy permit for the manufactured or mobile home is delivered to the purchaser by the appropriate legal authority, whichever occurs later.
(6) If an application for a certificate of title is not filed within the period specified in division (A)(5)(b), (c), or (d) of this section, the clerk shall collect a fee of five dollars for the issuance of the certificate, except that no such fee shall be required from a motor vehicle salvage dealer, as defined in division (A) of section 4738.01 of the Revised Code, who immediately surrenders the certificate of title for cancellation. The fee shall be in addition to all other fees established by this chapter, and shall be retained by the clerk. The registrar shall provide, on the certificate of title form prescribed by section 4505.07 of the Revised Code, language necessary to give evidence of the date on which the assignment or delivery of the motor vehicle was made.
(7) As used in division (A) of this section, "lease agreement," "lessee," and "sublease agreement" have the same meanings as in section 4505.04 of the Revised Code and "new manufactured home," "used manufactured home," and "used mobile home" have the same meanings as in section 5739.0210 of the Revised Code.
(B)(1) The clerk, except as provided in this section, shall refuse to accept for filing any application for a certificate of title and shall refuse to issue a certificate of title unless the dealer or the applicant, in cases in which the certificate shall be obtained by the buyer, submits with the application payment of the tax levied by or pursuant to Chapters 5739. and 5741. of the Revised Code based on the purchaser's county of residence. Upon payment of the tax in accordance with division (E) of this section, the clerk shall issue a receipt prescribed by the registrar and agreed upon by the tax commissioner showing payment of the tax or a receipt issued by the commissioner showing the payment of the tax. When submitting payment of the tax to the clerk, a dealer shall retain any discount to which the dealer is entitled under section 5739.12 of the Revised Code.
(2) For receiving and disbursing such taxes paid to the clerk by a resident of the clerk's county, the clerk may retain a poundage fee of one and one one-hundredth per cent, and the clerk shall pay the poundage fee into the certificate of title administration fund created by section 325.33 of the Revised Code. The clerk shall not retain a poundage fee from payments of taxes by persons who do not reside in the clerk's county.
A clerk, however, may retain from the taxes paid to the clerk an amount equal to the poundage fees associated with certificates of title issued by other clerks of courts of common pleas to applicants who reside in the first clerk's county. The registrar, in consultation with the tax commissioner and the clerks of the courts of common pleas, shall develop a report from the automated title processing system that informs each clerk of the amount of the poundage fees that the clerk is permitted to retain from those taxes because of certificates of title issued by the clerks of other counties to applicants who reside in the first clerk's county.
(3) In the case of casual sales of motor vehicles, as defined in section 4517.01 of the Revised Code, the price for the purpose of determining the tax shall be the purchase price on the assigned certificate of title, or assignment form prescribed by the registrar, executed by the seller and filed with the clerk by the buyer on a form to be prescribed by the registrar, which shall be prima-facie evidence of the amount for the determination of the tax.
(4) Each county clerk shall forward to the registrar of motor vehicles all sales and use tax collections resulting from sales of motor vehicles, off-highway motorcycles, and all-purpose vehicles during a calendar week on or before the Friday following the close of that week. If, on any Friday, the offices of the clerk of courts or the state are not open for business, the tax shall be forwarded to the registrar on or before the next day on which the offices are open. Every remittance of tax under division (B)(4) of this section shall be accompanied by a remittance report in such form as the tax commissioner prescribes. Upon receipt of a tax remittance and remittance report, the registrar shall date stamp the report and forward it to the tax commissioner. If the tax due for any week is not remitted by a clerk of courts as required under division (B)(4) of this section, the commissioner may require the clerk to forfeit the poundage fees for the sales made during that week. The registrar may require the clerks of courts to transmit tax collections and remittance reports electronically.
(C)(1) If the transferor indicates on the certificate of title that the odometer reflects mileage in excess of the designed mechanical limit of the odometer, the clerk shall enter the phrase "exceeds mechanical limits" following the mileage designation. If the transferor indicates on the certificate of title that the odometer reading is not the actual mileage, the clerk shall enter the phrase "nonactual: warning - odometer discrepancy" following the mileage designation. The clerk shall use reasonable care in transferring the information supplied by the transferor, but is not liable for any errors or omissions of the clerk or those of the clerk's deputies in the performance of the clerk's duties created by this chapter.
The registrar shall prescribe an affidavit in which the transferor shall swear to the true selling price and, except as provided in this division, the true odometer reading of the motor vehicle. The registrar may prescribe an affidavit in which the seller and buyer provide information pertaining to the odometer reading of the motor vehicle in addition to that required by this section, as such information may be required by the United States secretary of transportation by rule prescribed under authority of subchapter IV of the "Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act," 86 Stat. 961 (1972), 15 U.S.C. 1981.
(2) Division (C)(1) of this section does not require the giving of information concerning the odometer and odometer reading of a motor vehicle when ownership of a motor vehicle is being transferred as a result of a bequest, under the laws of intestate succession, to a survivor pursuant to section 2106.18, 2131.12, or 4505.10 of the Revised Code, to a transfer-on-death beneficiary or beneficiaries pursuant to section 2131.13 of the Revised Code, in connection with the creation of a security interest or for a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than sixteen thousand pounds.
(D) When the transfer to the applicant was made in some other state or in interstate commerce, the clerk, except as provided in this section, shall refuse to issue any certificate of title unless the tax imposed by or pursuant to Chapter 5741. of the Revised Code based on the purchaser's county of residence has been paid as evidenced by a receipt issued by the tax commissioner, or unless the applicant submits with the application payment of the tax. Upon payment of the tax in accordance with division (E) of this section, the clerk shall issue a receipt prescribed by the registrar and agreed upon by the tax commissioner, showing payment of the tax.
