Sahvelo

Transferring a vehicle in Vermont after someone dies

Vermont gives the car to a surviving spouse even where there is a will — as long as the will says nothing about vehicles. Massachusetts's presumption is defeated by any contrary provision in a will and New Hampshire's by a note on the certificate. Vermont asks only whether the will addressed cars at all, and then hands over up to two of them, free and untaxed.

State Vermont

The procedure is set by the state that issued the title, not by where the owner lived.

Sahvelo publishes 50 states for this topic. If the title came from another state, that state's motor vehicle agency is the authoritative source until we publish it. See what's published.

Paths
4 in this state

The paths this state offers

Every route Sahvelo has verified for transferring a vehicle after a death in this state, side by side. The guided questions identify which one applies to you.

Path When it applies Court involvement Tax owed Speed Authority
Surviving spouse There is a surviving spouse, nobody else is on the title, and the will does not specifically address motor vehicles — for up to two vehicles None None — no fee assessed and exempt from the purchase and use tax Fastest; title has already passed and the Department registers it on request 23 V.S.A. § 2023, subsection (e)
Transfer on death The certificate carries the TOD code and a named transferee None The title fee under section 2002 Fast — the transferee becomes owner at the death on a valid death certificate 23 V.S.A. § 2023, subsection (f)
Through the estate No TOD code, and the spouse provision does not reach the vehicle Likely — a Vermont small estate still issues letters of administration The title fee under section 2002 Slowest; a fourteen-day objection window on the estate, and 'proof of the transfer' is undefined 23 V.S.A. § 2025; 14 V.S.A. § 1901 and § 1902
Surviving co-owner on a survivorship code The certificate names another living owner and prints TEN ENT, JTEN or PTNRS None The title fee unless the surviving spouse exception applies Fast — the Department asks for a copy of the death certificate and nothing else about the death Vermont DMV form VT-021

A will that says nothing about cars does not defeat the spouse

Section 2023(e)(1) turns on a question no other spouse provision read here asks: “whenever the estate of an individual consists in whole or in part of a motor vehicle, and the person's will or other testamentary document does not specifically address disposition of motor vehicles, the surviving spouse shall be deemed to be the owner of the motor vehicle and title to the motor vehicle shall automatically pass to the surviving spouse.”1

The test is about the subject matter of the will rather than about its existence. A will leaving everything to the spouse does not address vehicles specifically, so the deeming provision still operates. A will that leaves the truck to a son does address them, and it does not.1

An older, narrower version sits in the same subsection for an intestacy: “whenever the estate of an individual who dies intestate consists principally of an automobile, the surviving spouse shall be deemed to be the owner of the motor vehicle and title to the same shall automatically and by virtue hereof pass to the surviving spouse.”1

Both are free and untaxed: “Upon request, the Department shall register and title the vehicle in the name of the surviving spouse, and no fee shall be assessed. This transaction is exempt from the provisions of the purchase and use tax on motor vehicles.”1

Up to two vehicles, and nobody else on the title

The limits are in the next subdivision and they are absolute: “This subsection shall apply to no more than two motor vehicles, and shall not apply if the motor vehicle is titled in the name of one or more persons other than the decedent and the surviving spouse.”1

So a household with three vehicles gets two of them this way and has to move the third some other route. And a car with a child's name added to the title is outside the provision entirely, however the family thinks of it.1

A vehicle the provision does not reach passes through the estate under section 2025 — the last certificate of title if available, proof of the transfer, and an application in the form the Commissioner prescribes.3

Five codes printed on the title, and only one with a stated effect

Vermont makes the form of co-ownership part of the document: “Where title to a vehicle is in the name of more than one person, the nature of the ownership must be indicated by one of the following on the certificate of title: (1) TEN ENT (tenants by the entirety); (2) JTEN (joint tenants); (3) TEN COM (tenants in common); (4) PTNRS (partners); or (5) TOD (transfer on death).”2

