Iowa Admin. Code r. 761-400.3 - Application for certificate of title or registration for a vehicle

(1) Application form. To apply for a certificate of title or registration for a vehicle, the owner of the vehicle shall complete an application form prescribed by the department, which may be electronic. In addition to the information required in Iowa Code section 321.20, the application shall include:
a. The plate number and plate type if the owner has registration plates that have been assigned to the owner and transferred to the vehicle.
b. The vehicle owner's month of birth, if applicable, subject to the following:
(1) If the vehicle is owned by one individual, the individual's month of birth determines the registration year.
(2) If the vehicle is owned by two or three individuals, the county treasurer selects the month of birth of one of the individuals to determine the registration year.
(3) If the vehicle is owned by a partnership, corporation, association, or governmental subdivision, the county treasurer selects the month to determine the registration year.
c. The model year of the vehicle.
d. The purchase or acquisition date and the purchase price.
e. The vehicle color. If the color is not already listed in the department's vehicle registration and titling system, then the county treasurer selects the color that most closely matches the application.
f. The date the vehicle was brought into Iowa, if the vehicle was registered in a foreign jurisdiction.
g. The owner's signature. If there are two or more owners, all owner signatures. The definition of "signature" in Iowa Code section 9B.2(15) applies.
h. If the vehicle has been sold to the owner by a dealer as defined in Iowa Code section 321.1 and the dealer collects the fees and forwards the application form under Iowa Code section 321.25(1), a dealer certification containing the dealer's number and signed by the dealer or an authorized representative of the dealer, including signature by electronic means, containing the following information:
(1) Sale price of the vehicle.
(2) The amounts allowed for property traded in.
(3) Nontaxable charges and rebates.
(4) The tax price of the vehicle.
(5) The date that a "Registration Applied For" card was issued, and the registration fee collected.
i. If an application is being made to lower the tonnage on any motor truck, bus or truck tractor, the county treasurer may require a copy of a stamped weigh ticket issued by any public scale.
j. If leased, the lease price of the vehicle and the lessor's leasing license number if the entity is required to have a leasing license. A federal employer identification number is not required to be listed for an entity with a leasing license number.
k. If requested by the department, whether the vehicle is a driverless-capable vehicle as defined in rule 761-380.2 (321). The department may also use a separate form to assess the vehicle's driverless capability.
(2) Information about owner, lessee and primary user. A firm, association, corporation, or trust that is not required to have a federal employer identification number shall disclose the social security number, Iowa driver's license number or Iowa nonoperator's identification card number of an authorized representative of the firm, association, corporation, or trust. The authorized representative of a trust is the trustee unless otherwise specified in the trust agreement or the certification of trust as defined in Iowa Code section 633A.4604.
(3) Affidavit of correction. As provided in Iowa Code section 321.23A, the county treasurer or the department may accept an affidavit of correction on a form prescribed by the department.
a. The affidavit may be used only to correct those errors, erasures or alterations listed on the affidavit.
b. The affidavit must be signed by the parties that made the error, erasure or alteration.
c. The affidavit must be surrendered with the document that contains the error, erasure or alteration.
d. The affidavit may be accepted to correct errors, erasures or alterations on either an Iowa title or a foreign title.
(4) Electronic applications. The department will authorize electronic submission of applications for certificate of title and registration by an authorized ERT service provider pursuant to the authority in Iowa Code section 321.20(2). To be authorized to serve as an ERT service provider, the ERT service provider must comply with the department's ERT policy and execute a provider agreement with the department.
a. An application submitted electronically must meet all legal requirements for the applicable transaction, and no requirement is excused or waived as a result of submitting the transaction electronically. However, wherever a signature is required, the signature may be an electronic signature. Wherever an electronic solution approved by the department requires the submission of scanned documents, the scanned documents shall be of a quality and resolution determined by the department. The department and any county treasurer processing an application retain the right under Iowa Code sections 321.13 and 321.30 to determine the genuineness, regularity, and legality of the application and any scanned document submitted as part of the application and may withhold approval of the application and require presentation of the original document whenever the scanned document is of insufficient quality, content, or appearance. An end user shall retain all such documents for a period of six months from the date of submission of the application by the end user and make all such documents available for inspection by the department upon request. Anything in this paragraph notwithstanding, lessors required to retain a damage disclosure statement under Iowa Code section 321.69(4), and authorized vehicle recyclers licensed under Iowa Code chapter 321H and motor vehicle dealers licensed under Iowa Code chapter 322 required to retain damage disclosure statements under Iowa Code section 321.69(6) shall retain the original document for a period of five years from the date of the statement as required therein.
b. An end user that electronically submits an application on behalf of the owner or owners to whom the end user is transferring or delivering the vehicle shall disclose to all owners or, if there is more than one owner and the title application uses "or" between the names of the owners, at least one owner, that the application will be submitted electronically and shall obtain written authorization from all owners, or if there is more than one owner and the title application uses "or" between the names of the owners, written authorization from at least one owner, to submit the application on the owner's behalf. The written authorization shall be retained by the end user for a period of six months from the date of application and be made available for the department's inspection upon request. Before submitting the application, the end user shall review and disclose to the owner or owners all details of the application and provide a complete, true, and accurate copy of the application to the owner or owners immediately after submitting the application. The written authorization shall be submitted in the form and manner required by the department.

This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code sections 321.1, 321.8, 321.20, 321.23 through 321.26, 321.31, 321.34, 321.46, 321.105A, 321.109, 321.122, 321.515, 321.519 and 423.26.

Notes

Iowa Admin. Code r. 761-400.3
ARC 9048B, IAB 9/8/10, effective 10/13/10 Amended by IAB November 8, 2017/Volume XL, Number 10, effective 12/13/2017 Amended by IAB September 12, 2018/Volume XLI, Number 6, effective 10/17/2018 Amended by IAB September 8, 2021/Volume XLIV, Number 5, effective 10/13/2021 Amended by IAB March 9, 2022/Volume XLIV, Number 18, effective 4/13/2022 Amended by IAB April 6, 2022/Volume XLIV, Number 20, effective 5/11/2022 Adopted by IAB May 14, 2025/Volume XLVII, Number 23, effective 6/18/2025

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