Motor Vehicle Information

What is titled?

All types of vehicles, driven or moved on the Ohio highways including manufactured homes, recreation vehicles, trailers weighing over 4,000 pounds and motorcycles are titled in Ohio. In addition, all off-highway motorcycles and all-purpose vehicles are titled.

Title Types & Fees

Original Title – $15.00*

Title issued to a new owner for the very first time and most commonly issued upon transfer of ownership.

Salvage Title – $4.00**

A salvage title is issued when a vehicle is wrecked and/or rendered a total loss in an insurance claim. Law enforcement also brands vehicles when taking title to abandoned vehicles. Salvage vehicles are not considered road worthy and cannot be driven on public roadways until they are inspected by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Replacement Title – $15.00*

A replacement title is issued when the current title needs to be updated, is in electronic format, or if the title is defaced. No transfer of ownership occurs.

Duplicate Title – $15.00*

A duplicate title is issued when the current title has been lost, stolen, or destroyed. No transfer of ownership occurs.

Ohio Residents Purchasing a Vehicle:

From an Ohio dealer – the dealership will provide a title to you

From another Ohio resident – bring properly assigned Ohio title with proper ID to the title office.

From an out-of-state resident – bring a properly assigned out of state title, Out of State Inspection, and proper ID to the title office.

From an out of state dealership – bring the manufacturer’s statement of origin for a new vehicle; or a properly assigned title and an “out of state inspection” for used vehicles to the title office along with a detailed bill of sale and proper ID.

*ORC 4505.09(A)
**ORC 4505.11(C) (1)

Power of Attorney

A power of attorney is a legal document giving specific authority to another person to act as an agent for the person giving this authority.

Limited Power of Attorney—providing a specific person with a specific duty such as at the purchase or sale of a motor vehicle. To be used for one specific transaction. The original will be kept by the title office.

General Power of Attorney—General power of attorney may also be used to transfer an Ohio title. Specifies a certain person who can sign. Clerk of Courts office will accept a certified true and exact copy of this power of attorney that is made, signed and sealed by a notary public.

Notarizing a Title

When selling a vehicle or watercraft, the seller must sign and print their name as it appears on the face of the title. Both the buyer and seller’s names must be signed in front of a Notary Public or a Clerk of Courts of Common Pleas Court or their deputies.

The following needs to be completed on a title in front of the notary, Clerk of Courts or their deputies:

Selling price
Odometer reading
Name and address of purchaser(s)
The signature and printed name of all sellers

A Guidebook for Notarizing Ohio Title Documents

Minor Consent

Transfers To and From a Minor

Any person under the age of 18 is considered a minor in the State of Ohio. In order for a minor to sell or purchase a vehicle or watercraft in Ohio, their parent or legal guardian must sign a Minor Consent Form. The parent or guardian will be asked to produce picture/signature type identification.

The minor’s date of birth will appear on the face to the title.

A married minor is considered emancipated. Proof of the marriage must be provided to avoid having a parent sign for the minor.

Other Motor Vehicles

Off Highway Motorcycles (OHM) and All-Purpose Vehicle (APV) Titling Requirements

A certificate of title must be obtained for an OHM or APV before an owner can register the vehicle for the first time or renew registration to a vehicle not already titled.

Dealerships are required to provide titles to all OHM and APV’s purchased through their dealership within 30 days of the date of purchase. Dealers must also title all used vehicles in their dealership’s name before selling them.

To title an OHM or APV, the title office will need the following documentation:

Vehicle Identification Inspection—unless you have a manufacturer’s statement of origin or an Ohio Title
Proof of Ownership—either a manufacturer’s statement of origin; Title from another state that is in your name or assigned to you; Ohio certificate of title that is assigned to you; a registration and a notarized bill of sale from a state that does not title them.
Bill of Sale, if purchased from an out of state dealer
Identification, showing both a picture and signature
Sales Tax will be collected for all APV’s and OHM’s purchased after 07/01/1999
Liens—if there is a lien the title office will need evidence of a secured interest acknowledged by all owners.

Manufactured Homes

Require an Ohio title and you must have the Auditor’s and Treasurer’s stamps showing taxes are current placed on the front of the title prior to transfer.

Travel Trailers

Require an Ohio Title (including tent and fold-down campers). See Ohio Residents purchasing a Vehicle.

Golf Carts, Under Speed Vehicles, Utility Vehicles, Mini Trucks

Golf carts, under-speed, utility, and mini truck vehicles are not required to be titled but can be titled if the owner wants it titled.

For further questions please visit: Ohio BMV

Court Ordered Titles

One of the principal responsibilities for each Clerk of Common Pleas Court in the State of Ohio is to issue certificates of titles for all motor vehicles and watercraft in cooperation with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Certificate of Titles are the primary evidence of ownership of the motor vehicle and or watercraft.

In certain circumstances a Judge the Court of Common Pleas Court may order the Clerk of Courts to issue a certificate of title for your motor vehicle and/or watercraft. These circumstances most generally refer to:

Lost or Stolen Titles (4505.12)—the certificate of title is lost or stolen and a duplicate is no longer available from the Wood County Clerk of Courts, Auto Title Office

Incomplete Sale: There is proof of a transaction (either you purchased a vehicle or it was given to you) and the previous owner has not provided to the buyer an appropriate signed over certificate of title.

Repair Garage or Place of Storage: Only when the value of the vehicle exceeds $3500.00, after the deduction of repair costs, can the court consider a request for an order. If the value of the vehicle is less than $3500.00, the owner of the repair garage or place of storage may obtain a title by completing BMV Form 4202 – Unclaimed Motor Vehicle Affidavit.

If you believe that the above remedies applies to your situation, there are certain steps that you will need to take before the Court can consider your petition for an Order directing the title office to issue a vehicle certificate of title to you. Please note that this process is only for persons that reside in Wood County. If you are a resident of another county, please refer to the Clerk of Courts Office in the county that you reside in.

Instructions for the Court Ordered Process