To get a duplicate car title in Ohio, file a completed and notarized Form BMV 3774 with any county Clerk of Courts title office and pay $18 (or $23 in counties that have adopted the higher fee). Apply in person and you walk out with the new title the same day; apply by mail and it takes about two weeks. Ohio handles duplicate titles through the Clerk of Courts, not BMV Deputy Registrar locations, and there is no online option.
Who Can File the Application
The registered owner is the usual applicant. A lienholder listed on the title record can also request a duplicate. If you cannot get to a title office yourself, you can authorize someone else through an Ohio Motor Vehicle Power of Attorney (Form BMV 3771). If the registered owner has died, the path depends on how the vehicle was owned and whether probate is involved; see the section on deceased owners below.
The Form and What You Need to Complete It
The application is Form BMV 3774, “Application(s) for Certificate of Title to a Motor Vehicle.” Download it from the Ohio BMV website or pick one up at any county Clerk of Courts title office.1Ohio BMV. How to Title Check the box for “Duplicate Certificate of Title” and indicate whether the original was lost, stolen, or destroyed.2Ohio.gov. Application for Certificate of Title to a Motor Vehicle Form BMV 3774
To fill out the form, you will need:
- Vehicle year, make, model, body type, and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
- The title number — if you don’t have it, look it up with the BMV’s online VIN search tool at bmvonline.dps.ohio.gov
- Lien information (list any active lien, or write “none”)
- Your name and mailing address
Your signature must be notarized. If you apply in person, a deputy clerk at the title office can notarize on the spot for a small fee; otherwise use any notary public before mailing.1Ohio BMV. How to Title Bring a valid photo ID in person, or include a copy of it with a mail application.
How Much It Costs
The duplicate title fee is $18 in most Ohio counties. In counties whose board of commissioners has adopted a resolution authorizing the increased fee, it is $23.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 4505.09 – Certificate of Title Fees Contact your county Clerk of Courts if you are unsure which applies.
Filing in Person
Take the completed Form BMV 3774, valid photo ID, and payment to any Ohio county Clerk of Courts title office. Use the BMV’s online County Title Office Search to find the nearest location.4Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. County Title Office Search The title prints on the spot, so you leave with it the same day.1Ohio BMV. How to Title
Filing by Mail
Mail the following to the Clerk of Courts title office in the county where your vehicle is titled:
- The completed and notarized Form BMV 3774
- A copy of your photo ID
- A check or money order for the title fee, payable to your county Clerk of Courts
- A self-addressed, stamped return envelope
Check your county Clerk of Courts website for the correct mailing address. Mail processing typically takes about two weeks.
Check the Lien Status Before You Apply
This is where applications commonly stall. If a loan was once on the vehicle but has since been paid off, confirm the release is recorded before you file. Look up the vehicle in the BMV’s online VIN search tool and check the “Lien 1 Cancel Date” field. If that field is blank, the lien still appears active on the record even if the loan is paid.1Ohio BMV. How to Title
When the cancel date is blank, get a lien release letter from your lender and submit it with your duplicate title application. The Clerk of Courts can then clear the lien and issue a clean title.
If you still owe on the vehicle, you can still apply, but the lienholder’s name will carry over to the duplicate title.1Ohio BMV. How to Title
If the Registered Owner Has Died
A surviving spouse can claim the deceased spouse’s vehicles without probate, provided the vehicles were not specifically bequeathed to someone else and the combined value of all vehicles claimed does not exceed $65,000.5Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2106.18 – Transfer of Automobile Titles The spouse files the notarized Surviving Spouse Affidavit (Form BMV 3773) with a certified death certificate and the existing title.6Ohio.gov. Surviving Spouse Affidavit Form BMV 3773
If the title carried a transfer-on-death (TOD) beneficiary, that person applies using Form BMV 3774 with the original title (if available) and a certified death certificate. Without a spouse claim or TOD designation, the vehicle is part of the estate, and the executor or administrator transfers title with probate court approval by presenting certified Letters of Authority to the Clerk of Courts.7Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4505.10 – Certificate of Title When Ownership Changed by Operation of Law
Having Someone Else Apply for You
To authorize a representative, complete Form BMV 3771, the Ohio Motor Vehicle Power of Attorney. It requires the vehicle year, make, model, and VIN, plus the representative’s name and address. Both your signature and the representative’s acknowledgment must be notarized.8Ohio.gov. Power of Attorney Form BMV 3771 Your representative brings the power of attorney with Form BMV 3774 and payment to the Clerk of Courts.
Applying From Out of State
Ohio residents living temporarily out of state can apply by mail. Complete Form BMV 3774, have it notarized in your current state (Ohio accepts out-of-state notarizations), and mail it with the fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Clerk of Courts in the Ohio county where the vehicle is titled.9Ohio BMV. Title Replacement and Duplicate If the vehicle was last titled in another state, Ohio cannot issue a duplicate; contact that state’s titling agency.
If the Original Turns Up Later
Once Ohio issues a duplicate, the original certificate is void. If you later find it, you are required to turn it in to the Clerk of Courts for cancellation, and the application form itself contains language agreeing to that surrender.2Ohio.gov. Application for Certificate of Title to a Motor Vehicle Form BMV 3774 Do not try to use both. Holding two titles for the same vehicle causes problems on any future sale or transfer.