Section 4505.031 | Sale or disposal of vehicles involving minors.
(A)(1) No minor under eighteen years of age shall sell or otherwise dispose of a motor vehicle or purchase or otherwise acquire a motor vehicle unless the application for a certificate of title is accompanied by a form prescribed by the registrar of motor vehicles that includes all of the following:
(a) A statement authorizing the sale, disposition, purchase, or acquisition of the motor vehicle;
(b) The signature of one of the minor's parents, the minor's guardian, or other person having custody of the minor that is signed in the presence of one of the following:
(i) A clerk or deputy clerk of a court of common pleas;
(ii) A notary public;
(iii) A motor vehicle dealer or the dealer's designee, if the transaction involves that dealer.
(c) A statement signed by the motor vehicle dealer or the dealer's designee, if applicable, acknowledging that the dealer used reasonable diligence in ascertaining the age of the minor and the identity of the adult who signed the form.
(2) At the time the adult signs the form, either before a clerk of courts, a deputy clerk of courts, a notary public, or a motor vehicle dealer, the adult shall provide identification establishing that the adult is the individual whose signature appears on the form.
(B) No right, title, claim to or interest in a motor vehicle shall be acquired by or from a minor unless the application for a certificate of title is accompanied by the form required by this section.
(C) No clerk of a court of common pleas shall be held liable in any civil action that arises under the law of this state for injury or loss to persons or property caused when a person has obtained a certificate of title in violation of this section, unless the clerk failed to use reasonable diligence in ascertaining the age of the minor or the identity of the adult who signed the form authorizing the sale, disposition, purchase, or acquisition of the motor vehicle by the minor.
(D) If the minor's parents, the minor's guardian, or other person having custody of the minor signs the form in the presence of a motor vehicle dealer or the dealer's designee and the transaction involves that dealer, no notarization is required for the form and it does not need the additional signature of a clerk of courts, deputy clerk of courts, or notary.
Last updated February 16, 2023 at 2:33 PM
Available Versions of this Section
- June 29, 2005 – House Bill 68 - 126th General Assembly [ View June 29, 2005 Version ]
- April 6, 2023 – Amended by House Bill 567 - 134th General Assembly [ View April 6, 2023 Version ]