How to replace a lost car title in every state

The steps are the same everywhere

1. 1

   Find the VIN and title number

   The forms ask for the 17-character VIN, and you don’t need the lost title to find it: it’s on the lower left of the windshield and on your registration card, and it may be on your insurance card. Many forms also want the title number, which is printed on the one thing you don’t have: the title. Dig out any photo or copy you kept. Connecticut, Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma and Texas let you leave the title number blank.
2. 2

   Deal with any loan first

   Still paying off the car? Call the lender before you apply: in many states the duplicate goes to the lender, or only the lender can apply. If your title is electronic, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan and Wisconsin can’t print a paper copy of it. If the loan is paid off, get the lender’s lien release (their letter saying it’s paid) and send it with the form.
3. 3

   Fill in your state’s form

   Every owner on the title usually signs. Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Washington and Wyoming want the signatures notarized; some of them also let you sign in front of agency staff at the office instead.
4. 4

   Send it with the fee

   You can apply online in 17 states and DC. Everywhere else, mail it or take it to an office.
5. 5

   Wait for the copy

   It can be the same day at a Michigan or South Carolina office, for a higher fee, or about 3 to 4 weeks in Illinois. If the old title turns up later, don’t use it: in Texas and New York the duplicate voids it, and Wisconsin wants you to hand it in.

What a duplicate title costs

The fee is the easy part: 28 states charge less than $20. Oregon has no separate charge for a duplicate: it charges its full title fee, $101 or more depending on the car’s MPG rating. Some counties and card payments add their own fee on top of the state’s.

Every state at a glance