That is more information than most states print. A family does not have to interpret a conjunction or hunt for a designation — the answer is a code on the certificate.2

But only the last of the five has its effect written into the section. What TEN ENT, JTEN, TEN COM or PTNRS does when one owner dies is not stated in the sections read here, so this page does not tell you that a Vermont JTEN title passes to the survivor. That case is recorded as a halt with the question stated.2

"A valid death certificate" — named in the statute

Section 2023(f) sets out the TOD code: “the principal owner shall have all rights of ownership and rights of transfer until his or her death. The designated transferee shall have no rights of ownership until such time as the principal owner has died as established by a valid death certificate. At that time, the transferee shall become the owner of the vehicle subject to any existing security interests.”2

Three things in one sentence. The owner keeps every right, including the right to sell the car out from under the designation. The transferee's interest starts at death. And the statute names the proof — a valid death certificate — where most transfer-on-death provisions leave the evidence to the agency.2

The vehicle arrives with its finance attached: “subject to any existing security interests”. Where a lender holds the certificate, section 2023(b) obliges it on request to deliver the certificate, or to send the certificate, application and fee to the Commissioner itself — unless the transfer breaches its security agreement.2

Ten days late doubles the fee

Vermont prices almost every certificate the same: $42 for a certificate of title, for one after a transfer, for a duplicate, for one issued on surrender of a distinctive certificate, for one after a security interest is released, and for a corrected certificate.4

And then it prices delay: “If an application, certificate of title, or other document required to be mailed or delivered to the Commissioner under any provision of this chapter is not delivered to the Commissioner within 10 days from the time it is required to be mailed or delivered, the Commissioner shall collect, as a penalty, an amount equal to the fee required for the transaction.”4

One entry costs nothing: a certificate “for a motor vehicle acquired by a veteran with financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and exempt from registration fees pursuant to section 378 of this title, no fee”. And a records search is the dearest item on the list at twenty-seven dollars per vehicle.4

A small estate opens with a bond and its letters expire

Vermont's small estate is not an affidavit. It is a probate estate, opened where the estate “has a fair market value of not more than $45,000 and consists entirely of personal property”, by filing eight things — including “an affidavit of paid and outstanding funeral expenses and any other known or reasonably ascertainable debts of the decedent” and “a bond without surety in the amount of the fair market value of the estate”.5

Objection is possible but brief: an interested party who has not consented in writing gets notice and “may file any objections with the court within 14 days after receiving the notice. If no objections are filed, the fiduciary appointment and any will offered for admission shall be approved by the court without further notice or hearing.”5

What it produces is letters of administration with a shelf life: they are “effective for one year after the date of issuance”, extendable only “upon motion of the fiduciary for good cause shown”. The inventory must also be confirmed, corrected or supplemented within 60 days of issuance.6

Underestimating the estate is not fatal. Where it turns out to have exceeded the figure at the date of death, the fiduciary petitions for administration under the ordinary rules and the court grants it on finding the value and that all applicable fees have been paid.5

The Department answers the question the statute leaves open

Until 2026-08-19 this page said that Vermont's Department of Motor Vehicles could not be read — dmv.vermont.gov answered 403 to every automated request — and recorded a halt where a title carries an ownership code other than TOD, because 23 V.S.A. § 2023 requires the code to be printed and states the effect on a death of only one of the five. The Department answers a browser, and it publishes a “Deceased Owner Informational Bulletin”, form VT-021, which is exactly that missing document list.

