RV and Motorhome Bonded Titles: State-by-State Guide

Before you look up a bond amount, work through these forks. They are what make an RV or motorhome different from a used car.

1. Is it a motorhome (self-propelled) or a towable (travel trailer, fifth wheel, truck camper)? A self-propelled motorhome is titled as a motor vehicle. A towable usually follows your state's trailer rules, and those rules often turn on weight:

• Texas requires a Trailer Verification Statement of Fact (Form VTR-141) for any travel trailer with no Texas record or last titled out of state.
• Maryland may register a trailer rated at 2,500 lb GVW or less without a title — but the statute expressly excepts camping trailers, so a camping trailer is not covered by that no-title shortcut.
• Michigan's bond form (TR-121) lists "Trailer Coach" among the item types it covers.
• North Carolina's indemnity-bond instructions (MVR-92A) use body-style codes that include HC (house car) and CT (camping trailer).
• Georgia lists fifth wheels, homemade trailers and pole trailers under titles that are not required, so there is no bonded-title route for those in Georgia.
• Washington exempts travel trailers, park model trailers and campers of model year 10 or older from the State Patrol inspection step (motorhomes are not named in that exemption list — confirm with DOL).

2. Is a motorhome titled as one vehicle or two? In Texas, a motorhome is built on a chassis from one maker and completed by another, so there are two certificates of origin: per the TxDMV Motor Vehicle Title Manual, "there is a manufacturer's certificate of origin issued by the chassis manufacturer for the incomplete vehicle chassis and one from the motor home … manufacturer once the vehicle is completed," and "the vehicle identification number is used from the chassis manufacturer." No other state's chassis-versus-coach treatment is covered in this guide — confirm this point with your titling agency.

3. Does a bond even apply to your situation? The bonded route is narrower than people expect, and several limits turn on age or value:

• Florida does not issue bonded titles for recreational vehicles at all (procedure TL-70).
• Missouri limits the bond route to a motor vehicle or trailer "seven years old or older and the value of [the] vehicle does not exceed three thousand dollars" — a motorhome worth more than $3,000 has no bond route under this statute.
• Tennessee uses the bond only for a vehicle "over $3000.01 and newer than 30 years old," Tennessee residents only.
• Michigan requires a bond only when the vehicle is worth more than $2,500 or is less than 10 years old.
• California requires its ownership surety bond only when ownership evidence is unavailable and the vehicle is worth $5,000 or more (or another trigger applies).
• Washington requires the bond only if the applicant is a licensed dealer or the state record shows an existing lien; otherwise you can register without a title for three years.
• Colorado does not require a bond for a vehicle over 25 years old.
• Georgia cannot issue a bonded title on a 1985-or-older model year.

4. How is the bond amount set? Most states use a multiple of the vehicle's value. California uses 1.0x fair market value; Missouri, Michigan, Colorado and Georgia use 2x; Alabama uses a flat dollar schedule by class and model-year age (no multiple at all); and Nevada's public page describes the amount in terms of original MSRP, warning you not to buy the bond until the DMV gives you one exact figure.

5. Inspection and alternatives. Many states verify the VIN before titling (state police or a certified inspector). Where no bond route exists, the alternative is usually a court order (Indiana, Pennsylvania), an affidavit with indemnification (South Carolina), a County Clerk process (Kentucky — confirm with the clerk), a multi-step published-notice procedure (New Jersey), or registration without title (Washington).

Texas — a motorhome is titled from two certificates of origin

TxDMV defines a motor home as a self-propelled vehicle "constructed with built in kitchens, sleeping facilities, etc." It is titled as a motor vehicle through your county tax assessor-collector. Because the chassis and the coach come from different manufacturers, you submit both certificates of origin, and the VIN comes from the chassis maker. If you lack ownership evidence, the bonded route applies: the bond "is equal to 1 ½ times the value of the vehicle" and "remains effective for three years" (Tex. Transp. Code 501.053, applied in the TxDMV Motor Vehicle Title Manual). A VIN inspection on Form VTR-68-A is required when there is no Texas record. Vehicles 25 years or older may be valued by appraisal, with a $4,000 floor value.

Alabama — RV bond set by class, not value

Alabama is the exception to the "times the value" model. Under Department of Revenue rule 810-5-75-.34, recreational vehicles fall in the class of "Trucks, buses and recreational vehicles," bonded at a flat $100,000 (less than five model years old), $50,000 (five to under ten), or $25,000 (ten or more) — regardless of the RV's market value. The title carries the legend "THIS TITLE WAS SECURED UNDER THREE-YEAR SURETY BOND," and you apply for the title within 90 days of executing the bond. The rule's trailer class and RV class differ, and it does not say which class a towable RV falls in, so confirm with ADOR whether your travel trailer or fifth wheel is treated as a trailer or an RV.

