§ 60-164 — Department; implement electronic title and lien system for vehicles; liens on motor vehicles; when valid; notation on certificate; inventory, exception; priority; adjustment to rental price; how construed; notation of cancellation; failure to deliver certificate; damages; release

Nebraska § 60-164

• Jurisdiction: Nebraska
• Ch. 60: Motor Vehicles

Text

(1) The department shall implement an electronic title and lien system for vehicles. The holder of a security interest, trust receipt, conditional sales contract, or similar instrument regarding a vehicle, or beginning on the implementation date determined by the director pursuant to subsection (7) of section 60-1507 , a licensed dealer, may file a lien electronically as prescribed by the department. Upon receipt of an application for a certificate of title for a vehicle, any lien filed electronically shall become part of the electronic certificate of title record created by the county treasurer or department maintained on the electronic title and lien system. If an application for a certificate of title indicates that there is a lien or encumbrance on a vehicle or if a lien or notice of lien has been filed electronically, the department shall retain an electronic certificate of title record and shall note and cancel such liens electronically on the system. The department shall provide access to the electronic certificate of title records for licensed dealers and lienholders who participate in the system by a method determined by the director.
(2) Except as provided in section 60-165 or 60-165.02 , the provisions of article 9, Uniform Commercial Code, shall never be construed to apply to or to permit or require the deposit, filing, or other record whatsoever of a security agreement, conveyance intended to operate as a mortgage, trust receipt, conditional sales contract, or similar instrument or any copy of the same covering a vehicle. Any mortgage, conveyance intended to operate as a security agreement as provided by article 9, Uniform Commercial Code, trust receipt, conditional sales contract, or other similar instrument covering a vehicle, if such instrument is accompanied by delivery of such manufacturer's or importer's certificate and followed by actual and continued possession of the same by the holder of such instrument or, in the case of a certificate of title, if a notation of the same has been made electronically as prescribed in subsection (1) of this section or by the county treasurer or department on the face of the certificate of title or on the electronic certificate of title record, shall be valid as against the creditors of the debtor, whether armed with process or not, and subsequent purchasers, secured parties, and other lienholders or claimants but otherwise shall not be valid against them, except that during any period in which a vehicle is inventory, as defined in section 9-102 , Uniform Commercial Code, held for sale by a person or corporation that is required to be licensed as provided in the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act and is in the business of selling such vehicles, the filing provisions of article 9, Uniform Commercial Code, as applied to inventory, shall apply to a security interest in such vehicle created by such person or corporation as debtor without the notation of lien on the certificate of title. A buyer of a vehicle at retail from a dealer required to be licensed as provided in the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act shall take such vehicle free of any security interest. A purchase-money security interest, as defined in section 9-103 , Uniform Commercial Code, in a vehicle is perfected against the rights of judicial lien creditors and execution creditors on and after the date the purchase-money security interest attaches.
(3) Subject to subsections (1) and (2) of this section, all liens, security agreements, and encumbrances noted upon a certificate of title or an electronic certificate of title record and all liens noted electronically as prescribed in subsection (1) of this section shall take priority according to the order of time in which the same are noted by the county treasurer or department. Exposure for sale of any vehicle by the owner thereof with the knowledge or with the knowledge and consent of the holder of any lien, security agreement, or encumbrance on such vehicle shall not render the same void or ineffective as against the creditors of such owner or holder of subsequent liens, security agreements, or encumbrances upon such vehicle.