It sorts the death by what the certificate says. “Jointly titled to Tenants By The Entirety (spouses)” takes “A copy of the Death Certificate identifying the surviving spouse.” “Jointly titled and title states ownership to be Joint Tenants or Partners” takes “A copy of the Death Certificate.” And a title “Titled to deceased only or jointly with persons other than spouse and ownership states Tenants in Common or nature of ownership not stated on title” goes into four estate branches.7

Two of those branches need a document a family cannot produce alone. Where there is no probate, Vermont wants “A letter from an officer of the court” — defined in the bulletin as “An attorney or an official court officer such as Court Clerk or Probate Judge” — naming the person who has the rights of ownership to the vehicle. Not a form, not an affidavit: a letter from a lawyer or a court officer.7

Where there is probate it is simpler: “A letter from the Probate Judge naming the Administrator of the estate” without a will, or “A letter from Probate Court showing proof of appointment of Executor of the will” with one. Every branch ends with the original title properly assigned and the “Release of Liens” section completed by the lienholder if there is a loan.7

This is what the Department requires, and it is a different question from who owns the vehicle. Sahvelo publishes the document list because that is what moves a title, and still does not read it as a ruling on what TEN ENT or JTEN does as a matter of property law.72

What to do, step by step

The order of operations for each path. Only one of these applies to you — the guided questions will say which.

Surviving spouse

Title has already passed; the Department registers and titles it on request, free.

  1. First

    Check every name on the certificate

    The provision does not apply if the vehicle is titled in the name of anybody other than the person who died and the surviving spouse.

  2. at the same time

    Read the will for vehicles

    The test is whether the will or other testamentary document specifically addresses disposition of motor vehicles — not whether a will exists.

  3. before applying

    Count the vehicles

    The subsection applies to no more than two motor vehicles. A third goes through the estate route instead.

  4. once the conditions are confirmed

    Ask the Department to register and title the vehicle

    On request the Department shall do so in the surviving spouse's name, with no fee assessed and no purchase and use tax.

Transfer on death

The transferee becomes the owner at the death, on a valid death certificate.

  1. First

    Confirm the TOD code on the certificate

    One of the five ownership codes Vermont requires where a title is in more than one name.

  2. as soon as it is available

    Get a valid death certificate

    The statute names it: the transferee has no rights until the principal owner has died 'as established by a valid death certificate'.

  3. in parallel

    Deal with any lender

    The transferee takes the vehicle subject to any existing security interests, and a lienholder in possession must release the certificate on request.

  4. once the certificate is in hand

    Apply for the new certificate promptly

    A document not delivered within ten days of when it was required to be sent attracts a penalty equal to the fee.

Through the estate

The last certificate if available, proof of the transfer, and an application.

  1. First

    Ask the Department what proof it accepts

    Section 2025 requires 'proof of the transfer' and does not define it, and the Department's own guidance could not be read.

  2. alongside

    Work out which estate route fits

    A small estate is available where the estate has a fair market value of not more than the statutory figure and consists entirely of personal property.

  3. once the route is chosen

    Open the estate with the eight filings

    Including an original death certificate, an inventory, an affidavit of funeral expenses and other known debts, and a bond without surety in the amount of the estate.

  4. fourteen days after notice

    Wait out the objection window

    An interested party who has not consented gets notice and fourteen days to object. If none are filed the appointment is approved without a hearing.

  5. once the letters issue

    Send the Commissioner the three items

    The last certificate of title if available, proof of the transfer, and the application for a new certificate. Do it promptly — ten days late costs a penalty equal to the fee.

Surviving co-owner on a survivorship code

Read the code, take a death certificate, assign the title.

  1. First

    Read the ownership code on the certificate

    TEN ENT, JTEN or PTNRS are the survivorship codes. TEN COM, or nothing printed at all, sends the vehicle into the estate branches instead.

  2. as soon as it is available

    Get a copy of the death certificate

    On a TEN ENT title it has to identify the surviving spouse.

  3. once the certificate is in hand

    Assign the original title

    With the “Release of Liens” section completed by the lienholder if there is a loan.

  4. when the papers are ready

    Submit it to the Department

    With a Vermont Registration, Tax and Title Application (VD-119) if the new owners are not already registered owners or the registration has expired. There is no deadline: the name may be removed at any time during the registration year.

