Bonded Title for a Trailer in Texas
In Texas, the trailer's gross weight decides whether a title is even in play: a manufactured trailer over 4,000 lbs. gross weight must be titled. If your trailer needs a title, you don't have one, and you can't get the paperwork from the seller, the bonded title procedure is one way to establish ownership.
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This page covers trailers specifically. For every Texas route and office, see Texas vehicle title bonds. For how a bonded title works in any state, start with vehicle title bonds.
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Start with the weight: does your trailer need a title?
Before anything else, find out whether the state requires a title for your trailer at all. TxDMV sets the line by gross weight on its trailers page:
- Manufactured trailer over 4,000 lbs. gross weight — must be titled. In TxDMV's words, "If your manufactured trailer's gross weight exceeds 4,000 lbs., it must be titled."
- Used trailer 4,000 lbs. gross weight or less. TxDMV lists the paperwork as "Bill of Sale + Registration Receipt or Certificate of Title if one was issued." A bill of sale on its own, with no registration receipt — we have not found that spelled out on TxDMV's trailers page; confirm with your county tax office.
- Farm trailers over 4,000 lbs. and up to 34,000 lbs. — "Exempt from title requirements." What a farm trailer files instead, and what counts as a farm trailer, we have not found on TxDMV's trailers page; confirm with TxDMV.
How the gross weight is proven, we have not found on TxDMV's trailers page; confirm that step with TxDMV too. The weight line is what tells you whether the rest of this page applies.
When the bonded title is the route
The bonded title procedure comes up when a trailer needs a title, you bought it without one, and the seller can't supply the missing paperwork. TxDMV's guidance for a vehicle bought with no title is that if you "have lost the evidence of ownership and cannot contact the seller for the necessary documentation, you may have the option of using the bonded title procedure." Its motorist FAQ lists the bonded title application (Form VTR-130-SOF) among "my options if I bought a vehicle without a title."
The application is the Bonded Title Application or Tax Collector Hearing Statement of Fact (Form VTR-130-SOF). To be eligible you must be "A Texas resident, or Military personnel stationed in Texas." Where to send the application and the order of the steps are covered on where to file in Texas.
Here is the order, by the book:
- TxDMV Regional Service Center reviews first. You "take or mail the following documents and a $15.00 administrative fee ... to the TxDMV Regional Service Center that serves your county." If your application is rejected, TxDMV issues a Notice of Determination (Form VTR-130-ND) "stating the amount of the bond you must purchase."
- Buy the surety bond. You have "one year from the date of the notice to purchase a Surety Bond in the amount shown on the notice, otherwise a new notice and bond will be required." The bond is sold by "an auto insurance agency or any agency that is licensed to sell vehicle Surety Bonds in Texas."
- County tax office issues the title. "Within 30 days of purchasing the surety bond, take the original Notice of Determination ... to your county tax office."
A customer with an appointment at a Regional Service Center "will receive priority," and the Regional Service Centers are open "8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday."
VIN inspection for a trailer never titled in Texas
"If the vehicle has never been titled or registered in Texas, then a vehicle identification number inspection is required from an auto theft investigator on the Law Enforcement Identification Number Inspection (Form VTR-68-A)." TxDMV notes these inspections "are not offered by TxDMV." Walk through who does it and what to bring on Texas VIN inspection.
Assembled or homemade trailers
Built the trailer yourself? TxDMV treats that differently from a factory trailer. On the trailers page, "Newly-assembled trailers are required to have a VIN," and the state uses a "Trailer Verification Statement of Fact (Form VTR-141)." A separate line on the same page states that "A manufactured trailer with missing paperwork cannot be registered as an assembled trailer."
For assembled and homemade vehicles generally, TxDMV's VIN assignment page says that "a bonded title can be used to establish ownership" when "a vehicle is assembled or homemade and ownership evidence is not available or acceptable." If you're not sure whether your trailer is treated as manufactured or assembled, confirm with TxDMV before you file.
How much is the bond?
The bond amount is "equal to one and one-half times the value of the vehicle" under Texas Transportation Code §501.053. For a trailer, TxDMV's no-title guidance gives value figures of "$4,000 if the trailer is under 20 feet in length or $7,000 if the trailer is 20 or more feet in length."
If your trailer is valued at those figures, the bond is $6,000 for a trailer under 20 feet or $10,500 for one 20 feet or longer — one and one-half times the value. How those figures apply to your specific trailer is TxDMV's call, so confirm with TxDMV, and run your own numbers with the title bond calculator. We have not found a separate minimum for the bond itself on TxDMV's page; the figures above are trailer values, not bond minimums.
The bond "expires on the third anniversary of the date the bond became effective." What happens to the title's status after that term, we have not found on TxDMV's page; confirm with TxDMV, and see what happens after the bond term.
Eric can walk you through it
The weight line is where Eric starts. He'll help you figure out which TxDMV route your trailer falls under, then line up the forms, the $15 Regional Service Center fee, and the VIN inspection in the right order. Eric picks up the phone, he speaks Spanish, and he'll work with multiple surety carriers once TxDMV tells you the amount. He'll move as fast as he can on our side.
A surety company issues the bond; BuySuretyBonds is a licensed Texas insurance agency that helps you get it.
FAQ
Does my trailer need a title in Texas?
It depends on gross weight. TxDMV states that "if your manufactured trailer's gross weight exceeds 4,000 lbs., it must be titled." A used trailer of 4,000 lbs. gross weight or less is handled with a "Bill of Sale + Registration Receipt or Certificate of Title if one was issued." Farm trailers over 4,000 lbs. and up to 34,000 lbs. are "Exempt from title requirements." How weight is proven — we have not found that on TxDMV's trailers page; confirm with TxDMV.
Can you register a trailer with just a bill of sale and no title in Texas?
For a used trailer 4,000 lbs. gross weight or less, TxDMV lists the paperwork as "Bill of Sale + Registration Receipt or Certificate of Title if one was issued" — the bill of sale goes with a registration receipt, not on its own. A bill of sale with no registration receipt — we have not found that spelled out on TxDMV's trailers page; confirm with your county tax office.
How do I get a bonded title for a trailer in Texas?
If your trailer needs a title and you can't get it from the seller, you may use the bonded title procedure. File the Bonded Title Application (Form VTR-130-SOF) with a "$15.00 administrative fee" at the TxDMV Regional Service Center that serves your county. If rejected, TxDMV issues a Notice of Determination with the bond amount; you have "one year from the date of the notice to purchase a Surety Bond," then take the original notice to your county tax office "within 30 days of purchasing the surety bond."
My trailer has never been titled in Texas — is a VIN inspection required?
Yes. "If the vehicle has never been titled or registered in Texas, then a vehicle identification number inspection is required from an auto theft investigator on the Law Enforcement Identification Number Inspection (Form VTR-68-A)." These inspections "are not offered by TxDMV."
How much is the bond for a trailer title in Texas?
The bond is "one and one-half times the value of the vehicle." For a trailer, TxDMV gives value figures of "$4,000 if the trailer is under 20 feet in length or $7,000 if the trailer is 20 or more feet in length." At those values the bond is $6,000 or $10,500. Confirm with TxDMV how the figures apply to your trailer.
Sources
- TxDMV — Trailers
- TxDMV — Bought a Vehicle With No Title
- TxDMV — Bonded Title Application or Tax Collector Hearing Statement of Fact (Form VTR-130-SOF)
- TxDMV — VIN Assignment / Reassignment Process
- TxDMV — Motorist FAQ
- TxDMV — Regional Service Centers
- TxDMV — Motor Vehicle Title Manual (Texas Transportation Code §501.053)