(4) The holder of a security agreement, trust receipt, conditional sales contract, or similar instrument, upon presentation of such instrument to the department or to any county treasurer, together with the certificate of title and the fee prescribed for notation of lien, may have a notation of such lien made on the face of such certificate of title. The owner of a vehicle may present a valid out-of-state certificate of title issued to such owner for such vehicle with a notation of lien on such certificate of title and the prescribed fee to the county treasurer or department and have the notation of lien made on the new certificate of title issued pursuant to section 60-144 without presenting a copy of the lien instrument. The county treasurer or the department shall enter the notation and the date thereof over the signature of the person making the notation and the seal of the office. If noted by a county treasurer, he or she shall on that day notify the department which shall note the lien on its records. The county treasurer or the department shall also indicate by appropriate notation and on such instrument itself the fact that such lien has been noted on the certificate of title.
(5) A transaction does not create a sale or a security interest in a vehicle, other than an all-terrain vehicle, a utility-type vehicle, or a minibike, merely because it provides that the rental price is permitted or required to be adjusted under the agreement either upward or downward by reference to the amount realized upon sale or other disposition of the vehicle.
(6) The county treasurer or the department, upon receipt of a lien instrument duly signed by the owner in the manner prescribed by law governing such lien instruments together with the fee prescribed for notation of lien, shall notify the first lienholder to deliver to the county treasurer or the department, within fifteen days after the date of notice, the certificate of title to permit notation of such other lien and, after notation of such other lien, the county treasurer or the department shall deliver the certificate of title to the first lienholder. The holder of a certificate of title who refuses to deliver a certificate of title to the county treasurer or the department for the purpose of showing such other lien on such certificate of title within fifteen days after the date of notice shall be liable for damages to such other lienholder for the amount of damages such other lienholder suffered by reason of the holder of the certificate of title refusing to permit the showing of such lien on the certificate of title.
(7) Upon receipt of a subsequent lien instrument duly signed by the owner in the manner prescribed by law governing such lien instruments or a notice of lien filed electronically, together with an application for notation of the subsequent lien, the fee prescribed in section 60-154 , and, if a printed certificate of title exists, the presentation of the certificate of title, the county treasurer or department shall make notation of such other lien. If the certificate of title is not an electronic certificate of title record, the county treasurer or department, upon receipt of a lien instrument duly signed by the owner in the manner prescribed by law governing such lien instruments together with the fee prescribed for notation of lien, shall notify the first lienholder to deliver to the county treasurer or department, within fifteen days after the date of notice, the certificate of title to permit notation of such other lien. After such notation of lien, the lien shall become part of the electronic certificate of title record created by the county treasurer or department which is maintained on the electronic title and lien system. The holder of a certificate of title who refuses to deliver a certificate of title to the county treasurer or department for the purpose of noting such other lien on such certificate of title within fifteen days after the date when notified to do so shall be liable for damages to such other lienholder for the amount of damages such other lienholder suffered by reason of the holder of the certificate of title refusing to permit the noting of such lien on the certificate of title.
(8) When a lien is discharged, the holder shall, within fifteen days after payment is received, note a cancellation of the lien on the certificate of title over his, her, or its signature and deliver the certificate of title to the county treasurer or the department, which shall note the cancellation of the lien on the face of the certificate of title and on the records of such office. If delivered to a county treasurer, he or she shall on that day notify the department which shall note the cancellation on its records. The county treasurer or the department shall then return the certificate of title to the owner or as otherwise directed by the owner. The cancellation of lien shall be noted on the certificate of title without charge. For an electronic certificate of title record, the lienholder shall, within fifteen days after payment is received when such lien is discharged, notify the department electronically or provide written notice of such lien release, in a manner prescribed by the department, to the county treasurer or department. The department shall note the cancellation of lien and, if no other liens exist, issue the certificate of title to the owner or as otherwise directed by the owner or lienholder. If the holder of the title cannot locate a lienholder, a lien may be discharged ten years after the date of filing by presenting proof that thirty days have passed since the mailing of a written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the last-known address of the lienholder.

