The Expert Podcast

Thank you for your order from cartitles.com. Your package for the court order title documentation has a number of different documents in it, so here's some basic information to get you started.

First of all, look for on the top page of your package a checklist of the steps you need to go through for the court order title. First of all, there are several forms that you will need to sign. The one thing we can't do is sign your name for you. You have to sign your name, and almost every county in the country requires an ink-on-paper signature to submit the package to the county clerk, the court clerk, to start the court order title process.

Now, keep in mind that every court is going to be a little bit different, and even from week to week and month to month, the exact requirements of the court may change. This is why it's very important to get your package filed with the court as soon as possible. There may be some other steps you need to take; for example, file a vehicle history request with your DMV on the DPPA form that's included in your package. You may be required to send out notices to prior owners that may be in your package, but if you start that petition filing with the court as soon as possible, it'll start the clock ticking on getting your file in front of the judge or magistrate.

Now remember, we're not attorneys; we're not giving you legal advice. The court will advise you on what they're going to need and what they don't need. We recommend that you file the petition and the affidavit without a great deal of supporting documentation. Let the court ask you for supporting documents. At some point, you may need to submit the prior history report that you get from the DMV, but wait until they ask for it to be submitted. File the petition as soon as possible. At the same time, file the request for the DMV to get that prior owner report back to you. Don't wait until you get that back to submit to the court.

Here's why: most counties in the country will have a week or so of lag time to give you a hearing date and a response date. You want to get them started on scheduling you on the docket, on the court calendar, and on the schedule as soon as you can. That way, while they're doing their end, maybe they're going to do some research on the vehicle, or maybe they're going to do some other backgrounding. You can do things like request a history report, pull together documentation, and get that court filing started as soon as you can.

Now, how do you do that? In your package, there will be an address for your court. We recommend mailing it to that address. Don't go in person; don't, you know, go to the courthouse. They want as few people in the courthouse as possible, and if you do it by mail, maybe that's a day of bringing it in person, but that way, if they do need something, they can contact you rather than confusing them with information if you walk in the door.

Again, this is general information. There are 3,611 counties in the country. Every county is a little different. What you want to do is get that thing filed; that way, they can tell you how they prefer to do it. In fact, different magistrates in the same county may have different preferences on how they want to proceed with your case, so get it filed and let them tell you what they need.

Be prepared for a few things: they may require you to do a VIN verification; have a police officer come look at the vehicle and verify the VIN number. They may also require you to take a picture of the VIN number to prove you're in possession of the vehicle, so take a photo of your VIN number as soon as you can. Make sure you have a valid ID. If your driver's license is expired, get it renewed because you may need it.

Remember, once you get that judgment of ownership from the court, if they give it to you, you're going to need to file that with the DMV, and there's also paperwork in your package for the DMV title application as well. Get that form filed. If you do have questions that aren't answered in this video or in your package, email, or help desk, help@cartitles.com is the email. You can see that on the screen. You can call us up too, but remember that our title processors are on hold all the time with the DMV, so if you email, a lot of times they can answer you back much quicker by email than if you call in and wait for them to be off the phone with the DMV. You can usually get a faster answer by email because while they're on hold with the DMV, which they are all day, they can still answer emails. It's harder for them to answer a phone call. So use the email. If you do request a phone call, put that in your message and we'll get back to you, but get that paperwork started. We're glad to be of assistance. We know how hard it is to get titles, and we'd like to eliminate the bureaucracy as much as we can.