How to Transfer a Car Title After Death in Nevada

When it applies: the Nevada title shows "Transfer on Death" or "TOD" followed by your name. Nevada law lets an owner or joint owners hold a title in this "beneficiary form" (NRS 482.247). A TOD transfer is not subject to probate.

A few rules from the DMV and the statute:

• The beneficiary must be added before the owner dies. It cannot be added afterward.
• It cannot be used on vehicles with a current loan or lien, leased vehicles, or business-owned vehicles, or on titles held as tenants in common. Only individuals can be beneficiaries.
• A will cannot change or revoke the designation.
• If more than one owner is on the title, the beneficiary cannot become the owner until all owners have died.

Steps

1. Get a certified death certificate for each owner listed on the title.
2. If you cannot find the original title, complete the Beneficiary's Affidavit for Title (VP 241) in front of a notary or an authorized DMV representative. You do not need to apply for a duplicate title if you use this form.
3. For the title only: mail the title (or VP 241), the death certificate(s) and the $20 title fee to Nevada DMV Title Processing, 555 Wright Way, Carson City, NV 89711, or bring them to a DMV office. The DMV says the new title is mailed in about 4 to 6 weeks.
4. To also register the car: go to a DMV office in person. Registration cannot be done by mail.

Forms

• Transfer on Death, Beneficiary's Affidavit for Title, Form VP 241 (only if the title is lost)
• Transfer on Death Application, Form VP 239 (used by a living owner to add, change or remove a beneficiary)

Documents

• The original Nevada title showing the TOD beneficiary, or a signed VP 241
• A certified death certificate for each owner on the title
• The $20 title fee
• To register: a Nevada Evidence of Insurance card in your name
• The deceased owner's license plates to surrender, and their driver's license or ID to cancel

When it applies: two or more names are on the title and one owner has died.

Nevada titles join owners with "and" or "or." With "or" (or "and/or"), only one owner's signature is needed. With "and," every owner signs, and the DMV treats a title with no word between the names as "and" (DMV Registration and Title Guide).

If the title is in TOD (beneficiary) form: on proof of one owner's death, surrender of the title and payment of the title fee, the DMV issues a new title to the surviving owner or owners (NRS 482.247).

If the title has no TOD designation: the DMV does not publish a step-by-step process for removing a deceased co-owner. Its deceased-owner guidance says to contact the DMV with the vehicle details and VIN to find out which documents you will need. The Vehicle Title Section is at (702) 486-4368.

Documents

• The original Nevada title
• A certified copy of the deceased co-owner's death certificate
• The title fee
• Anything else the DMV asks for: contact the office to confirm

When it applies: your spouse owned the car and you want it titled in your name.

If the title names you as the TOD beneficiary or as a co-owner, use those routes. If not, and no probate case has been opened, the VP 024 affidavit (see "No Probate" below) is often the path. The main difference for a spouse is the limit: under NRS 146.080, a surviving spouse can use the affidavit when the decedent's Nevada property is $150,000 or less. Anyone else is limited to $25,000. The value of motor vehicles registered to the decedent is not counted, and the decedent must have left no real estate in Nevada.

Note on conflicting figures: some DMV materials have not caught up with the statute. The DMV's TOD page lists the limits as $25,000 / $100,000, and the DMV's Registration and Title Guide still describes the affidavit as for estates up to $25,000. The current statute says $150,000 for a surviving spouse, and the current VP 024 form refers to "the applicable amount as defined by NRS 146.080." If you are near a limit, call the DMV Vehicle Title Section at (702) 486-4368 to confirm.

Forms

• Affidavit for Transfer of Title for Estates Without Probate, Form VP 024
• Transfer on Death, Beneficiary's Affidavit for Title, Form VP 241 (if you are the TOD beneficiary and the title is lost)

Documents

• VP 024 (signed in front of a notary or an authorized DMV representative), or the TOD title / VP 241
• A certified copy of the death certificate
• The current Nevada title
• A lien release, if there was a loan
• To register: Nevada Evidence of Insurance in your name

When it applies: there is no TOD beneficiary, no probate case and no trust. The DMV says heirs may then claim the car with the Affidavit for Transfer of Title for Estates Without Probate (VP 024), based on NRS 146.080.

