No title for trailer

[Royb91]

The trailer for my boat doesn't have a title. The boat and trailer was owned by my uncle who passed away years ago and we never could get it under my name. I'm in Louisiana, anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with this? The boat is registered under my name just not the trailer.

 

[BigDfromTN]

Re: No title for trailer

I don't know how it works in LA. In Tn we can transfer trailers (And Boats) on a simple Bill of Sale.

I suggest you check with local authorities, other boat owners, or a trailer dealer as to ways you can do this. You may have to apply for a lost title and go from there?

 

[Idlespeedonly]

Re: No title for trailer

I don't know how it works in LA. In Tn we can transfer trailers (And Boats) on a simple Bill of Sale.

I suggest you check with local authorities, other boat owners, or a trailer dealer as to ways you can do this. You may have to apply for a lost title and go from there?

+1.
Only the county clerk can answer that for you. And even then, the rules can vary from one county to the next(based on how each county interprets the laws).

 

[gm280]

Re: No title for trailer

If you cleaned it up or did any painting or such you could register it as a home built.

 

[Starcraft5834]

Re: No title for trailer

+1.
Only the county clerk can answer that for you. And even then, the rules can vary from one county to the next(based on how each county interprets the laws).

call local marina's, or LA boat authority for regs....

 

[jayhanig]

Re: No title for trailer

Buy a registered junker and just use that registration. I doubt anybody is going to care as long as your license tags are registered to you and up to date.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: No title for trailer

See: http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=630941

Every state is different on titles. In TN and AL, there are no titles. Lenders have to use a UCC-1 Financing Statement to file their liens on such items.

 

[NYBo]

Re: No title for trailer

Buy a registered junker and just use that registration.

There's a word for that: fraud.

 

[bigdee]

Re: No title for trailer

Buy a registered junker and just use that registration. I doubt anybody is going to care as long as your license tags are registered to you and up to date.

I know plenty of people, myself included, that have multiple trailers and just one tag. Law enforcement looks for expired tags and the only time they check serial numbers on small trailers is if they suspect it is stolen. I know it is not the right way so I can't recommend you do this.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: No title for trailer

I agree with Jayhanig's suggestion, namely, buy a registered junker and just use that registration. Or, do as is often done here in New Mexico: First, make sure there are no manufacturer's tags or stamps with a serial number on the trailer. Second, do a little work on the trailer and add a fresh coat of paint. Third, take it to the DMV and register it as a homemade trailer.

Someone very near and dear to me (who shall remain nameless) has used both methods on two different trailers. In the case of the registered junker there were no numbers on the trailer he wanted to register. So, Nameless borrowed a set of stamps and stamped the number from the Junker on the top of the tongue where the people at the DMV would have no problem seeing them. The junker was cut up and hauled to the local landfill.

Registering the so called homemade trailer was a little more complicated. Nameless had to take it to the State Police for an inspection before DMV would issue a title and register it. He assumed the police would look for evidence that it really was homemade and not stolen. What they actually did was inspect it to make sure the tail, brake and signal lights worked properly. After that it was back to the DMV and it was a snap from there on.

 

[K-2]

Re: No title for trailer

I know WA state can be real sticklers when it comes to first time registering a home made trailer.
They want to see receipts for parts, axles, fenders, tires, lights, something,etc.
The hands on inspection is mainly a safety inspection but they also look for VIN numbers and the overall "look" of the trailer,
it better look home made and not like an Ez-loader spray painted flat black.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: No title for trailer

... The boat and trailer was owned by my uncle who passed away years ago and we never could get it under my name. ...

The executor of the estate would have the power to transfer the title.

 

[jayhanig]

Re: No title for trailer

There's a word for that: fraud.

Some say "tom may toe"; some say "tom mah toe". I don't see where you're hurting anything. The state's interest is in seeing that it's not stolen and to collect revenue. The owner is satisfied it's not hot and if he uses the junker's registration, the state still gets its money. I assume the junker goes to the dump. OTOH, the junker could just go to the dump, the state could forgo collecting any revenue on it or the untitled trailer, and the OP could be left with a trailer he can't use on the highway. I fail to see how the latter is better... it looks like everybody loses. With my suggestion, everyone wins.

Some folks are method oriented; I am results oriented.

 

[Gary85_]

Re: No title for trailer

I also live in Louisiana and purchased my 1st boat and trailer. The trailer was not registered. Mine was never stamped. Got Louisiana state police officer to come by and he stamped it for me then I could register it. Hope this helps!

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: No title for trailer

The executor of the estate would have the power to transfer the title.

I don't know how things work in Louisiana, but in New Mexico most small estates never go through probate, therefore there is no executor. I know this, because that was the case with both my parents, both my wife's parents, and my dad's brother. Because of a glitch in a real estate title I had to probate my first wife's estate but was warned very specifically by the probate judge that once the probate was finished it was final and there was no going back to add or change anything.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: No title for trailer

There is always an executor.
When the Uncle dies. His wife/Next of Kin becomes the executor by default.
No need to involve the Probate Courts.
The Next of Kin, with the Death Certificate and the Title go down to the Title Bureau.
15 minutes and a few questions later the matter is resolved.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: No title for trailer

There is always an executor.
When the Uncle dies. His wife/Next of Kin becomes the executor by default.
No need to involve the Probate Courts.
The Next of Kin, with the Death Certificate and the Title go down to the Title Bureau.
15 minutes and a few questions later the matter is resolved.

Does it work that way in every state?

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: No title for trailer

Does it work that way in every state?

Every state may be different but you will not know until you try.
If you are open about it and not try to sneak around, there should not be an issue.

When my father died, my mother transfer Auto Titles, House/Property Titles, Credit Cards, Bank Accounts, IRAs, CDs, and everything else out of his name with only the Death Certificate and a trip to all the agencies. No Probate Court was ever involved.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: No title for trailer

Every state may be different but you will not know until you try.
If you are open about it and not try to sneak around, there should not be an issue.

When my father died, my mother transfer Auto Titles, House/Property Titles, Credit Cards, Bank Accounts, IRAs, CDs, and everything else out of his name with only the Death Certificate and a trip to all the agencies. No Probate Court was ever involved.

And when my first wife died we owned several pieces of property. All but one were held in Joint Tenancy With Rights of Survivorship. That one was held only in Joint Tenancy. Luckily the titles to all our vehicles and boats were in Jon Doe or Jane Doe so there was no problems there. Ditto with the bank accounts. I didn't bother with probate because I thought all real estate was JTWROS, which meant it automatically went to me. Almost twenty years later I went to add my second wife's name to the properties and, because of that one property, ended up having to go through probate court to be appointed executor to my first wife's estate so I could probate the estate, then I could transfer that one piece of property to me and my second wife as JTWROS.

My point is that you can't make a blanket statement that fits all states and all situations.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: No title for trailer

...My point is that you can't make a blanket statement that fits all states and all situations.

No Argument there.
My point was that 100s of thousands of people die everyday in this country.
Their former property transfers ownership on a routine basis without going through the probate process.

The OPs origin question was if it was possible to get the trailer title transfered out of the name of a deceased relative. The answer is that it is not only possible, it is routinely done.