Posted by FWP/WA on 4/16/07 1:59pm
Msg #185471

certifying a copy of a vehicle title

Got a call from a lady needing a copy of the vehicle title "notarized." (I am assuming she meant a certified copy).

I've tried searching past posts, but with "title" in there, you'll understand that its not bringing up what I'm looking for. I also looked through the laws, but didn't have any luck finding guidance on what we can and cannot certify copies of.

Anyone fellow Washingtonians have any guidance if we can certify a copy of a vehicle title?

Reply by Ndwa on 4/16/07 2:07pm
Msg #185474

See #5 on both links.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=42.44.080

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=42.44.100

Reply by FWP/WA on 4/16/07 2:13pm
Msg #185476

Thanks Andy, I did see these two, which state the standard for certifying a copy, and what the short form should contain. What I couldn't find, it was we are permitted to actually certify copies of.

For instance, we can't certify a copy of a birth certificate, but I can't find anything that actually says that.

Reply by Ndwa on 4/16/07 2:16pm
Msg #185477

Why not call the DOL to see if a title can be copied and certified.

Reply by Lee/AR on 4/16/07 3:04pm
Msg #185481

In most (all?) states, you can get a Duplicate Copy of a Vehicle Title for a nominal fee. Not knowing what the circumstances are--seems to me this would be 'the lady's' best option for having a transferable title.

Reply by JanetLA on 4/16/07 5:23pm
Msg #185508

vehicle sales-titles must be notarized in Louisiana

I know our state is unique in many ways, but motor vehicle titles have to be notarized to transfer the title. Have a good week, Janet

Reply by Timothy Gatewood on 4/16/07 9:50pm
Msg #185546

Re: vehicle sales-titles and notarizations in Tennessee

When someone brings a title from another state into TN and wants to get their vehicle titled here, they are required by the County Clerk to have it (the title OR the bill of sale) notarized.

I happened to be in the Clerk's office once when someone came in with a truck title for a truck they bought in Arkansas (just across the muddy MS river from Memphis) and they wanted it notarized in order to get a TN title on the truck. I offered to do the service for them until I found that 1) the title has no notary certificate on it -- and adding one without specific instructions from someone qualified to give them is considered the practice of law, which I am not authorized to do; 2) no one in the clerk's office could tell me whether they required a jurat or an acknowledgment and they were the ones saying it had to be notarized; and 3) there was literally no space to add my seal or any notary certificate language without obscuring part of the title. So, I told them I could not do it.

What they really needed was not a notarized title, but a notarized bill of sale -- which should have a statement from the seller about the mileage and the ownership, along with other info that normally does not appear on the title AND a notary certificate so you as the Notary knows whether the signer is to be sworn and subscribed or just acknowledges. What I believe the Clerk wanted was something from the previous owner (the seller) attesting to the mileage and ownership of the vehicle. The buyer was the one standing there (the seller being back in Arkansas) and he had no personal knowledge of those facts, so I was reluctant to do it anyway -- but the 1) 2) and 3) above decided it for me.


Somewhere back in time, I was told that I can only certify a copy of a document if I keep the original in my file -- meaning, I am able to certify that it is a true copy because I have the original, and not otherwise. This is why (so I was told) a Notary does not notarize a copy of a birth certificate or a title -- because those documents are held by other public officials. What they are generally really after is a Certified Copy and that aint what they will get if you just notarize it.

I believe that I could notarize a statement (sworn affidavit or acknowledged statement) from someone else who made a copy, if they have the required notary certificate on the statement already. Not sure if that would help them at all, as I don't pretend to know if that would count as a Certified Copy.

Hope this helps to clarify (not further muddy) the situation. Suggest you check with an attorney in your state, as they are more likely to know the law than the bureaucrats hired to interprete and enforce it.

-- Tim Gatewood
NotaryMemphis.com
[e-mail address]