Documents and forms

Each name below links to the official form or the agency page that issues it.

Needed on every path

  • The certificate of title

    Where it is in more than one name it must carry one of five ownership codes — TEN ENT, JTEN, TEN COM, PTNRS or TOD. On the estate route it is asked for 'if available'.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

  • A valid death certificate

    Named in the statute for the TOD route: the transferee has no rights of ownership until the principal owner has died as established by a valid death certificate. An original death certificate is also one of the eight filings that open a small estate.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

Needed on some paths

  • Proof of the transfer

    Applies to Through the estate — three things to the Commissioner

    Required by section 2025 on an involuntary transfer and not defined there. The Department's own requirements could not be read, so ask before assembling.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

  • Application for a new certificate

    Applies to Through the estate — three things to the CommissionerThe title says TOD — the transferee becomes the owner on the death

    In the form the Commissioner prescribes. Deliver it within ten days of when it is required to be sent, or the Commissioner collects a penalty equal to the fee.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

  • The eight filings that open a small estate

    Only in some situations

    Applies to Through the estate — three things to the Commissioner

    A petition to open a probate estate, a list of interested persons, the filing fee, an original death certificate, an inventory, an affidavit of paid and outstanding funeral expenses and other known debts, a bond without surety in the amount of the estate, and the will if any.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

  • Letters of administration

    Only in some situations

    Applies to Through the estate — three things to the Commissioner

    What a Vermont small estate produces. Effective for one year from issuance, extendable on motion for good cause shown.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

  • The certificate held by a lienholder

    Only if yes

    Applies to Deemed to the surviving spouse — free, untaxed, and up to two vehiclesThe title says TOD — the transferee becomes the owner on the deathThrough the estate — three things to the Commissioner

    A lienholder in possession must, on request of the owner or transferee, either deliver the certificate to the transferee or send the certificate, application and fee to the Commissioner — unless the transfer breaches its security agreement.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

  • A copy of the death certificate

    Applies to A survivorship code on the title — a death certificate, and that is all

    On a title carrying JTEN or PTNRS the Department asks for “A copy of the Death Certificate.” On TEN ENT it asks for “A copy of the Death Certificate identifying the surviving spouse.”

    Link checked 2026-08-19

  • A letter from an officer of the court

    Applies to Through the estate — three things to the Commissioner

    Required on both no-probate branches. An officer of the court is “An attorney or an official court officer such as Court Clerk or Probate Judge”, and the letter must name the person who has the rights of ownership to the vehicle. An out-of-state officer must also prove membership of the Bar or court office.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

Where and how to file

  • By mail

    The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles

    The statutes describe delivery to the Commissioner: a transferee on an involuntary transfer promptly mails or delivers the last certificate if available, proof of the transfer, and the application in the form the Commissioner prescribes.A lienholder in possession of the certificate may send the certificate, application and fee to the Commissioner itself on request.Ten days matters: a document not delivered within ten days of when it was required attracts a penalty equal to the fee. Call the Department before assembling anything, since its own requirements could not be read.

    See the mailing instructions

    Applies to Deemed to the surviving spouse — free, untaxed, and up to two vehiclesThe title says TOD — the transferee becomes the owner on the deathThrough the estate — three things to the Commissioner

  • court-e-file

    The Probate Division of the Superior Court

    A small estate is commenced by filing eight things together, including an original death certificate, an inventory, an affidavit of funeral expenses and other known debts, and a bond without surety in the amount of the estate.An interested party who has not consented in writing must be given notice, and has fourteen days from receiving it to object. If nobody objects, the appointment and any will are approved without a hearing.The letters that issue are effective for one year, and the inventory must be confirmed, corrected or supplemented within sixty days of their issuance.

    Open the official page

    Applies to Through the estate — three things to the Commissioner

What it costs

Fees change, and the agency's own schedule is the only current source. Where Sahvelo cannot verify a fixed amount, it links the schedule rather than quoting a number.

