Transfer situations
The situation you are in changes which documents, deadlines and fees apply — often more than the state does. These are the six the site covers everywhere.
Each of these is answered per state, because the answer genuinely differs by state — so these route you to a state rather than pretending there is one national procedure. Start from your state, or pick the situation that fits.
A private sale within your state
You are buying from, or selling to, another private individual in the same state.
The most common route, and the one most states document best. The two things people miss are the buyer's transfer deadline and the seller's duty to notify the state that the vehicle is no longer theirs.
Covered in 50 of 50 state records.
The vehicle is coming from another state
You have moved, or you bought a vehicle titled somewhere else.
Almost always adds a physical check — a VIN verification, an inspection, or an emissions test — before a title will be issued, and often runs on a residency clock rather than a sale date.
Covered in 50 of 50 state records.
A gift, or a transfer between family
No money is changing hands, or it is moving between relatives.
Usually changes the tax, not the paperwork: many states exempt or flat-rate a genuine gift, but only for listed relationships, and only if the form says gift rather than a nominal sale price.
Covered in 50 of 50 state records.
The owner has died
The vehicle is passing to an heir or through an estate.
The route depends on whether the estate goes through probate and on the value thresholds your state sets. Small-estate affidavits are common, and are frequently the only step needed.
Covered in 50 of 50 state records.
There is a loan or lien on the title
A lender is recorded on the title, or has just been paid off.
Ownership cannot pass while a lien is recorded. Some states hold the title with the lender until payoff; some need a separate release document; many now do it electronically, which changes who has the paper.
Covered in 50 of 50 state records.
The title is lost or missing
The original paper title is lost, destroyed, or was never received.
The current registered owner has to replace the title before it can be signed over — which means the seller must act before a sale can complete, not the buyer afterwards.
Covered in 50 of 50 state records.
Situations that are not covered everywhere
Some situations are only documented for states where an official procedure could actually be read: buying from a dealer, a vehicle previously titled outside the US, a salvage or branded title, an estate in probate, a transfer to or from a trust, a divorce or court order, a name correction, and a leased vehicle. Where a state page offers one of these, it came from that state’s own materials.
Motorcycles, trailers, RVs and vessels frequently follow different rules from passenger cars. Where a state publishes a distinct procedure for them, the state page says so; where it does not, assume the passenger-car rule may not apply and check with the title authority rather than relying on this site.