Michigan Vehicle Title: Deadlines, Transfers, and Corrections

A Michigan vehicle title transfer has to happen within 15 days of the sale. The buyer takes the signed-over title to a Secretary of State (SOS) office, files an Application for Michigan Vehicle Title (Form TR-11L), and pays a $15 title fee plus 6% use tax on the purchase price or the vehicle’s retail value, whichever is higher.¹ Miss the window and you owe another $15 as a late fee, and the vehicle is treated as unregistered until the paperwork clears.²

The 15-Day Deadline and What a Lapse Costs

The clock starts on the sale date the seller writes into the title assignment. Until you file the transfer with the SOS, the vehicle is technically unregistered, and the SOS has authority to repossess the plates during that gap.² The $15 late fee is a flat add-on regardless of how many days late you are.

Buying from a Michigan dealership shifts most of this off your plate. The dealer files the title paperwork with the SOS on your behalf. In a private sale, the entire burden is on the buyer.

What the Seller Signs, What the Buyer Files

Before the buyer walks into the SOS, the seller has to complete the assignment section on the back of the title. That includes the sale date, the purchase price, and an odometer reading if the vehicle isn’t exempt. If a lender financed the vehicle, the lienholder’s information also goes on the transfer application, and the new title reflects the lien.

At the SOS office the buyer brings:

The title, properly assigned and signed by the seller
A completed Application for Michigan Vehicle Title (Form TR-11L)
A Michigan driver’s license or state ID
Proof of Michigan no-fault insurance if you plan to register and plate the vehicle

Fees due at the counter: $15 for the title transfer, 6% use tax, the late fee if applicable, and any registration and plate charges you choose to add.¹

Odometer Disclosure

Federal law requires the seller to disclose the odometer reading at the time of sale, but not every vehicle qualifies. Model year 2010 and earlier vehicles are exempt once they are at least 10 years old. Model year 2011 and newer vehicles are exempt at 20 years. Vehicles with a gross weight rating over 16,000 pounds and vehicles that aren’t self-propelled are also exempt from the disclosure requirement.³

Titling a Vehicle You Bought Out of State

If the vehicle was titled in another state, you’re not transferring a Michigan title, you’re converting one. The 15-day rule still governs. Bring to the SOS:

The out-of-state title, assigned to you by the seller
Your driver’s license or state ID
Proof of Michigan no-fault insurance
The out-of-state registration if you have it
A lien termination statement or a title signed by the lienholder, if a lien applied

When an out-of-state lender still holds the title, you can present a photocopy or fax of the title, a memo title, a recently validated title application, or the vehicle record printed on the issuing state’s DMV letterhead. In that case the SOS issues a memo registration rather than a Michigan title, and the out-of-state title stays as your ownership document until the lien is cleared.⁴

Transfers Between Family Members Skip the Use Tax

Michigan waives the 6% use tax when the vehicle passes between qualifying relatives. The $15 title fee still applies. Qualifying relationships include:

Spouse
Parent, natural or adoptive
Child, natural or adopted
Brother or sister
Grandparent or grandchild
Step-parent, step-child, step-brother, or step-sister
Legal ward or legally appointed guardian, with a certified guardianship letter
In-laws

One catch trips families up. Step-relationships qualify only if the marriage that created them is still intact, or if the parent died while married. If the parent divorced before the title transfer, the step-relationship no longer qualifies for the exemption.¹

Transferring a Title After the Owner Dies

When a titled owner dies, the registration remains valid through the end of the registration year, which gives the family room to sort out ownership.⁵ The transfer path depends on whether the estate goes to probate.

If the total value of all vehicles the deceased owned is under a statutory dollar threshold, a surviving spouse or heir can skip probate by filing a Certification from the Heir to a Vehicle (Form TR-29). The heir brings a copy of the death certificate, certifies that the estate is not being probated and won’t be, and provides a lien termination statement if any lienholder appears on the title. Beginning in 2026, that dollar threshold is adjusted annually for cost of living, so confirm the current figure with the SOS before filing.⁵

If the estate is in probate, the personal representative transfers the vehicle by giving the SOS proof of authority to act for the estate, the assigned title, and the standard transfer documents.

Salvage, Rebuilt, Assembled, and Bonded Titles Are Different Transactions

A standard title transfer assumes the vehicle carries a clean or lien title. Several other title types require their own process before you can complete a normal transfer.

A salvage title is issued when an insurer pays a total loss claim and repair costs run between 75% and 90% of the vehicle’s pre-damage value. A scrap title is issued when repairs would cost 91% or more, and it limits who can buy the vehicle.⁶ A salvage title lets you possess and transport the vehicle but not drive it on public roads. Turning it into a rebuilt salvage title requires a state inspection: Form TR-13A, the salvage title, and receipts for all major parts. An inspector reviews the paperwork and schedules an in-person inspection that costs up to $100, and a licensed mechanic with both structural repair and collision-related mechanical repair certifications has to sign off on the work. The rebuilt salvage title carries a permanent label so any future buyer sees the history.⁷

Vehicles built from parts of multiple vehicles or from kits fall under the assembled vehicle category.⁸ Titling one requires ownership documents for every major part (engine, transmission, body, frame, or their equivalents on motorcycles and trailers), a written certification describing the vehicle and who assembled it, a VIN inspection by a Michigan police officer, and a final state inspection by a Department of State regulation agent before a new VIN is assigned. New VIN assignment is $10, and use tax is owed on any parts where tax wasn’t paid at the time of purchase.⁴

If you have the vehicle but can’t produce a properly assigned title or other proof of ownership, a bonded title is the fallback. You file a Vehicle Uniform Surety Bond (Form TR-121) equal to twice the vehicle’s value, and the bond stays in force for three years to protect anyone with a prior claim.⁹ You also need a Self-Certification of Vehicle Ownership (Form TR-205), proof of Michigan no-fault insurance, and a VIN inspection (Form TR-54) by a Michigan law enforcement agency if the vehicle has no existing Michigan record. Use tax is 6% of the vehicle’s value (half the bond amount) or the purchase price, whichever is higher. The bond premium itself depends on the vehicle’s value and your credit.

Fixing Errors on the New Title

Misspelled names and wrong addresses on a fresh title are common. To correct one, every owner listed on the title has to appear at an SOS office together with a valid license or state ID, the current title, and an official document supporting the change, such as a marriage certificate, court order, or updated license. The correction fee is $15. Correcting the registration is free.⁴

1
State of Michigan. Transferring a Vehicle Title to a Relative
2
Michigan Legislature. MCL-300-1949-II-TRANSFERS-OF-TITLE-OR-INTEREST
3
eCFR. Part 580 Odometer Disclosure Requirements
4
State of Michigan. Titles
5
Michigan Legislature. MCL 257.236
6
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Vehicle Code 257.217c
7
State of Michigan. TR-13a Application for Salvage Vehicle Inspection
8
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 257.217i
9
State of Michigan. TR-121 Vehicle Uniform Surety Bond