How to Get a Wyoming Bonded Title: Steps, Fees, and Waivers

A Wyoming bonded title is the state’s workaround when you own a vehicle but cannot produce a properly assigned prior title or a bill of sale the county clerk will accept. You get one by filing an application packet with your local county clerk that includes a WYDOT title search, a law-enforcement VIN inspection, a notarized Affidavit of Vehicle Ownership, and, for vehicles valued at $2,500 or more, a surety bond equal to twice the vehicle’s retail value.¹

When You Need a Bonded Title

The bonded title process is for situations where the paper chain is broken. Common examples include buying from a private seller who never signed over the title, inheriting a vehicle with no paperwork, or discovering the title was lost before ownership was properly recorded.¹ It applies to motor vehicles and watercraft. County clerks have some discretion over what documentation they’ll accept in place of a title, so a call to your clerk’s office before you spend money is worthwhile.²

If the Vehicle Is Worth Less Than $2,500, Skip the Bond

Wyoming does not require a surety bond for vehicles valued under $2,500. The clerk can issue a title based on an affidavit of ownership, a notarized bill of sale, a certified value statement from a licensed Wyoming dealer, and a VIN inspection.¹ You still complete most of the same paperwork: the VIN inspection on Form MV-300A, a WYDOT title search on Form MV-220, and the Affidavit of Vehicle Ownership on Form MV-147. If the search identifies any lienholders, you must notify them by certified letter and get a lien release before the clerk will process the application.³

Step 1: Order a Title Search From WYDOT

Everything else depends on this. Submit Form MV-220 to the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Services division along with a copy of the VIN inspection and a color photo of the vehicle. The search fee is $15, payable to WYDOT.⁴

WYDOT will try to identify any prior owners and lienholders on record. If liens turn up, you must send each lienholder a certified letter requesting release, and include a copy of the letter and the return receipt in your final packet.² Send a certified letter to the previous owner as well, asking for a title transfer. The clerk wants to see that you made a real effort to resolve the ownership gap before falling back on a bond.

Step 2: Get the VIN Inspected

A law enforcement officer must physically inspect the vehicle, verify the VIN on the chassis matches your paperwork, look for signs of tampering, and confirm the vehicle is not reported stolen. The inspection is recorded on the VIN inspection section of Form MV-300A.² County sheriff’s offices and the Wyoming Highway Patrol typically handle these.

The statutory fee is $10. A hull identification number inspection for watercraft can be done at the same time under the same $10 fee.⁵

Step 3: Buy the Surety Bond

For vehicles worth $2,500 or more, the bond amount must be at least double the vehicle’s retail value.¹ A truck appraised at $8,000 needs a $16,000 bond. Because the bond-required threshold starts at $2,500, the practical floor for a bond is $5,000 in coverage.

Documenting the Vehicle’s Value

You can establish value using a current national appraisal guide such as NADA or Kelley Blue Book, a current or past registration showing a value, or a certified written statement from a licensed Wyoming vehicle dealer.¹ A dealer appraisal is often the better route for older or unusual vehicles that don’t show up in the standard guides.

Where to Get the Bond

The bond must be issued by a surety company authorized to do business in Wyoming or by individual sureties who meet the qualifications in state law.¹ You don’t pay the full bond amount. You pay a premium, usually 1% to 3% of the bond’s face value for applicants with good credit. On that $16,000 bond, expect to pay somewhere between $160 and $480.

Check the VIN and your legal name on the bond against your application before you leave the surety company’s office. One wrong digit means a rejected packet and a reissued bond.

Step 4: File the Application Packet With Your County Clerk

The main form is MV-300A, the Application for Certificate of Title and VIN/HIN Inspection Form. It combines the title application with the VIN inspection section the officer completes.⁶ You also complete the Affidavit of Vehicle Ownership (Form MV-147), signed under penalty of perjury and notarized. The affidavit asks for a full description of the vehicle, how you acquired it, the previous owner’s name and address, and disclosure of any known liens.¹

Bring the complete package to your local county clerk’s office:

Form MV-300A, with the law-enforcement VIN inspection section signed
Form MV-147, notarized
WYDOT’s response to your title search on Form MV-220
The original surety bond document, if the vehicle is worth $2,500 or more
Copies of certified letters sent to identified lienholders or prior owners, with return receipts
Value documentation (NADA or Kelley Blue Book printout, or dealer appraisal)

Fees and Taxes

Plan for these costs:

Title fee: $15 for an original certificate of title⁵
VIN inspection fee: $10⁵
Title search fee: $15 to WYDOT⁴
Sales and use tax: 4% state rate plus any county local option tax, applied based on where you live
Surety bond premium: typically 1% to 3% of the bond amount

Add it all up and a bonded title on a $10,000 vehicle usually runs somewhere in the $250 to $650 range once bond premium, government fees, and sales tax are included.

What the Bonded Brand Means and How to Clear It

Once the clerk approves your application, the state issues a certificate of title with a “Bonded” notation. The brand tells anyone running a title history that the original ownership chain had a gap. The bond stays active for three years, giving any legitimate prior owner or lienholder a window to come forward with a claim.

After the three years pass without a successful claim, you can apply to remove the bonded designation and get a clean title. It’s worth doing before you try to sell, because some buyers will walk away from a bonded title or offer less for it.

If Someone Claims Against the Bond

The bond protects the claimant, not you. If a rightful prior owner or lienholder files a valid claim during the three-year period, the surety company pays damages up to the full bond amount, and then you owe the surety that money back. The bond is a payment guarantee, not insurance that absorbs the loss on your behalf. The certified-letter steps earlier in the process matter here: documented good-faith efforts to find prior owners and lienholders reduce your exposure to a surprise claim later.

The Restoration Waiver for Inoperable Vehicles

Wyoming offers one meaningful exception to the bond requirement. If the vehicle was not operational when you bought it and could not have been made operational without substantial mechanical repairs, and you’re restoring it for personal use, the county clerk may waive the surety bond even if the vehicle is worth $2,500 or more.⁷ The resulting title carries a “Non-Transferable for 180 Days From the Date Title Issued” restriction, so you cannot sell or transfer the vehicle for six months. It’s a good fit for project cars you plan to keep; it’s not a workaround for anyone looking to flip the vehicle.

1
FindLaw. Wyoming Code 31-2-105 – Duplicate Titles; Affidavit of Vehicle Ownership
2
Wyoming Department of Transportation. Bonded Titles
3
Wyoming Department of Transportation. Wyoming Affidavit of Vehicle Ownership
4
Wyoming Department of Transportation. Title Search Form MV-220
5
Justia Law. Wyoming Statutes 31-3-102 – Miscellaneous Fees
6
Wyoming Department of Transportation. Application for Certificate of Title and VIN/HIN Inspection Form
7
Teton County Clerk. Bonded Title Checklist