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(a)Titles. Unless otherwise exempted by law or this chapter, the owner of any motor vehicle that is required to be registered in accordance with Transportation Code, Chapter 502, shall apply for a Texas title in accordance with Transportation Code, Chapter 501. (1)Motorcycles, motor-driven cycles, and mopeds. (A)The title requirements of a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, and moped are the same requirements prescribed for any motor vehicle. (B)A vehicle that meets the criteria for a moped and has been certified as a moped by the Department of Public Safety will be registered and titled as a moped. If the vehicle does not appear on the list of certified mopeds published by that agency, the vehicle will be treated as a motorcycle for title and registration purposes. (2)Farm vehicles. (A)The term motor vehicle does not apply to implements of husbandry, which may not be titled. (B)Farm tractors owned by agencies exempt from registration fees in accordance with Transportation Code, §502.453, are required to be titled and registered with "Exempt" license plates issued in accordance with Transportation Code, §502.451. (C)Farm tractors used as road tractors to mow rights of way or used to move commodities over the highway for hire are required to be registered and titled. (D)Farm semitrailers with a gross weight of more than 4,000 pounds that are registered in accordance with Transportation Code, §502.146, may be issued a Texas title. (3)Neighborhood electric vehicles. The title requirements of a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) are the same requirements prescribed for any motor vehicle. (4)Exemptions from title. Vehicles registered with the following distinguishing license plates may not be titled under Transportation Code, Chapter 501: (A)vehicles eligible for machinery license plates and permit license plates in accordance with Transportation Code, §502.146; and (B)vehicles eligible for farm trailer license plates in accordance with Transportation Code, §502.433, unless the owner chooses to title a farm semitrailer with a gross weight of more than 4,000 pounds that is registered in accordance with §502.146, as provided by Transportation Code, §501.036. (5)Trailers, semitrailers, and house trailers. Owners of trailers and semitrailers shall apply for and receive a Texas title for any stand alone (full) trailer, including homemade or shopmade full trailers, or any semitrailer having a gross weight in excess of 4,000 pounds. Owners of trailers having a gross weight of 4,000 pounds or less may apply for and receive a Texas title. House trailer-type vehicles must meet the criteria outlined in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph to be titled. (A)The rated carrying capacity will not be less than one-third of its empty weight. (B)Mobile office trailers, mobile oil field laboratories, and mobile oil field bunkhouses are not designed as dwellings, but are classified as commercial semitrailers and must be registered and titled as commercial semitrailers if operated on the public streets and highways. (C)House trailer-type vehicles and camper trailers must meet the following criteria in order to be titled. (i)A house trailer-type vehicle designed for living quarters and that is eight body feet or more in width or forty body feet or more in length (not including the hitch), is classified as a manufactured home or mobile home and is titled under the Texas Manufactured Housing Standards Act, Occupations Code, Chapter 1201, administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. (ii)A house trailer-type vehicle that is less than eight feet in width and less than forty feet in length is classified as a travel trailer and shall be registered and titled. (iii)A camper trailer shall be titled as a house trailer and shall be registered with travel trailer license plates. (iv)A recreational park model type trailer that is primarily designed as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping or seasonal use, is built on a single chassis, and is 400 square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection when in the set up mode shall be titled as a house trailer and may be issued travel trailer license plates. If the park model type trailer exceeds one hundred two inches in width or forty feet in length, the title will include a brand to indicate that an oversize permit must be obtained to move the trailer on the public roads. (6)Assembled vehicles. (A)An assembled vehicle is a vehicle assembled from the three basic component parts (motor, frame, and body), except that a motorcycle must have a frame and motor, and a trailer or travel trailer will have no motor, and that is: (i)assembled from new or used materials and parts by someone not regulated as a motor vehicle manufacturer; (ii)altered or modified to the extent that it no longer reflects the original manufacturer's configuration; or (iii)assembled from a kit even if a Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin or Manufacturer's Statement of Origin is provided. (B)An assembled vehicle may be titled if: (i)it is assembled and completed with a body, motor, and frame, except that a motorcycle must have a frame and motor, and a trailer or travel trailer will have no motor; (ii)it is not created from different vehicle classes, (as established by the Federal Highway Administration, except that component parts from 2-axle, 4-tire passenger cars and 2-axle, 4-tire pickups, panels and vans can be interchanged with one another), that were never engineered or manufactured