PA Form MV-39 is PennDOT’s “Notification of Assignment/Correction of Vehicle Title Upon Death of Owner,” and it is the paperwork you use to move a Pennsylvania vehicle title out of a deceased owner’s name when no executor or administrator has been appointed through probate. The sections you complete, the fees you pay, and the documents you attach all depend on how the vehicle was titled and whether there is a surviving spouse, a will, or neither.
When You Need MV-39 and When You Don’t
Use MV-39 whenever a title needs to be corrected or reassigned because the owner has died and no executor or administrator has been formally appointed. That covers most family transfers: a surviving co-owner keeping the car, a spouse inheriting under intestacy, adult children splitting ownership, or a named beneficiary under an unprobated will.
You do not need MV-39 if an executor or administrator has already been appointed by the Register of Wills, or if a court has issued an order under Pennsylvania’s family exemption or small estate procedure. In those cases, the executor assigns the title on the back and attaches a Short Form Certificate from the Register of Wills. One exception: even with an executor in place, MV-39 is still required if the vehicle will be titled in the name of the estate rather than transferred directly to an individual.
Joint Owners With Right of Survivorship
This is the simplest situation. When a vehicle is titled jointly with right of survivorship, ownership passes automatically to the surviving co-owner. Married couples hold title as tenants by the entireties, which carries survivorship built in. The surviving owner does not assign the title on the back. Instead, complete Sections A, B, C, G, H (if the vehicle will stay registered), and I of Form MV-39.
Attach proof of death and the existing title with no entries on the reverse side. If the joint owners were spouses, no title fee is charged. Joint owners who were not married owe the standard title fee. The registration transfers automatically into the surviving owner’s name at no additional cost, but you still need to enter your insurance company name, policy number, and coverage dates on the form.
If the surviving joint owner then wants to sell or give the vehicle to someone else, the title must be assigned at that point and Form MV-4ST (the sales tax form) is also required.
Surviving Spouse or Family Without a Will
When the deceased owner held the title alone and left no will, Pennsylvania follows a hierarchy for who can claim the vehicle. A surviving spouse has first priority. If there is a surviving spouse, that spouse and all adult children (18 or older) must assign the title and complete MV-39. Every heir lists their name, address, relationship to the deceased, and age in Section D, and all signatures must be notarized. Form MV-4ST is also required.
No title fee applies when the vehicle transfers to the surviving spouse. If it goes to a child or other heir instead, the standard title fee applies. The registration plate can be transferred under Section 1314 of the Vehicle Code, and the decedent’s registration card should be attached to the submission.
No Spouse and No Will
Without a surviving spouse or a will, every adult heir in the highest-priority class must sign. Pennsylvania’s order is:
- Adult children of the deceased, or if none;
- Parents of the deceased, or if none;
- Siblings of the deceased, or if none;
- Aunts and uncles (blood relatives only), or if none;
- First cousins (blood relatives only).
All heirs in the applicable tier, including guardians acting for any minors, must assign the title and provide their information in Section D. Every signature must be notarized. Both Form MV-4ST and the standard title fee are required. When more than two people need to sign, MV-39 provides a continuation sheet in Section D (Part II) for additional signatures.
This is where things get slow in practice. Tracking down every sibling or cousin and collecting notarized signatures can take months. If the family is spread out, appointing an administrator through the Register of Wills may be faster, since it lets one person handle the transfer with a Short Form Certificate instead of collecting signatures from everyone.
A Will but No Executor Appointed
If the deceased left a will naming who gets the vehicle but no executor has been appointed, the transfer can still go through MV-39, but only if the will passes ownership to a surviving spouse, children, or parents. The person receiving the vehicle assigns the title, and a copy of the will is attached along with the completed MV-39 and Form MV-4ST.
No title fee applies when the vehicle goes to the surviving spouse. Transfers to children or parents require the fee. This path does not work if the will leaves the vehicle to a friend, a charity, or a more distant relative; in that case, an executor must be appointed to handle the transfer through probate.
Titling the Vehicle to the Estate
Sometimes the goal is to hold the vehicle in the estate’s name while the estate is being settled. MV-39 handles this even when an executor has been appointed. Complete Sections A, B, C, G, H (if the vehicle will be registered), and I. The title does not need to be assigned on the back, and no registration transfer fee applies. The current registration automatically moves into the estate’s name.
Once titled to the estate, the registration can be renewed once by the executor or administrator. A spouse, parent, or child who lived in the decedent’s household can renew without limit while the estate remains open, pending court approval of the final account. The standard title fee still applies.
Proof of Death
Every MV-39 submission needs proof that the owner has died. PennDOT accepts two options:
- An original death certificate. Not a photocopy. PennDOT is firm on this.
- A physician or funeral director certification. Section G of MV-39 includes a space where the attending physician or funeral director prints their name, signs, and enters the date of death.
The Section G option is genuinely useful. Death certificates can take weeks to arrive from the county, and each certified copy costs money. If the funeral home will sign Section G, you can get the transfer moving without waiting.
Fees
- Certificate of title: $72.00. Required for most transfers. Waived when the vehicle goes to a surviving spouse.
- Registration plate transfer: $11.00. Required when moving the decedent’s plate to the new owner’s name. Not required for joint owners with right of survivorship when the title stays in the surviving co-owner’s name.
Current fees can be confirmed on PennDOT’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles Schedule of Fees (Form MV-70S), available on PennDOT’s website.
How to Submit the Paperwork
Mail the completed MV-39, the original title, proof of death, and any additional required forms (MV-4ST, copy of the will, and so on) to PennDOT’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles at P.O. Box 68597, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8597. Download the current version of MV-39 from PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website. Confirm every required section is completed before mailing; a missing notarized signature or a forgotten MV-4ST will send the whole package back.
Driving the Vehicle While the Transfer Is Pending
Pennsylvania law lets heirs and personal representatives keep driving the vehicle while the title transfer is in process. Under 75 Pa. C.S. § 1315, the vehicle may be operated by or on behalf of any heir or personal representative for the rest of the current registration period and the entire next registration period, as long as the registration is renewed in the decedent’s name or the estate’s name. A spouse, parent, or child who qualifies for the family exemption can keep renewing in the estate’s name until the court approves the final account. Keep the registration current and insurance in force on the vehicle throughout the transfer period.