FeeAmountNotesFee schedule
Registering and titling in the surviving spouse's name Published by the agency No fee shall be assessed, and the transaction is exempt from the purchase and use tax on motor vehicles — on both versions of the provision, for up to two vehicles. Current fee schedule
Certificate of title after a transfer Published by the agency The same figure covers a duplicate, a corrected certificate, and a certificate after a security interest is released. Current fee schedule
The ten-day penalty Published by the agency An amount equal to the fee required for the transaction, where a document is not delivered within ten days of when it was required to be mailed or delivered. Current fee schedule
Opening a small estate Published by the agency The section requires the filing fee to be paid with the petition but does not state the amount. It also requires a bond without surety in the amount of the fair market value of the estate. Current fee schedule

After you file

  • The ten-day rule keeps running. Any application, certificate or other document required to be delivered to the Commissioner attracts a penalty equal to the transaction fee if it arrives more than ten days after it was required to be sent.That applies to documents, not to the death — so the clock starts when a particular paper became due rather than at the funeral.

    Applies to The title says TOD — the transferee becomes the owner on the deathThrough the estate — three things to the Commissioner

  • A loan survives the transfer. A TOD transferee becomes the owner “subject to any existing security interests”, and the certificate itself records them.Where the lender is holding the certificate, it must act on request — either delivering it to the transferee or sending the papers to the Commissioner itself — unless the transfer breaches its security agreement.

    Applies to The title says TOD — the transferee becomes the owner on the deathDeemed to the surviving spouse — free, untaxed, and up to two vehiclesThrough the estate — three things to the Commissioner

  • A new certificate does not settle who owns the car: “the action of the Commissioner in issuing a new certificate of title is not conclusive upon the rights of an owner or lienholder named in the old certificate.”And surrendering the old certificate on the Commissioner's request “does not affect the rights of the person surrendering the certificate”, so handing it in costs nothing in the argument.

    Applies to Through the estate — three things to the Commissioner

  • Two clocks start when the letters issue. The inventory must be confirmed, corrected or supplemented within sixty days. And the letters themselves are effective for one year.An extension is possible but not automatic — it takes a motion by the fiduciary and good cause shown. Diarize the year.

    Applies to Through the estate — three things to the Commissioner

If your situation doesn't fit one of these paths

Common complications, and what each one changes.

  • There are three vehicles

    The spouse provision reaches two of them: “This subsection shall apply to no more than two motor vehicles”.

    The third passes through the estate under section 2025 — the last certificate of title if available, proof of the transfer, and an application in the form the Commissioner prescribes.13

  • A child's name was added to the title

    That takes the vehicle out of the spouse provision entirely: it “shall not apply if the motor vehicle is titled in the name of one or more persons other than the decedent and the surviving spouse.”

    What happens instead depends on the ownership code printed beside the names — and the sections read here state the effect of only one of the five, TOD.12

  • The will leaves the truck to somebody

    Then the deeming provision is switched off for that vehicle. It operates only where the will “does not specifically address disposition of motor vehicles”.

    A will leaving everything to the surviving spouse does not address vehicles specifically, so it does not have that effect. The distinction is about the subject matter of the will rather than about who benefits.1

  • The certificate says JTEN or TEN ENT

    Vermont requires the code to be printed — TEN ENT, JTEN, TEN COM, PTNRS or TOD — but the sections read here say what happens on a death only for TOD.

    So Sahvelo does not tell you that a Vermont JTEN title passes to the survivor. Ask the Department, quoting the exact code on the certificate; that case is recorded as a halt rather than filled in from another state's law.2

  • The owner sold the car after naming a TOD transferee

    They were entitled to. The principal owner “shall have all rights of ownership and rights of transfer until his or her death”, and the designated transferee “shall have no rights of ownership” until then.