to be combined with one another; (iii)it has all safety components required by federal law during the year of assembly, unless the vehicle qualifies and is registered as a custom vehicle or street rod in accordance with Transportation Code, §504.501; (iv)it is not designed as a dune buggy, designed by the manufacturer for on-track racing, or designed by the manufacturer as an off-road passenger vehicle; (v)the applicant provides proof, on a form prescribed by the department, of a safety inspection performed by an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) technician with valid certification as a Certified Master Automobile and Light Truck Technician, certifying that the vehicle: (I)is structurally stable; (II)meets the necessary conditions to be operated safely on the roadway; and (III)is equipped and operational with all equipment required by statute or rule as a condition of sale during the year the vehicle was assembled unless it is being inspected pursuant to Subchapter G of this chapter (relating to Inspections); (vi)the applicant submits a copy of the Certified Master Automobile and Light Truck Technician's ASE certification; and (vii)the applicant submits a Rebuilt Vehicle Statement, Application for Assigned or Reassigned Number, and Notice of Assigned Number or Installation of Reassigned Vehicle Identification Number, on forms prescribed by the department. (C)The ASE inspection is in addition to the inspection required by Transportation Code, Chapter 548, except a vehicle that qualifies and is registered as a custom vehicle or street rod in accordance with Transportation Code, §504.501, is exempt from the inspection required under Transportation Code, Chapter 548 for the duration the vehicle is registered as such. (b)Initial application for title. (1)Time for application. A person must apply for the title not later than the 30th day after the date of assignment, except: (A)in a seller-financed sale, the title must be applied for not later than the 45th day after the date the motor vehicle is delivered to the purchaser; (B)as provided by §215.144(e) of this title (relating to Record of Sales and Inventory); or (C)a member of the armed forces or a member of a reserve component of the United States, a member of the Texas National Guard or of the National Guard of another state serving on active duty, must apply not later than the 60th day after the date of assignment of ownership. (2)Place of application. When motor vehicle ownership is transferred, a title application must be filed with the county tax assessor-collector in the county in which the applicant resides or in the county in which the motor vehicle was purchased or encumbered, as selected by the applicant, except: (A)as provided by Transportation Code, Chapters 501 and 502 and by §217.63(a) of this chapter (relating to Application for Non-repairable or Salvage Vehicle Title); (B)if a county has been declared a disaster area, the resident may apply at the closest unaffected county if the affected county tax assessor-collector estimates the county offices will be inoperable for a protracted period; or (C)if the county tax assessor-collector office in the county in which the owner resides is closed for more than one week, the resident may apply to the county tax assessor-collector in a county that borders the closed county if the adjacent county agrees to accept the application. (3)Information to be included on application. An applicant for an initial title must file an application on a form prescribed by the department. The form will at a minimum require the: (A)motor vehicle description including, but not limited to, the motor vehicle: (i)year; (ii)make; (iii)identification number; (iv)body style; and (v)empty weight; (B)license plate number, if the motor vehicle is subject to registration under Transportation Code, Chapter 502; (C)odometer reading and brand, or the word "exempt" if the motor vehicle is exempt from federal and state odometer disclosure requirements; (D)previous owner's legal name and complete mailing address, if available; (E)legal name as stated on the identification presented and complete address of the applicant; (F)name and mailing address of any lienholder and the date of lien, if applicable; (G)signature of the seller of the motor vehicle or the seller's authorized agent and the date the title application was signed; and (H)signature of the applicant or the applicant's authorized agent and the date the title application was signed. (4)Vehicle identification number. If no vehicle identification number is die-stamped by the manufacturer on a motor vehicle, house trailer, trailer, semitrailer, frame, or item of equipment required to be titled, or if the vehicle identification number assigned and die-stamped by the manufacturer has been lost, removed, or obliterated, the department will on proper application, presentation of evidence of ownership, and presentation of evidence of a law enforcement physical inspection, assign a vehicle identification number to the motor vehicle, trailer, frame, or equipment. The manufacturer's vehicle identification number or the assigned vehicle identification number will be used by the department as the major identification of the motor vehicle or trailer in the issuance of a title. (5)Accompanying documentation. The title application must be supported by, at a minimum, the following documents: (A)evidence of vehicle ownership, as described in subsection (c) of this section; (B)an odometer disclosure statement properly executed by the seller of the motor vehicle and acknowledged by the purchaser, if