Motor vehicle agency

What it means

Every state has one office responsible for vehicle titles, and no two states agree on what to call it. DMV, MVD, BMV, MVA, RMV, OMV, DVS, the Department of Licensing, the Secretary of State, the Department of Revenue and the county clerk are all the titling authority somewhere.

In some states the work is done at county offices rather than by the state directly, which changes where you go and what you can do by post.

The agency is not a court. It records ownership and will not decide who is entitled to a vehicle — it applies the paperwork the law says is sufficient.

Why it matters

Almost every instruction in a vehicle transfer ends at this office, and searching for the wrong name is a frequent way a family cannot find the right form.

It also decides the practical constraints nobody publishes: whether an appointment is needed, whether a signature must be notarized at the counter, and whether the office that takes the form is the state's or the county's.

When you are likely to meet it

• When transferring a vehicle title after a death.
• When a form names an agency you have never heard of.
• When looking for the office in a state you do not live in.

How this varies by state

Which office holds titling authority, whether it is a state or a county function, and what it is called are all set by state law.

Below is how the states Sahvelo has published describe it, in their own words, each linked to the guide that sources it.

Related terms

• Bill of saleA written record that ownership of something passed from one person to another, with the date, the parties and the price.
• Certificate of titleThe state-issued document that proves who owns a vehicle — and whose issuing state decides the procedure after a death.
• Duplicate titleA replacement certificate of title, issued when the original is lost, destroyed or was never received.
• Electronic titleA title a state holds as a record rather than as a piece of paper. Nothing arrives in the post, and there is nothing in the drawer to find.
• License plate transferWhat happens to the plates when a vehicle changes hands — which depends on whether the state ties them to the car or the owner.
• Lien releaseA document from a lender confirming a loan is paid off, so the lien can be removed from a title.
• Odometer disclosureA statement of a vehicle's mileage at the moment of transfer, required by federal law for most transfers.
• RetitlePutting an asset into a new owner's name on the official record.
• Title applicationThe form that asks a state to issue a certificate of title in a new name. It is the central document in almost every vehicle transfer.
• Title searchA check of the public record for what is registered against a property or a vehicle — owners, liens, brands, claims.
• Vehicle registrationPermission to use a vehicle on public roads. It is renewed periodically and is not the same as the title.
• Vehicle transfer taxes and feesWhat a state charges to put a title into a new name — a title fee, a transfer fee, and sometimes a tax on the value of the vehicle.
• Vehicle identification numberThe unique code identifying a specific vehicle. Every title, registration and transfer form is matched against it.

Sahvelo guidance that uses this

• Vehicle title transfer