Hello everyone. We hope that wherever you are in our vast United States, that you are enjoying the last few moments of summer and are equally as excited for the cooling, cozy months ahead. We’re split fifty-fifty between letting go of beach days and snuggling up with something pumpkin flavored. Either way, life is good. What’s not as good is a title that’s been defaced.
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Come on, you didn’t think we’d go a whole paragraph without getting into things automotive related, did you?! Vehicles are in our blood, (or our tanks) so to speak. So here comes a new article that will explain just how important it is to have a proper vehicle title in working condition.
First off, let’s get into what a title is. In the automotive industry, a Certificate of Title is an official, legal document that declares ownership of a car, truck, SUV, camper, trailer, RV, motorcycle, or any other vehicle that moves on a public road legally. It can have an engine or not have an engine, meaning, if it does not have a way to power itself, it would be towed or hitched to a different vehicle that does have an engine.
A certificate of title for any road vehicle across all states in the U.S. will be issued by the local state government. So if you live in Arkansas, the document will come from the Department of Motor Vehicles in Arkansas. If you live in New York, it will be generated by the New York DMV. The same holds true for all territories.
The official title will generally include the same or similar elements of information regardless of where you live.
For the most part, (depending on your state) a vehicle title will display the following integral points:
- Make, model, and year of vehicle
- Paint color, fuel type, body type (number of doors), and GVWR
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
- Odometer reading (or exemption, if vehicle qualifies)
- Cylinder number
- New or Used declaration
- Document number (title ID number)
- Date of issue
- Any lienholder (banking institution) name and address if applicable
- First and last name of owner and/or co-owner
- Owner/co-owner address
The front of the title will usually present all of the above information – taking into consideration what state issues the certificate. On the whole, it is standard to find all the details of the vehicle and its owner/s on the face of the title. The back of the title (or sometimes the bottom of the front, based on what state the vehicle is in) is reserved for the transfer of ownership. Be it through via private sale or through a licensed dealership, all sales – the passing of the vehicle from one owner/s to another – must be clearly documented in the allotted sections.
More often than not, the transfer will require the seller to fill out their name, legal address, date of sale, and purchase price. If applicable to the vehicle, they will have to include the current odometer reading as well. Then they sign and date in the appropriate boxes. Buyers are also asked for name, address, and signature. In some states, these signature must be penned in the presence of a notary public, who will also sign, date, and stamp proof of their witness to the sale.
All certificates of title are printed on two sides of a special security paper.
Some stock comes with a particular grain and thickness, while most bear a unique watermark that can only be viewed at certain angles or under specific light. In fact, in some states, if a person attempted to make a fraudulent version of a title – even on high-quality stock paper with color printing – the fake version would show up with a black imprint that indicates that indeed a copy has been made from an original document. The language differs from state to state, but generally the message is: This is a copy, not an original.
These features are built-in so as to protect from the possibility of fraud. Such security measures help avoid the risk of forged documents; it is nearly impossible to imitate the exact width, thread, texture, and watermark of a state-issued title, let alone manage a photocopy without the telltale black marking that appear.
Now, if anything appears out of the ordinary on a title – say, there is damage due to a spill, or the ink has faded into a state that is illegible, or there are any sort of corrections, cross-outs, or white-out used – the entire document becomes null. So if the front of the title is in perfect condition, but on the back someone has tried to erase the odometer reading and replace it with new numbers, this is s no-go. If the buyer or seller wrote their information incorrectly and attempted to cross it out, this is a no-go. If the paper itself is torn, splitting, or faded…you guessed it: it’s a no-go.
And while this may seem like a pretty strict set of rules, and while you may imagine having to keep your title in a cool, dark safe under lock and key…well, there’s a reason for that.
The integrity of a title is necessary to the legality of ownership.
It is a prerequisite to maintaining the validity of the document as clear, legal proof that reflects all details of the vehicle’s characteristics as well as to whom it belongs.
In other words, a clean title helps avoid car theft, fraud, and illegal buying and selling of a vehicle. It also protects the buyer from purchasing a car that has one odometer reading listed on the title, while in truth, the car may have far more miles on it.
Replacement titles – sometimes called duplicate titles – are something we do often and well here at eTags. We understand that life happens, and sometimes you need a fresh start in the word of titles. So we offer this service in the simplest, fastest way possible. Simply head over to our site, choose your state from our drop-down menu, and let’s get this show on the road….because here at eTags, we’re here to help!
