342.18 When department to issue a new certificate.

(1) The department, upon receipt of a properly assigned certificate of title, with an application for a new certificate of title, the required fee and any other transfer documents required by law, to support the transfer, shall issue a new certificate of title in the name of the transferee as owner.

(2) The department, upon receipt of an application for a new certificate of title by a transferee other than by voluntary transfer, with proof of the transfer, the required fee and any other documents required by law, shall issue a new certificate of title in the name of the transferee as owner. If the transfer constituted a termination of the owner's interest or a sale under a security agreement by a secured party named in the certificate, under s. 342.17 (2), the new certificate shall be issued free of the names and addresses of the secured party who terminated the owner's interest and of all secured parties subordinate under s. 342.19 to such secured party. If the outstanding certificate of title is not delivered to it, the department shall make demand therefor from the holder of such certificate.

(3) The department shall retain for 5 years a record of every surrendered certificate of title, the record to be maintained so as to permit the tracing of title of the vehicle designated therein.

(4) Under each of the following circumstances only, the department shall issue a certificate of title for a transferred vehicle without requiring registration of the vehicle:

(a) Whenever application therefor accompanied by the required fee is made by a finance company licensed under ss. 138.09 or 218.0101 to 218.0163, a bank organized under the laws of this state, or a national bank located in this state, and the vehicle in question is a used vehicle for which the department had issued a certificate of title to the previous owner or a vehicle previously registered in another jurisdiction or is a recreational vehicle.

(b) Whenever application therefor accompanied by the required fee is made by any other person and the vehicle in question is a vehicle for which the department had issued a certificate of title to the previous owner or is a vehicle previously registered in another jurisdiction or is a recreational vehicle and the department is satisfied that the present owner has not operated or consented to the operation of the vehicle since it was transferred to that owner and that he or she understands that the certificate of title merely is evidence of ownership of the vehicle and does not authorize operation of the vehicle on the highways of this state.

(c) Whenever application therefor accompanied by the required fee is made by a dealer or wholesaler to comply with the requirements of s. 342.16 (1) (d).

History: 1973 c. 116 s. 6; 1977 c. 29 s. 1654 (7) (a); 1977 c. 273; 1989 a. 31; 1993 a. 159; 1999 a. 9, 31, 186.