Washington’s Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest, Form TD-420-040, is the Department of Licensing form you use to replace a lost vehicle or boat title, replace plates, or sign ownership over to someone else when the original title has gone missing. Pick it up at any vehicle licensing office or download it from the DOL website.1Washington State Department of Licensing. Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest The form is short. The details it demands, and the signature certification it requires, are what usually slow people down.
When To Use TD-420-040
The form covers two situations. The first is a straight replacement: your title has been lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed and you need DOL to issue a duplicate. Under RCW 46.12.580, a legal owner or authorized representative can apply for a duplicate certificate of title whenever the original is lost, stolen, mutilated, or illegible.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Code Chapter 46.12 – Section: RCW 46.12.580
The second is a release of interest. If you’ve sold, gifted, or otherwise transferred a vehicle or boat but can’t find the title to sign over, TD-420-040 is the department-approved form that severs your ownership. RCW 46.12.650 requires the releasing owner to sign either the release section on the certificate of title itself or a department-approved release form.3Washington State Legislature. Washington Code Chapter 46.12 – Section: RCW 46.12.650 The buyer then uses your signed release to apply for a title in their name.
The form also handles the transfer after an insurance total-loss settlement when you no longer have the title to give the insurer.
What To Gather Before You Fill It Out
Pull these details from your registration card, an old title, or the vehicle itself before you start writing:
- Year and make of the vehicle or vessel.
- License plate number, or vessel registration number.
- VIN for cars, trucks, and trailers, or HIN for boats. Copy this carefully. A single wrong character will kick the form back.
You’ll also need your full legal name exactly as it appears on the existing title, plus your current mailing address. If the title lists more than one owner, gather every owner’s information and confirm each person is available to sign. All legal and registered owners shown on the title must sign the form.1Washington State Department of Licensing. Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest
Filling Out the Form
At the top, check either “Affidavit of Loss” (replacing a missing document) or “Release of Interest” (transferring ownership without the original title). Check only one. Then enter the vehicle or vessel identifiers.
Below that, print the registered owner’s full legal name and mailing address. Every co-owner’s name goes on the form. There is space for the owner’s signature and the date, but don’t sign yet. Your signature has to be witnessed, so save it for when you’re in front of a notary or a licensing agent.
When the vehicle is held in a trust, who signs depends on how the title is worded. If the title lists the trustees’ names followed by the word “trustee,” all named trustees must sign. If only the trust name appears on the title without individual trustees named, any trustee designated in the trust document can sign.1Washington State Department of Licensing. Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest
A power of attorney cannot be used to change a person’s name on a title through this form unless the POA specifically authorizes it.1Washington State Department of Licensing. Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest
Getting Your Signature Certified
Washington requires the signature on an affidavit in lieu of title to be either notarized or certified by a licensing agent.5Washington State Legislature. WAC 308-56A-500 You have two ways to handle it.
The simplest is to sign in front of the licensing agent when you file. The agent certifies your signature on the spot, and you skip notarization. Bring a valid, unexpired Washington driver’s license or other acceptable photo ID. You sign, certify, and submit in one visit.1Washington State Department of Licensing. Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest
The alternative is a notary public. Sign in front of a certified notary, who applies the seal. Washington caps notary fees at $15 per signature for in-person notarizations and $25 for remote notarial acts. Banks, UPS stores, and many law offices offer the service.6Washington State Legislature. WAC 308-30-220
If a co-owner can’t come with you, they’ll need to have their own copy certified separately and included with the filing.
Where To Submit, Fees, and Timing
Submit the completed, certified form with the fee at any vehicle licensing office in Washington.1Washington State Department of Licensing. Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest Filing in person lets the agent flag problems before your payment goes through.
Standard replacement title fees:
- Vehicle or trailer: $39.50
- Boat: $30.75
Fees for replacing a registration card or license plates vary by situation. A licensing office can quote the exact amount.8Washington State Department of Licensing. Replace a Lost Title or Registration
Standard replacement titles are mailed within six to eight weeks. Filing at a licensing office rather than by mail typically runs four to six weeks.8Washington State Department of Licensing. Replace a Lost Title or Registration
Quick Title if You Can’t Wait
Select licensing offices around the state offer Quick Title, which produces the certificate of ownership the same day or mails it immediately. It costs more:
- Vehicle or trailer Quick Title: $89.50
- Boat Quick Title: $80.75
Quick Title isn’t available for snowmobiles, vehicles or boats reported stolen, insurance or wrecker-destroyed vehicles, vehicles with a “WA rebuilt” brand on the title, or out-of-state vehicles or boats. DOL keeps a list of participating offices on its website.9Washington State Department of Licensing. Quick Title Offices
If You Still Owe on the Vehicle
If you’re making payments, you usually can’t apply for a duplicate title on your own. The lender is listed as the legal owner, and under RCW 46.12.580 the duplicate goes to the first priority secured party. The lender either requests the replacement itself or has to be involved in the process.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Code Chapter 46.12 – Section: RCW 46.12.580
Once a loan is paid off, the secured party has to release its security interest by assigning the title to you or to your buyer, together with your release of interest.10Washington State Legislature. Washington Code Chapter 46.12 – Section: RCW 46.12.675 If the lien is satisfied but you never got the title, call the lender and confirm the release has been filed with DOL. Then you can apply for a duplicate using TD-420-040 as the sole owner.
Using the Form To Release Ownership to a Buyer
Filing this as a release of interest rather than a straight replacement adds a couple of steps. RCW 46.12.650 requires the seller to give the buyer the certificate of title or the most recent evidence of ownership, along with an odometer disclosure statement when one is required.3Washington State Legislature. Washington Code Chapter 46.12 – Section: RCW 46.12.650 Federal law requires odometer disclosure for vehicles under ten years old that weigh less than 16,000 pounds.
Report the sale as well. DOL’s online Report a Vehicle Sold tool takes a few minutes and protects you from liability if the buyer picks up parking tickets or tolls before titling the vehicle in their name. Once you’ve signed the release, handed over the certified TD-420-040, and reported the sale, your legal connection to the vehicle is severed. The buyer takes the signed release to a licensing office and applies for the new title.
Mistakes That Get the Form Rejected
The most common problem is a VIN or HIN that doesn’t match DOL’s records. Check every character against the plate on the dashboard or door jamb. Zero and the letter O are easy to confuse, as are the number 1 and the letter I. Transposed digits stop the filing.
Missing co-owner signatures are the second biggest holdup. If two people are on the title, both sign. One spouse can’t sign for the other without a power of attorney that specifically authorizes it. Getting both signatures certified in the same office visit is the cleanest approach.
Submitting without certification is an automatic rejection. The form must arrive with a notary seal or a licensing agent’s certification stamp. Anything unsigned or uncertified comes back, adding weeks to the process.
One last thing. If the original title turns up after DOL has issued a duplicate, Washington law requires you to return the recovered original to the department promptly.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Code Chapter 46.12 – Section: RCW 46.12.580 Two live titles for the same vehicle open the door to fraudulent transfers, so don’t leave the old one sitting in a drawer.