(a) Except as otherwise provided in (b) of this section or in AS 28.10.131, 28.10.152, and 28.10.181(hh), every owner of a vehicle subject to registration in this state shall apply for a certificate of title under this chapter.

(b) The owner of a vehicle described in AS 28.10.011 as being exempt from registration and the owner of a snowmobile or off-highway vehicle may not apply for, nor may the department issue, a certificate of title for the vehicle. However, the department

(1) may issue a certificate of title to the owner of a vehicle exempt from registration under AS 28.10.011(3), (6), (7), or (10) only upon application by that owner; and

(2) except as provided in (e) of this section, shall issue a certificate of title to the owner of a manufactured home upon application, display of evidence of ownership satisfactory to the department, and payment of a fee of $100 by the owner; a certificate of title issued under this paragraph must comply with AS 28.10.231.

(c) The certificate of title issued may, when there is more than one owner, state the name of each owner in the conjunctive or in the disjunctive in order to indicate that the owners own the vehicle together or in the alternative.

(d) Except for vehicles registered under AS 28.10.131(b) or (c) or 28.10.152, the department may not register a vehicle unless the applicant for registration at the same time applies for and obtains a certificate of title under this chapter or presents satisfactory evidence that a certificate of title was previously issued to the applicant. The department may not accept the application for the original certificate of registration or title to a vehicle unless the vehicle is in the state at the time of application. However, the department may accept an application for registration and certificate of title for a vehicle that is not in the state when the application is made by a registered and bonded dealer or by a resident of the state when the application is accompanied by a manufacturer's statement of origin or, in the case of a used vehicle, when the application is accompanied by a certificate of title issued in another jurisdiction.

(e) The department may not issue a certificate of title to a manufactured home if an application for the manufactured home has been filed under AS 28.10.262 - 28.10.264.