West Virginia DMV-1-TR Title Application: Form, Fees, and Filing

The West Virginia DMV-1-TR title application is the form you file to get a Certificate of Title for a motor vehicle, trailer, or recreational vehicle in West Virginia, whether you bought the vehicle, moved into the state with one, or need to correct or replace an existing title. You can download the fillable PDF from the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles website or pick up a paper copy at any regional DMV office.¹ Every motor vehicle driven on a West Virginia highway must be titled and registered, and this form starts both processes at once.

What to Have in Hand Before You Start

Gather everything before you begin filling in fields. What you need depends on how you acquired the vehicle, but a few items apply in nearly every case.

The previous title, signed over to you on the back, or the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO) from a dealer if the vehicle is new.
Proof of insurance in effect on the vehicle. You can attach a Certificate of Insurance (Form WV-1) or complete the insurance certification section on the DMV-1-TR itself.²
A notarized bill of sale, plus copies of both parties’ driver’s licenses, if the vehicle is more than two model years old and you paid less than 50 percent of the NADA Clean Loan Book value.¹
The out-of-state title, if the vehicle was previously titled elsewhere.
The dealer invoice, if you bought from an out-of-state dealer or the dealer certification block on the DMV-1-TR is blank.
A check or money order payable to the Division of Motor Vehicles. No cash. A bounced check triggers a $10 service charge.

Filling Out the Form Section by Section

Use blue or black ink on the paper form, or type into the fillable PDF. The form has four working areas: vehicle description, owner information, lien details, and signatures with certifications.

Vehicle Description

Start with the 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number. You’ll find it on a metal plate at the base of the windshield on the driver’s side, or on the driver’s door jamb. Copy it carefully. A single wrong digit will send the application back. Enter year, make, and body style next, then fuel type, which the DMV uses for registration classification and for the hybrid or electric surcharge.

Owner Information

Enter the legal name, mailing address including county, and Social Security Number or Federal Employer Identification Number for every person who will be on the title. If two people will be listed, choose “and” or “or” between the names deliberately. “And” requires both owners’ signatures for any future transfer. “Or” lets either owner act alone.

Lien Information

If a bank, credit union, or other lender financed the purchase, enter the lienholder’s full name and complete mailing address including zip code. An incomplete lienholder address is one of the more common reasons applications get kicked back. Leave the section blank if there is no lien.

Odometer Disclosure

Federal law requires you to record the odometer reading at the time of transfer. Enter the exact mileage. If the odometer has rolled past its mechanical limit, check the box indicating the stated mileage exceeds the instrument’s capacity. If you have reason to believe the reading is inaccurate, check the “not actual mileage” box. Falsifying an odometer reading is a federal crime under 49 U.S.C. § 32709, with civil penalties of up to $10,000 per vehicle (capped at $1 million for a related series of violations) and criminal penalties of up to three years in prison.³

Signatures

Every owner listed must sign. If the previous title reads “and” between owners, both prior owners had to sign it over to you as well. Your signature certifies, under penalty of false swearing, that everything on the application is accurate and that a motor vehicle liability insurance policy is in effect on the vehicle. Under West Virginia rule, the DMV can refuse to issue a title, revoke one already issued, or refer a fraudulent application for criminal prosecution.⁴

What You’ll Pay

Your payment covers three things: sales tax, fixed title and lien fees, and registration. Combine everything into a single check or money order.

Sales Tax

West Virginia imposes a 6 percent sales tax on motor vehicle purchases.⁵ What the tax is calculated on depends on how and where you bought the vehicle:

New vehicles and used vehicles from dealers: 6 percent of the actual purchase price the dealer certifies.⁶
Used vehicles two model years old or newer, from a private seller: 6 percent of the fair market value from a nationally recognized value guide, regardless of what you paid.
Used vehicles more than two model years old, from a private seller: if your price is 50 percent or more of the guide value, tax is based on your price; if it falls below 50 percent, tax is based on the guide value unless you provide a notarized bill of sale that the DMV may verify.⁶
Vehicles with a net purchase price under $500: a flat $30 instead of 6 percent.¹

If you traded in a vehicle that was already titled in West Virginia and on which you previously paid the sales tax, the trade-in value is deducted from the purchase price before the tax is calculated. The credit only applies to vehicles titled in West Virginia with taxes already paid by the same applicant.⁵

Title and Lien Fees

Title fee: $15.
Lien recording fee: $10, only if a lienholder is listed.¹

Registration

A standard graphic plate for a Class A passenger vehicle (10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight or less) costs $51.50. Specialty plates run from $61.50 to $86.50 for a new plate, depending on the design. Hybrid vehicles pay an extra $100 per year; fully electric or alternative fuel vehicles pay an extra $200 per year on top of the plate fee. A first-time two-year registration costs the new plate price plus the renewal price combined.⁷

How to Submit

You have two options: mail it or bring it in.

By mail, send the completed DMV-1-TR, all supporting documents, and your payment to:

Division of Motor Vehicles
5707 MacCorkle Avenue, SE
PO Box 17710
Charleston, WV 25317¹

In person, take everything to any regional DMV office. Staff can check the paperwork on the spot and issue registration plates and stickers immediately. If you mail the application, plates and stickers arrive separately after processing.

Keep a copy of everything you submit. To check on a title that hasn’t shown up, call 1-800-642-9066 in West Virginia, or 304-558-3900 from out of state.⁸

Situations That Change the Rules

You Just Moved to West Virginia

New residents have 30 days after establishing residency to title and register. The state presumes residency once you register to vote, enroll a child in public school, take a job, receive public assistance, or remain in the state for more than 30 consecutive days, among other triggers.⁹ You surrender the out-of-state title with the DMV-1-TR and pay the $15 title fee, $10 lien fee if applicable, and $51.50 registration fee. The 6 percent sales tax applies even if you paid a similar tax in another state, unless a specific exemption fits your case.¹⁰

Gifts Between Family Members

A gifted vehicle usually requires an Affidavit of Transfer of Ownership Without Consideration (Form DMV-5-TR) along with the DMV-1-TR and the signed-over title. Transfers between parent and child, or between spouses, of vehicles already titled in West Virginia do not require the gift affidavit.¹

Active-Duty Military Stationed in West Virginia

Service members stationed in West Virginia are not considered residents for titling purposes as long as their vehicles are properly registered in their home state.⁹ Under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a service member’s personal property, including motor vehicles, cannot be taxed in the state where they are stationed solely due to military orders. The exemption covers licenses, fees, and excises related to motor vehicles, as long as those charges are paid in the state of domicile.¹¹

Vehicles You Won’t Drive on Public Roads

If you acquire a vehicle but don’t drive it or let anyone else drive it on public roads, you don’t have to register it right away. You still must forward the title with a completed DMV-1-TR to the DMV within 60 days of the transfer date to put the title in your name.¹²

1
West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles. Titles
2
West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles. DMV-1-TR Certificate for Title of Motor Vehicle
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32709 – Penalties and Enforcement
4
Cornell Law Institute. West Virginia Code R. 91-3-6 – Consequences and Penalties for Noncompliance, Fraud and Misconduct
5
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 11-15-3C – Imposition of Consumers Sales Tax on Motor Vehicle Sales
6
Legal Information Institute. West Virginia Code R. 91-9-3 – Determination of Tax Due Prior to Issuance of Title to a Vehicle
7
West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles. Registration Fees Brochure
8
West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles. Contact Us
9
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 17A-3-1A
10
West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles. New Residents
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 4001 – Residence for Tax Purposes
12
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 17A-4