How to Fill Out Michigan Form TR-29: Heir Certification, Fees, and Penalties

Michigan Form TR-29, the Certification from the Heir to a Vehicle, lets a surviving spouse or closest heir retitle a deceased person’s car without opening probate. You complete the form, bring it to any Secretary of State branch with a certified death certificate, the title, and your ID, and the branch issues a new title in your name. The path is only available when the decedent’s solely owned vehicles fall under a statutory value cap and no probate estate has been opened.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.236

Who Can Use the TR-29

Three conditions all have to be true:

  • The vehicle value cap. The combined value of every vehicle the decedent owned solely in their own name cannot exceed the ceiling for the year you apply. That figure was $100,000 for 2024 and 2025. Starting in 2026, the Michigan Department of Treasury adjusts it annually by a consumer-price-index formula and publishes the new number by September 1 of the prior year.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.236
  • No probate estate. If a personal representative has already been appointed, or a probate petition is pending, TR-29 is off the table. The personal representative handles the vehicle through the estate instead.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.236
  • You are the closest surviving heir. Priority follows Michigan’s intestate succession rules. A surviving spouse comes first. If there is no surviving spouse, the decedent’s children share equally. More distant relatives qualify only when no one in a higher-priority group survives.2Michigan Department of State. Title Transfer and Vehicle Registration

One important boundary: if the existing title lists both the decedent and a co-owner with the words “Full Rights to Survivor” printed on it, you do not need the TR-29. Bring the title, a certified death certificate, and your ID to any branch, and the Secretary of State reissues the title in the survivor’s name.2Michigan Department of State. Title Transfer and Vehicle Registration

What to Bring to the Branch Office

Gather everything before you go. A missing document means a return trip. For a TR-29 transfer the Secretary of State asks for:2Michigan Department of State. Title Transfer and Vehicle Registration

  • The completed TR-29 form, available from the Michigan Secretary of State website, any branch office, or through some county websites.3Clinton County, MI. Motor Vehicle Title Transfer
  • The original paper title. If it has been lost, you can apply for a duplicate at the same visit; expect an additional $15 fee.4Michigan Department of State. Titles
  • A certified copy of the death certificate. A photocopy will not be accepted.
  • A valid driver’s license or state ID for every heir who will sign the form.
  • Proof of Michigan no-fault insurance, if you plan to register and drive the vehicle. Driving or registering a vehicle without no-fault coverage is prohibited.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 500.3101

If a lien appears on the current title, bring a lien release from the lender. The Secretary of State will not transfer a title with an outstanding lien to an heir.

What the Form Asks You to Certify

The TR-29 is a one-page sworn certification. Signing it under false pretenses is a felony, so treat every field as testimony. The form asks for:

  • Vehicle information: year, make, model, the 17-character VIN, and the current title number if available. Pull the VIN from the title or the door-jamb sticker.
  • Decedent information: the full legal name of the deceased owner exactly as it appears on the title.
  • Heir information: the full legal name and address of every person who qualifies as an heir under Michigan intestate law. If there is no surviving spouse and the decedent left several children, all of them must be listed, not only the one taking the car.
  • Certification statements: that no probate estate has been opened, that the vehicles’ combined value is within the statutory cap, and that you are a rightful heir.

Every heir named on the form has to sign it.

When More Than One Heir Has a Claim

If the decedent had no surviving spouse and left several children, all of them share equal inheritance rights to the vehicle. Michigan handles this by requiring each heir who does not want the car to sign a written statement declining their interest.2Michigan Department of State. Title Transfer and Vehicle Registration Each heir who does want ownership completes their own TR-29.

Bring all of it to the branch together: the TR-29 forms, the declination statements, IDs, the certified death certificate, and the title. The Secretary of State then issues the new title in the name of the heir or heirs who claimed the vehicle. Getting every signature lined up before the visit saves real headaches at the counter.

Fees and Timing

The title transfer fee is $15.6Michigan Department of State. Title Transfer and Vehicle Registration If you are also registering the vehicle and need plates, plan for additional charges. Transferring plates from a family member’s vehicle costs $10; a standard plate transfer costs $15.7Michigan Department of State. Plate Transfer Registration taxes depend on the vehicle’s value.

Michigan charges a $15 late fee if the title is not transferred within 15 days of the triggering event.6Michigan Department of State. Title Transfer and Vehicle Registration In the heir context the clock is applied less rigidly than in a private sale, but don’t let the paperwork drift for months.

After the agent accepts your documents you will get a temporary registration if you are registering the vehicle. The permanent paper title arrives by mail in roughly 14 days.4Michigan Department of State. Titles

Odometer Disclosure

Most vehicle title transfers, including heir transfers, need an odometer disclosure showing the current mileage, the date, and identifying information for the vehicle and parties. It is normally completed on the title itself.8Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.233a

Federal and Michigan rules exempt:

  • Model year 2010 or older vehicles that are at least 10 years old
  • Model year 2011 or newer vehicles that are at least 20 years old
  • Vehicles with a gross weight rating above 16,000 pounds
  • Non-self-propelled vehicles (trailers)
  • Low-speed vehicles

If the inherited vehicle is not exempt, know the current mileage before your branch visit. Disconnecting, resetting, or misrepresenting an odometer reading is a separate criminal offense.8Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.233a

If You Later Sell the Vehicle

Receiving an inherited vehicle is not itself a taxable event, and Michigan has no separate inheritance tax. Taxes come into play only if you sell the car later. Your basis for federal tax purposes is the fair market value on the date of death, not what the decedent originally paid.9Internal Revenue Service. Gifts and Inheritances Since most cars depreciate, that stepped-up basis usually means no federal tax when you sell. A gain is possible on classic or rare models that have appreciated, and would be reported on Schedule D.

Penalties for a False Certification

The TR-29 is sworn, and a knowingly false material statement on a title application is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.10Michigan Courts. False Statement in Application for Certificate of Title Situations that draw scrutiny include understating vehicle value to stay under the cap, leaving off heirs who have a legal claim, or certifying that no probate estate exists when one has been opened. If you are unsure whether you qualify, get answers before you sign, not after.