California — 1.0x fair market value, and only sometimes

California does not issue a standard bonded title. A Motor Vehicle Ownership Surety Bond (REG 5057) is required only "when the required supporting evidence of ownership is not available" and a trigger applies — for a vehicle, "Value of the vehicle is $5,000 or more." The bond "must be obtained for the fair market value of the vehicle" (1.0x, not 1.5x). The DMV's motorhome-specific handling (chassis versus coach) is not covered in this guide — confirm with the DMV.

Colorado — no bond on an RV over 25 years old

Colorado's bonding-for-title process runs through the county motor vehicle office and requires a certified VIN inspection (DR 2704) and a title record search (DR 2489A); the bond "must be for two times the appraised value of the vehicle." But "if a vehicle is over 25 years old, a bond will not need to be purchased" — an older motorhome uses the In Lieu of Bond checklist (DR 2462). Colorado also notes that a lien on a motor home runs "for the duration of the lien as indicated by the maturity date on the security agreement."

Washington — you may not need a bond at all

When ownership is in doubt, Washington lets you receive "registration without a certificate of title for a three-year period" (RCW 46.12.680), a bonded title, or a court judgment. A bond is required only "when: (a) The applicant is a Washington state licensed vehicle dealer; or (b) The Washington record shows there is an existing lien." When a bond applies it is 1.5x value for three years. A Washington State Patrol inspection is required unless the vehicle is exempt; travel trailers, park model trailers and campers of model year 10 or older are on the exemption list — motorhomes are not named there, so confirm that point with DOL.

Missouri — a $3,000 value cap

Missouri's bond route is open only "for a motor vehicle or trailer seven years old or older and the value of [the] vehicle does not exceed three thousand dollars." The bond is two times value (minimum $100) for three years, and a Missouri State Highway Patrol vehicle examination is required (the statutory fee is $25 under RSMo 301.192). A higher-value motorhome has no bond route under this statute — confirm your alternative with the Department of Revenue.

Michigan — a bond only above a value or age line

Michigan requires a surety bond when the Secretary of State is not satisfied as to ownership of a vehicle "having a value over $2,500.00 or that is less than 10 years old"; the bond is "twice the value of the vehicle" for three years. A vehicle valued at $2,500 or less and 10 years old or older is handled by certifying ownership instead. Every bond application uses Form TR-121 plus a TR-205 Self-Certification, and a TR-54 VIN/HIN inspection by Michigan law enforcement is required when there is no Michigan record.

Nevada — one office, and an out-of-state warning

All Nevada bonded titles "are handled exclusively by the Title Research Section in Carson City." The form states the bond is "one and one-half times the value of the vehicle, as determined by the Department," while the public page describes it in terms of original MSRP and tells you not to buy a bond until the DMV gives you one exact amount. The term is three years. Note Nevada's caution that "Nevada titles are non-transferable out of state" — relevant if you plan to move the RV.

Tennessee — a value floor and an age ceiling

Tennessee's Department of Revenue application states the bond route "is only for Tennessee residents and the value must be over $3000.01 and newer than 30 years old." The bond is 1.5x value for three years, and the application lists cars, trucks, golf carts, motorcycles, campers and trailers among eligible types. A 30-year-or-older or lower-value RV uses a different process — confirm it with the Department.

Florida and Georgia — know the exclusions (information only; we are not licensed there)

Florida does not issue a bonded title for a recreational vehicle: TL-70 lists "Vessel, mobile home, recreational vehicle, or off-highway vehicle" among vehicles not eligible, and points other cases to procedure TL-07. Georgia offers a bonded title (2x average retail value, minimum $5,000) but "cannot be a 1985 or older year model vehicle," and fifth wheels and homemade trailers are not titled.

The six states that show no bonded route (most use a court order, affidavit or notice procedure instead)

In Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, the official sources show no surety-bond title route for an RV or motorhome. Instead: Indiana uses a court order with a physical inspection (State Form 39530); Pennsylvania issues a title on a certified court order plus Form MV-1; South Carolina uses an Affidavit of Ownership with an indemnification agreement (TI-021A, with VIN verification TI-021B); Kentucky's County Clerk titles on Form TC 96-182, with a sheriff inspection if the vehicle was registered out of state — confirm the no-title process with the clerk; New Jersey uses an eight-step improper-evidence-of-ownership procedure with a published notice (NJ residents only); and Ohio titles through the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, with a physical inspection certificate for out-of-state vehicles. These are negative findings in each agency's published rules and forms — confirm the current route with the agency before you act. Because no bonded route was found in these states, we do not quote a title bond there.

For states that use a multiple of value, the title bond calculator estimates the bond amount from your state's multiplier and the vehicle's value. It does not fit Alabama, where the bond is a flat dollar amount set by class and model-year age rather than a multiple — use the Alabama schedule above instead. The bond amount is not what you pay: you pay a premium, a fraction of the bond amount, and the surety carrier sets the exact price. Your quote request is free.

New to the process? See how to get a bonded title for the steps that apply in any state. Or go back to all vehicle title bonds.

Dealers and title services: Washington requires the ownership bond specifically when the applicant is a licensed dealer. Dealers can use the title professionals portal.