# No trailer title ?



## Kjones05 (May 4, 2014)

I bought a boat last year with only titles for the boat and motor, not the trailer. I have been keeping the boat down on the coast so it has not been a problem because I have not been hauling it. I now have it back home getting prepared for duck season and looking into hunting different areas, which will require hauling the trailer around. 

My question is, has any one dealt with this? I know the best rule of thumb is to not purchase one without a title but I got a smoking deal on it and it hasn't been a problem until now. Will it be easier to look for a used trailer with a title and not deal with the head ache or is it even that bad? If it would be easier to file for a lost title where do I start?

Thanks


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

Trailers under 4k gvwr don't have titles in Texas. Just a registration and bill of sale will let you renew registration in your name.


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## Kjones05 (May 4, 2014)

You guys are correct the trailer does not have a title, just registration. It has played on it that have a sticker that expired in 2011. 

The guy I bought it from did not put the trailer in his name to avoid paying taxes because he lived on the water and lost the guys info the he bought it from. The guy he bought it from was the original owner and it is in his name. When I went down to the tax office to try to register it I have them the plate number and they said they could not give me the guys information. I don't know where to go from here.


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## paragod (Aug 25, 2006)

call me Monday


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## saltbranch (Apr 6, 2012)

Kjones05 said:


> You guys are correct the trailer does not have a title, just registration. It has played on it that have a sticker that expired in 2011.
> 
> The guy I bought it from did not put the trailer in his name to avoid paying taxes because he lived on the water and lost the guys info the he bought it from. The guy he bought it from was the original owner and it is in his name. When I went down to the tax office to try to register it I have them the plate number and they said they could not give me the guys information. I don't know where to go from here.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


IF the trailer is under 4k rating by MFG or Registered weight, it should not matter who is buying the tags. There is no title, ITs not in anyones name to transfer ownership from/to they should be able to issue tags for the plate number you got or being that its atleast a 2011 plate, give you a new plate with new tags. The plate office understands its under 4k rating right?


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## jjtroutkiller (Jan 28, 2005)

Times have changed with trailers, went through this a couple of years ago. If you cannot get ahold of the previous owner you will have to go through the courts to get resolved. It was not expensive but was time consuming. A judge had to rule that the state had no interest in the trailer then the tax office would issue the plates. Good luck


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

Dont transfer the motor. Thats a sucker tax.


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## RogerTherk (Aug 24, 2011)

register it has homemade and you can get plates


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

If a person that registers a trl. as Homemade, does this person have to provide receipts of materials bought to make said trailer?


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## jjtroutkiller (Jan 28, 2005)

V-Bottom said:


> If a person that registers a trl. as Homemade, does this person have to provide receipts of materials bought to make said trailer?


That is the way it was explained to me when I went through all of this a couple of years ago, I ended up having to file a suit against the DMV for 25$ and they responded by stating that they have no interest in the property. This judgment was the taken to the judge and I was then able to get the trailer registered in my name.

All of this and I even had a bill of sale from the original purchaser, problem was that he never registered it in his name and did not have the Manufacturer Certificate of Origin.


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## jjtroutkiller (Jan 28, 2005)

It was also explained that if I took a trailer to be inspected as a homemade trailer and it was obviously a factory built trailer that it would be confiscated.


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## saltbranch (Apr 6, 2012)

saltbranch said:


> IF the trailer is under 4k rating by MFG or Registered weight, it should not matter who is buying the tags. There is no title, ITs not in anyones name to transfer ownership from/to they should be able to issue tags for the plate number you got or being that its atleast a 2011 plate, give you a new plate with new tags. The plate office understands its under 4k rating right?


Is the trailer under 4k lbs?

http://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/trailers


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## TIMBOv2 (Mar 18, 2010)

jjtroutkiller said:


> It was also explained that if I took a trailer to be inspected as a homemade trailer and it was obviously a factory built trailer that it would be confiscated.


No sir this is incorrect. I just did mine last week. i was under the same assumption so I went to the court house, purchased a temporary tag to pull it to inspection place in Wharton for some reason. I was going to tag it as an abondoned boat trailer. Law official said I had done enough mods to it that he registered it as home made. took his paper work to CH and got my trailer tags/Registered in my name.:texasflag
I am guessing Wharton County is the only qualified Law Enforcement inspection around my area. IDK


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## jjtroutkiller (Jan 28, 2005)

That is just what I was told by the courts on Ft Bend county which is why I went through everything above. Good deal that at least the inspection station was not that strict.


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## 4x4tx (Nov 13, 2005)

Good info


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## 4x4tx (Nov 13, 2005)

sgrem said:


> Trailers under 4k gvwr don't have titles in Texas. Just a registration and bill of sale will let you renew registration in your name.


http://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/trailers

So Im going through this right now.

I have a title but numbnuts previous owner never registered title after he filled it out and then whited it out making it invalid. He doesn't have registration either....

First owner is no where to be found.

all I have is bill of sale...can I Just take the plate in there? What are my options


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## 4x4tx (Nov 13, 2005)

Tt 


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

I was going to buy a used trl. with no title. Went to the tax office and they gave me a form for ea. of us (seller and buyer) to fill out. It contained names, addresses, vin # and other tr. info. Seller provided a Bill of Sale and that was all their was to it. It was a factory built trl. Same size as mine. I could then transfer my trl.tags over to this trl. Process was easy enough. My trl. was going to be scrapped after taking parts from it.


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