Legislative History

Source: Laws 2005, LB 276, § 64; Laws 2007, LB286, § 14; Laws 2008, LB756, § 3; Laws 2008, LB953, § 3; Laws 2009, LB202, § 15; Laws 2010, LB650, § 17; Laws 2010, LB816, § 5; Laws 2012, LB801, § 40; Laws 2017, LB263, § 18; Laws 2018, LB909, § 27; Laws 2025, LB490, § 4. Effective Date: September 3, 2025 Cross References: Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act, see section 60-1401. Annotations: 1. Priority of liens 2. Notation of lien on certificate 3. Miscellaneous 1. Priority of liens If procedure of this section followed, lienor's interest shall take priority and marshalling of assets cannot be required. Platte Valley Bank of North Bend v. Kracl, 185 Neb. 168, 174 N.W.2d 724 (1970). Conditional sales contract shown on certificate of title is superior to artisan's lien. Allied Inv. Co. v. Shaneyfelt, 161 Neb. 840, 74 N.W.2d 723 (1956). Attorney who paid off balance taxpayer owed on purchase of automobile and took taxpayer's equity as payment for prior legal fee was subrogated to amount of encumbrance discharged, and, as to such, attorney, whose interest in vehicle was otherwise junior to federal tax lien, was entitled to priority over the government. Gallup v. United States, 358 F.Supp. 776 (D. Neb. 1973). 2. Notation of lien on certificate A manufactured home is within the scope of this section as a class of "cabin trailer" pursuant to section 60-614. Therefore, a manufactured home is considered to be a motor vehicle for purposes of this section, and a security interest is perfected when such interest is listed on a certificate of title to the manufactured home. A fixture filing is not needed to perfect a security interest in a manufactured home. Green Tree Fin. Servicing v. Sutton, 264 Neb. 533, 650 N.W.2d 228 (2002). Claims of a purchase money mortgage, a conditional interest established by an agreement, and other security interests not shown on the certificate of title are invalid as to subsequent purchasers under the express terms of the certificate of title act. Nelson v. Cool, 230 Neb. 859, 434 N.W.2d 32 (1989). The practice of filing and recording chattel mortgage on motor vehicles has been eliminated and under that section security interests must be noted on the certificate of title itself. Cushman Sales & Service of Nebraska, Inc. v. Muirhead, 201 Neb. 495, 268 N.W.2d 440 (1978). There is no legal requirement that a lien be noted on a certificate of title purportedly covering property not subject to the Certificate of Title Act, even though a certificate of title for such property has been issued. Cushman Sales & Service of Nebraska, Inc. v. Muirhead, 201 Neb. 495, 268 N.W.2d 440 (1978). A security interest noted on the certificate of title to a vehicle is valid against creditors of the debtor whether armed with process or not. White Motor Credit Corp. v. Sapp Bros. Truck Plaza, Inc., 197 Neb. 421, 249 N.W.2d 489 (1977). An unrecorded lien is invalid as to a subsequent purchaser or lienholder. First Nat. Bank v. Provident Finance Co., 176 Neb. 45, 125 N.W.2d 78 (1963). Filing of conditional sales contract is not required, but notation on certificate of title is. Universal C.I.T. Credit Corp. v. Vogt, 165 Neb. 611, 86 N.W.2d 771 (1957). Chattel mortgage was void as to creditors where notation on certificate of title was made after levy of execution. Alliance Loan & Inv. Co. v. Morgan, 154 Neb. 745, 49 N.W.2d 593 (1951). 3. Miscellaneous This section applies to dealers as well as general purchasers. Bank of Keystone v. Kayton, 155 Neb. 79, 50 N.W.2d 511 (1951). Legislature intended to eliminate the previous practice of filing chattel mortgages on motor vehicles in the chattel mortgage records. Securities Credit Corp. v. Pindell, 153 Neb. 298, 44 N.W.2d 501 (1950). For purpose of perfecting security interest in mobile homes manufactured by debtor and assigned to trust, debtor corporation's president could not act as agent of trust and president's possession of homes and certificates of origin was not possession of trust and did not give trust possession sufficient to perfect interest. In re North American Builders, Inc., 320 F.Supp. 1229 (D. Neb. 1970).