For receiving and disbursing such taxes paid to the clerk by a resident of the clerk's county, the clerk may retain a poundage fee of one and one one-hundredth per cent. The clerk shall not retain a poundage fee from payments of taxes by persons who do not reside in the clerk's county.
A clerk, however, may retain from the taxes paid to the clerk an amount equal to the poundage fees associated with certificates of title issued by other clerks of courts of common pleas to applicants who reside in the first clerk's county. The registrar, in consultation with the tax commissioner and the clerks of the courts of common pleas, shall develop a report from the automated title processing system that informs each clerk of the amount of the poundage fees that the clerk is permitted to retain from those taxes because of certificates of title issued by the clerks of other counties to applicants who reside in the first clerk's county.
When the vendor is not regularly engaged in the business of selling motor vehicles, the vendor shall not be required to purchase a vendor's license or make reports concerning those sales.
(E) The clerk shall accept any payment of a tax in cash, or by cashier's check, certified check, draft, money order, or teller check issued by any insured financial institution payable to the clerk and submitted with an application for a certificate of title under division (B) or (D) of this section. The clerk also may accept payment of the tax by corporate, business, or personal check, credit card, electronic transfer or wire transfer, debit card, or any other accepted form of payment made payable to the clerk. The clerk may require bonds, guarantees, or letters of credit to ensure the collection of corporate, business, or personal checks. Any service fee charged by a third party to a clerk for the use of any form of payment may be paid by the clerk from the certificate of title administration fund created in section 325.33 of the Revised Code, or may be assessed by the clerk upon the applicant as an additional fee. Upon collection, the additional fees shall be paid by the clerk into that certificate of title administration fund.
The clerk shall make a good faith effort to collect any payment of taxes due but not made because the payment was returned or dishonored, but the clerk is not personally liable for the payment of uncollected taxes or uncollected fees. The clerk shall notify the tax commissioner of any such payment of taxes that is due but not made and shall furnish the information to the commissioner that the commissioner requires. The clerk shall deduct the amount of taxes due but not paid from the clerk's periodic remittance of tax payments, in accordance with procedures agreed upon by the tax commissioner. The commissioner may collect taxes due by assessment in the manner provided in section 5739.13 of the Revised Code.
Any person who presents payment that is returned or dishonored for any reason is liable to the clerk for payment of a penalty over and above the amount of the taxes due. The clerk shall determine the amount of the penalty, and the penalty shall be no greater than that amount necessary to compensate the clerk for banking charges, legal fees, or other expenses incurred by the clerk in collecting the returned or dishonored payment. The remedies and procedures provided in this section are in addition to any other available civil or criminal remedies. Subsequently collected penalties, poundage fees, and title fees, less any title fee due the state, from returned or dishonored payments collected by the clerk shall be paid into the certificate of title administration fund. Subsequently collected taxes, less poundage fees, shall be sent by the clerk to the registrar of motor vehicles at the next scheduled periodic remittance of tax payments, with information as the commissioner may require. The clerk may abate all or any part of any penalty assessed under this division.
(F) In the following cases, the clerk shall accept for filing an application and shall issue a certificate of title without requiring payment or evidence of payment of the tax:
(1) When the purchaser is this state or any of its political subdivisions, a church, or an organization whose purchases are exempted by section 5739.02 of the Revised Code;
(2) When the transaction in this state is not a retail sale as defined by section 5739.01 of the Revised Code;
(3) When the purchase is outside this state or in interstate commerce and the purpose of the purchaser is not to use, store, or consume within the meaning of section 5741.01 of the Revised Code;
(4) When the purchaser is the federal government;
(5) When the motor vehicle was purchased outside this state for use outside this state;
(6) When the motor vehicle is purchased by a nonresident under the circumstances described in division (B)(1) of section 5739.029 of the Revised Code, and upon presentation of a copy of the statement provided by that section, and a copy of the exemption certificate provided by section 5739.03 of the Revised Code.
(G) An application, as prescribed by the registrar and agreed to by the tax commissioner, shall be filled out and sworn to by the buyer of a motor vehicle in a casual sale. The application shall contain the following notice in bold lettering: "WARNING TO TRANSFEROR AND TRANSFEREE (SELLER AND BUYER): You are required by law to state the true selling price. A false statement is in violation of section 2921.13 of the Revised Code and is punishable by six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to one thousand dollars, or both. All transfers are audited by the department of taxation. The seller and buyer must provide any information requested by the department of taxation. The buyer may be assessed any additional tax found to be due."
(H) For sales of manufactured homes or mobile homes occurring on or after January 1, 2000, the clerk shall accept for filing, pursuant to Chapter 5739. of the Revised Code, an application for a certificate of title for a manufactured home or mobile home without requiring payment of any tax pursuant to section 5739.02, 5741.021, 5741.022, or 5741.023 of the Revised Code, or a receipt issued by the tax commissioner showing payment of the tax. For sales of manufactured homes or mobile homes occurring on or after January 1, 2000, the applicant shall pay to the clerk an additional fee of five dollars for each certificate of title issued by the clerk for a manufactured or mobile home pursuant to division (H) of section 4505.11 of the Revised Code and for each certificate of title issued upon transfer of ownership of the home. The clerk shall credit the fee to the county certificate of title administration fund, and the fee shall be used to pay the expenses of archiving those certificates pursuant to division (A) of section 4505.08 and division (H)(3) of section 4505.11 of the Revised Code. The tax commissioner shall administer any tax on a manufactured or mobile home pursuant to Chapters 5739. and 5741. of the Revised Code.
(I) Every clerk shall have the capability to transact by electronic means all procedures and transactions relating to the issuance of motor vehicle certificates of title that are described in the Revised Code as being accomplished by electronic means.
Last updated September 6, 2023 at 2:47 PM