§ 32-8-30 — Certificate Required for Certain Motor Vehicles; Penalty; Rulemaking Authority

(a)(1) Except as provided in Section 32-8-31, every owner of a motor vehicle which is in this state and which is required to be registered under the motor vehicle laws of this state and for which no certificate of title has been issued by the department, shall make application to a designated agent for a certificate of title to the vehicle.
(2) Beginning on January 1, 2026, every owner of an off-road vehicle with a year model 2026 or after or every off-road vehicle that is manufactured with a year model 2026 or after, for which no certificate of title has been issued by the department, shall make application to a designated agent for a certificate of title.
(b) In the event that the owner’s legal name, as recorded on the current certificate of title, has changed, the owner shall make application for a corrected certificate of title to record the current legal name of the owner. The application for certificate of title shall be made prior to the renewal of the registration for the motor vehicle.
(c) Any dealer, acting for himself or herself or another, who sells, trades, or otherwise transfers any vehicle required to be titled under this chapter who does not comply with this chapter shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
(d) The department may adopt rules to implement and administer this section.

Legislative History

(Acts 1973, No. 765, p. 1147, §2; Acts 1989, No. 89-918, p. 1817, §2; Act 2009-746, p. 2236, §2; Act 2015-362, p. 1109, §2; Act 2016-358, p. 890, §1; Act 2024-190, §1.)