applicable; (C)proof of financial responsibility in the applicant's name, as required by Transportation Code, §502.046, unless otherwise exempted by law; (D)an identification certificate if required by Transportation Code, §548.256, and Transportation Code, §501.030, and if the vehicle is being titled and registered, or registered only; (E)a release of any liens, provided that if any liens are not released, they will be carried forward on the new title application with the following limitations: (i)A lien recorded on out-of-state evidence as described in subsection (c) of this section cannot be carried forward to a Texas title when there is a transfer of ownership, unless a release of lien or authorization from the lienholder is attached; and (ii)A lien recorded on out-of-state evidence as described in subsection (c) of this section is not required to be released when there is no transfer of ownership from an out-of-state title and the same lienholder is being recorded on the Texas application as is recorded on the out-of-state title; and (F)any documents required by subsection (g) of this section relating to bonded titles. (c)Evidence of motor vehicle ownership. Evidence of motor vehicle ownership properly assigned to the applicant must accompany the title application. Evidence must include, but is not limited to, the following documents. (1)New motor vehicles. A manufacturer's certificate of origin assigned by the manufacturer or the manufacturer's representative or distributor to the original purchaser is required for a new motor vehicle that is sold or offered for sale. (A)The manufacturer's certificate of origin must be in the form prescribed by the department and must contain, at a minimum, the following information: (i)motor vehicle description including, but not limited to, the motor vehicle year, make, identification number, and body style; (ii)the empty or shipping weight; (iii)the gross vehicle weight when the manufacturer's certificate of origin is invoiced to a licensed Texas motor vehicle dealer and is issued for commercial motor vehicles as that term is defined in Transportation Code, Chapter 502; (iv)a statement identifying a motor vehicle designed by the manufacturer for off-highway use only; and (v)if the vehicle is a "neighborhood electric vehicle", a statement that the vehicle meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 500 (49 C.F.R. §571.500) for low-speed vehicles. (B)When a motor vehicle manufactured in another country is sold directly to a person other than a manufacturer's representative or distributor, the manufacturer's certificate of origin must be assigned to the purchaser by the seller. (2)Used motor vehicles. A title issued by the department, a title issued by another state if the motor vehicle was last registered and titled in another state, or other evidence of ownership must be relinquished in support of the title application for any used motor vehicle. A letter of Title and Registration verification is required from a vehicle owner coming from a state that no longer titles vehicles after a certain period of time. (3)Motor vehicles brought into the United States. An application for title for a motor vehicle last registered or titled in a foreign country must be supported by documents including, but not limited to, the following: (A)the motor vehicle registration certificate or other verification issued by a foreign country reflecting the name of the applicant as the motor vehicle owner, or reflecting that legal evidence of ownership has been legally assigned to the applicant; (B)unless the applicant is an active duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces or is from the immediate family of such a member returning to Texas with proof of the active duty status of the family member, verification of the vehicle identification number of the vehicle, on a form prescribed by the department, executed by a member of: (i)the National Insurance Crime Bureau; (ii)the Federal Bureau of Investigation; or (iii)a law enforcement auto theft unit; and (C)for motor vehicles that are less than 25 years old, proof of compliance with United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) regulations including, but not limited to, the following documents: (i)the original bond release letter with all attachments advising that the motor vehicle meets federal motor vehicle safety requirements or a letter issued by the USDOT, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, verifying the issuance of the original bond release letter; (ii)a legible copy of the motor vehicle importation form validated with an original United States Customs stamp, date, and signature as filed with the USDOT confirming the exemption from the bond release letter required in clause (i) of this subparagraph, or a copy thereof certified by United States Customs; (iii)a verification of motor vehicle inspection by United States Customs certified on its letterhead and signed by its agent verifying that the motor vehicle complies with USDOT regulations; (iv)a written confirmation that a physical inspection of the safety certification label has been made by the department and that the motor vehicle meets United States motor vehicle safety standards; (v)the original bond release letter, verification thereof, or written confirmation from the previous state verifying that a bond release letter issued by the USDOT was relinquished to that jurisdiction, if the non United States standard motor vehicle was last titled or registered in another state for one year or less; or Cont'd...
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