    A TOD designation is not a promise the owner has to keep; it operates only on what they still own at death.2

  • The estate includes a house

    Then the small estate route is closed: it runs only where the estate “consists entirely of personal property”, with a narrow exception for a time-share estate as defined by 32 V.S.A. § 3619(a).

    The vehicle route does not change — section 2025 still asks for the last certificate if available, proof of the transfer and an application — but the authority behind it will come from an ordinary administration.53

  • The estate turned out to be worth more than expected

    Vermont writes the correction into the statute. Where it is determined that the value at the date of death exceeded the figure, “the fiduciary shall petition the court to order that the estate be administered pursuant to the laws and rules applicable to estates” above it.

    The court grants that petition on finding the value and that all applicable fees have been paid — so the consequence is a change of track rather than a restart.5

Questions people ask about this

  • There is a will. Does the spouse still get the car?

    Usually yes. The provision operates “whenever the estate of an individual consists in whole or in part of a motor vehicle, and the person's will or other testamentary document does not specifically address disposition of motor vehicles”.So a will that leaves everything to the spouse does not defeat it, because it does not address vehicles specifically. A will that leaves the car to somebody does.1

  • What does it cost a surviving spouse?

    Nothing. “Upon request, the Department shall register and title the vehicle in the name of the surviving spouse, and no fee shall be assessed. This transaction is exempt from the provisions of the purchase and use tax on motor vehicles.”It is limited to two vehicles, and it does not apply where anybody other than the person who died and the surviving spouse is named on the title.1

  • The title has letters next to the names — TEN ENT, JTEN, TOD. What do they mean?

    They are Vermont's required ownership codes: TEN ENT (tenants by the entirety), JTEN (joint tenants), TEN COM (tenants in common), PTNRS (partners) and TOD (transfer on death). Where a title is in more than one name, one of them must be shown.Only TOD has its effect on a death written into the section: the transferee becomes the owner when the principal owner dies, as established by a valid death certificate. What the others do on a death is not stated in the sections read here.2

  • What does a TOD transferee have to show?

    The statute names the document: the transferee has no rights of ownership “until such time as the principal owner has died as established by a valid death certificate”.What else the Department asks for is not published in a form Sahvelo could read, so call before assembling anything. And expect the loan to come with the car — the transferee takes it “subject to any existing security interests”.23

  • What does a title cost?

    $42 for a certificate of title, and the same for one after a transfer, a duplicate, a corrected certificate, or one issued after a security interest is released.Do not be late: a document not delivered to the Commissioner within ten days of when it was required attracts “a penalty, an amount equal to the fee required for the transaction.”4

  • Is there a small estate affidavit in Vermont?

    No — Vermont's small estate is a probate estate. It is commenced where the estate “has a fair market value of not more than $45,000 and consists entirely of personal property”, by filing eight things including a bond without surety in the amount of the estate.It produces letters of administration, which are effective for one year from issuance and extendable only on motion for good cause shown.56

  • What is "proof of the transfer" on the estate route?

    Section 2025 does not say. It asks for the last certificate of title “if available”, proof of the transfer, and an application “in the form the Commissioner prescribes” — and defines only the last of those.The Department of Motor Vehicles' own guidance could not be read, so Sahvelo states no document list. Call the Department and ask.3

