Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

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625 ILCS 5/3-104

(625 ILCS 5/3-104) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 3-104)

Sec. 3-104. Application for certificate of title.

(a) The application for a certificate of title for a vehicle in this
State must be made by the owner to the Secretary of State on the form
prescribed and must contain:

1. The name, Illinois residence or Illinois place of

business, mail address, and, if available, email address of the owner. For the purposes of this subsection "Illinois place of business" means an Illinois location leased or owned by a business, or in the case of an insurance carrier, their contracted salvage disposal vendor;

2. A description of the vehicle including, so far as

the following data exists: Its make, year-model, identifying number, type of body, whether new or used, as to house trailers as defined in Section 1-128 of this Code, and as to manufactured homes as defined in Section 1-144.03 of this Code, the square footage based upon the outside dimensions excluding the length of the tongue and hitch, and, as to vehicles of the second division, whether for-hire, not-for-hire, or both for-hire and not-for-hire;

3. The date of purchase by applicant and, if

applicable, the name and address of the person from whom the vehicle was acquired and the names and addresses of any lienholders in the order of their priority and signatures of owners;

4. The current odometer reading at the time of

transfer and that the stated odometer reading is one of the following: actual mileage, not the actual mileage or mileage is in excess of its mechanical limits; and

5. Any further information the Secretary of State

reasonably requires to identify the vehicle and to enable him to determine whether the owner is entitled to a certificate of title and the existence or nonexistence of security interests in the vehicle.

(a-5) The Secretary of State shall designate on the prescribed application form a space where the owner of a vehicle may designate a beneficiary, to whom ownership of the vehicle shall pass in the event of the owner's death.

(b) If the application refers to a vehicle purchased from a dealer,
it must also be signed by the dealer as well as the owner, and the dealer must
promptly mail or deliver the application and required documents to the
Secretary of State.

(c) If the application refers to a vehicle last previously
registered in another State or country, the application must contain or
be accompanied by:

1. Any certified document of ownership so recognized

and issued by the other State or country and acceptable to the Secretary of State, and

2. Any other information and documents the Secretary

of State reasonably requires to establish the ownership of the vehicle and the existence or nonexistence of security interests in it.

(d) If the application refers to a new vehicle it must be
accompanied by the Manufacturer's Statement of Origin, or other documents
as required and acceptable by the Secretary of State, with such
assignments as may be necessary to show title in the applicant.

(e) If an application refers to a vehicle rebuilt from a vehicle
previously salvaged, that application shall comply with the provisions
set forth in Sections 3-302 through 3-304 of this Code.

(f) An application for a certificate of title for any vehicle,
whether purchased in Illinois or outside Illinois, and even if
previously registered in another State, must be accompanied by either an
exemption determination from the Department of Revenue showing that no
tax imposed pursuant to the Use Tax Act or the vehicle use tax imposed by
Section 3-1001 of the Illinois Vehicle Code is owed by anyone with respect to
that vehicle, or a receipt from the Department of Revenue showing that any tax
so imposed has been paid.  An application for a certificate of title for any
vehicle purchased outside Illinois, even if previously registered in another
state, must be accompanied by either an exemption determination from the
Department of Revenue showing that no tax imposed pursuant to the Municipal Use
Tax Act or the County Use Tax Act is owed by anyone with respect to that
vehicle, or a receipt from the Department of Revenue showing that any tax so
imposed has been paid.  In the absence of such a receipt for payment or
determination of exemption from the Department, no certificate of title shall
be issued to the applicant.

If the proof of payment of the tax or of nonliability therefor is,
after the issuance of the certificate of title and display certificate
of title, found to be invalid, the Secretary of State shall revoke the
certificate and require that the certificate of title and, when
applicable, the display certificate of title be returned to him.

(g) If the application refers to a vehicle not manufactured in
accordance with federal safety and emission standards, the application must
be accompanied by all documents required by federal governmental
agencies to meet their standards before a vehicle is allowed to be issued
title and registration.

(h) If the application refers to a vehicle sold at public sale by a
sheriff, it must be accompanied by the required fee and a bill of sale
issued and signed by a sheriff.  The bill of sale must identify the new
owner's name and address, the year model, make and vehicle identification
number of the vehicle, court order document number authorizing such sale,
if applicable, and the name and address of any lienholders in order of
priority, if applicable.

(i) If the application refers to a vehicle for which a court of law
determined the ownership, it must be accompanied with a certified copy of
such court order and the required fee.  The court order must indicate the
new owner's name and address, the complete description of the vehicle, if
known, the name and address of the lienholder, if any, and must be signed
and dated by the judge issuing such order.

(j) If the application refers to a vehicle sold at public auction pursuant
to the Labor and Storage Lien (Small Amount) Act, it must be
accompanied by an affidavit or affirmation furnished by the Secretary of
State along with the
documents described in the affidavit or affirmation and the required fee.

(k) The Secretary may provide an expedited process for the issuance of vehicle titles.  Expedited title applications must be delivered to the Secretary of State's Vehicle Services Department in Springfield by express mail service or hand delivery.  Applications must be complete, including necessary forms, fees, and taxes.  Applications received before noon on a business day will be processed and shipped that same day.  Applications received after noon on a business day will be processed and shipped the next business day.  The Secretary shall charge an additional fee of $30 for this service, and that fee shall cover the cost of return shipping via an express mail service.  All fees collected by the Secretary of State for expedited services shall be deposited into the Motor Vehicle License Plate Fund. In the event the Vehicle Services Department determines that the volume of expedited title requests received on a given day exceeds the ability of the Vehicle Services Department to process those requests in an expedited manner, the Vehicle Services Department may decline to provide expedited services, and the additional fee for the expedited service shall be refunded to the applicant.

(l) If the application refers to a homemade trailer, (i) it must be accompanied by the appropriate documentation regarding the source of materials used in the construction of the trailer, as required by the Secretary of State, (ii) the trailer must be inspected by a Secretary of State employee prior to the issuance of the title, and (iii) upon approval of the Secretary of State, the trailer must have a vehicle identification number, as provided by the Secretary of State, stamped or riveted to the frame.

(m) The holder of a Manufacturer's Statement of Origin to a manufactured home may deliver it to any person to facilitate conveying or encumbering the manufactured home.  Any person receiving any such Manufacturer's Statement of Origin so delivered holds it in trust for the person delivering it.

(n) Within 45 days after the completion of the first retail sale of a manufactured home, the Manufacturer's Statement of Origin to that manufactured home must be surrendered to the Secretary of State either in conjunction with an application for a certificate of title for that manufactured home or in accordance with Section 3-116.1.

(o)   Each application for certificate of title for a motor vehicle shall be verified by the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) for a vehicle history report prior to the Secretary issuing a certificate of title.

(p) The Secretary, at the Secretary's discretion, may use any commercially available title history service to assist in determining the proper title designation of a motor vehicle before the issuance of a certificate of title.

(Source: P.A. 102-154, eff. 1-1-22; 103-202, eff. 1-1-24.)