What the terms mean

5 terms used on this page, defined from the statute
Ownership codes on the certificate
Vermont requires a title held in more than one name to show the nature of the ownership as one of five codes under 23 V.S.A. § 2023(a): TEN ENT (tenants by the entirety), JTEN (joint tenants), TEN COM (tenants in common), PTNRS (partners) or TOD (transfer on death). The section states what happens on a death only for TOD. 23 V.S.A. § 2023
Deemed to be the owner
The operation of 23 V.S.A. § 2023(e). Where an estate includes a motor vehicle and the will does not specifically address disposition of motor vehicles, the surviving spouse is deemed to be the owner and title passes automatically — for up to two vehicles, and not where anybody other than the decedent and the spouse is on the title. No fee is assessed and the transaction is exempt from the purchase and use tax. 23 V.S.A. § 2023
Involuntary transfer
Where the interest of an owner in a vehicle passes other than by voluntary transfer. Under 23 V.S.A. § 2025 the transferee promptly mails or delivers to the Commissioner the last certificate of title if available, proof of the transfer, and an application in the form the Commissioner prescribes — and the new certificate the Commissioner issues is not conclusive upon anybody's rights. 23 V.S.A. § 2025
Small estate
Vermont's abbreviated probate under 14 V.S.A. § 1901, available where the estate has a fair market value of not more than the statutory figure and consists entirely of personal property. It is commenced by filing eight documents, including an original death certificate, an inventory, an affidavit of funeral expenses and other known debts, and a bond without surety in the amount of the estate. 14 V.S.A. § 1901
The ten-day penalty
Under 23 V.S.A. § 2002(b), where an application, certificate of title or other document required to be delivered to the Commissioner is not delivered within ten days of when it was required to be mailed or delivered, the Commissioner collects a penalty equal to the fee for the transaction. 23 V.S.A. § 2002

See the full glossary across every state

Still not sure which path is yours?

Ask a question to find the most relevant guidance Sahvelo has verified.

Prefer a guided path?

Answer a few questions about the title and the estate to find the transfer path that applies.

Find my vehicle transfer path

Sahvelo gives information drawn from statutes, agency guidance and official forms. It is not legal advice for your particular situation. Terms & disclaimer.

Sources

Every rule on this page traces to one of the following. All are sections of the Vermont Statutes as published by the General Assembly.

  1. 23 V.S.A. § 2023(e) — transfer of interest in vehicle, surviving spouse

    The surviving spouse provisions: the intestacy version, the wider version that operates unless the will addresses vehicles, the absence of any fee or purchase and use tax, and the two-vehicle and other-owner limits.

    legislature.vermont.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  2. 23 V.S.A. § 2023 — nature of co-ownership on the certificate, and transfer on death

    The five ownership codes required on a certificate in more than one name, the assignment and warranty of title, the lienholder's duty to release the certificate, and what the TOD code does on a death.

    legislature.vermont.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  3. 23 V.S.A. § 2025 — involuntary transfers

    Involuntary transfers: the last certificate if available, proof of the transfer, the application, and the rule that a new certificate is not conclusive upon anybody's rights.

    legislature.vermont.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  4. 23 V.S.A. § 2002 — fees, and the ten-day penalty

    The fee schedule, the veteran's exemption, and the ten-day penalty equal to the fee.

    legislature.vermont.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  5. 14 V.S.A. § 1901 — commencement of small estate

    Commencement of a small estate: the value and personal-property conditions, the eight filings including the bond without surety, the fourteen-day objection window, and what happens if the estate turns out to be larger.

    legislature.vermont.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  6. 14 V.S.A. § 1902 — letters of administration in a small estate

    Letters of administration in a small estate, the sixty-day inventory obligation, and the one-year duration of the letters.

    legislature.vermont.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  7. Vermont DMV — form VT-021, death informational bulletin (05/2018)

    The Department's own requirements: what to bring for each ownership code on the certificate, the four estate branches, the officer-of-the-court letter where there is no probate, and the rules on re-registration.

    dmv.vermont.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  8. Vermont DMV — form VT-021, surviving spouse exception and statement

    The two-vehicle cap, the rule that a third name on the title defeats the exception, the fee position under 23 V.S.A. §§ 2023 and 3816, and the sworn statement that claims it.

    dmv.vermont.gov Checked 2026-08-19

Where a source is marked pending re-verification, the page says so wherever the claim appears.

Related from the Sahvelo Journal: What Happens to a Car When Someone Dies?

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