Who qualifies

• No petition to appoint a personal representative is pending or has been granted anywhere.
• The decedent left no real estate in Nevada.
• The decedent's Nevada property, not counting vehicles registered to them, is $25,000 or less, or $150,000 or less if you are the surviving spouse.
• All debts, including funeral and burial costs and any money owed to the Nevada Health Authority for Medicaid benefits, have been paid or provided for.
• The DMV's guide says the decedent must have been a Nevada resident and the car titled in Nevada.

Who may sign: a person entitled to inherit under Nevada law or a valid will. The affidavit says you are personally entitled to the car or have written authority from all other heirs with an interest in it. You also state your relationship to the decedent and why you are the one signing (for example, closest surviving relative).

Steps

1. Send written notice, by personal service or certified mail, to everyone whose right to the property is equal to or greater than yours. Wait at least 14 days.
2. Wait until more than 40 days have passed since the death, and get a certified copy of the death certificate.
3. Complete VP 024 and sign it in front of a notary or an authorized DMV representative. Sign other documents, like the title, as the decedent's name appears on it, for example "John Jones by Mary Jones."
4. Submit VP 024, the death certificate, the current title and the fees to the DMV. To drive the car, register it in person with Nevada insurance in your name.

If you cannot find the title, or want to know whether this route can be mailed, contact the DMV to confirm. Official sources do not say.

Forms

• Affidavit for Transfer of Title for Estates Without Probate, Form VP 024

Documents

• VP 024 with original signatures
• A certified copy of the death certificate
• The current Nevada title
• A lien release, if there was a loan
• The $20 title fee plus the $8.25 title processing fee

When it applies: a probate case is open and the court has appointed an executor or administrator. The VP 024 affidavit cannot be used once a petition to appoint a personal representative is pending or granted.

The Nevada DMV does not publish a checklist for probate transfers. Its deceased-owner guidance says to contact the DMV with the vehicle details and VIN to find out which documents you will need. The Vehicle Title Section is at (702) 486-4368.

Moving the car: under NRS 482.420, when a car passes by inheritance, its registration expires and it must not be driven on public roads until the new owner registers it. An executor or administrator may move it up to 75 miles to a garage or storage place. The car can display the former owner's plate, or go without a plate with written permission first obtained from the DMV or local police. Either way, a placard with the name and address of the person authorizing the move must be shown.

Documents

• The original Nevada title
• Anything else the DMV asks for, such as proof of your appointment: contact the office to confirm

When it applies: there is still a loan or lien on the car.

The DMV says any loan or lien must be satisfied before ownership can be transferred. A TOD beneficiary takes the car subject to any security interest (NRS 482.247).

Steps

1. Contact the lender about the payoff amount.
2. After payoff, the lender releases the lien. For a paper title, the lienholder signs a Lien Release (VP 186). For an electronic title, the lienholder must release the lien electronically. The DMV says the lienholder is responsible for ordering a printed title after the lien is satisfied.
3. Include the lien release, or the clear title, with your transfer documents.

Forms

• Lien Release, Form VP 186 (paper titles only)

Documents

• A lien release or clear title
• The ownership documents for your route (TOD title or VP 241, VP 024, or what the DMV asks for in probate)

• Title fee: $20 (NAC 482.907). The DMV's TOD page lists $20 for a beneficiary claim.
• Change of ownership: a $8.25 title processing fee is added on transfers that involve a complete change of ownership, so the VP 024 estate route is listed as $20 + $8.25 ($28.25). The DMV's general title page lists $28.50 for a complete change of ownership instead. Call the Vehicle Title Section at (702) 486-4368 to confirm the amount.
• Duplicate title, if lost: $20, or $35 if the vehicle is not in or registered in Nevada.
• Registration: registering the car adds registration fees and the Governmental Services Tax, which has a $16 minimum (DMV fees).
• Plate refund: if you surrender the deceased owner's plates, you may be able to get a refund of unused registration fees and Governmental Services Taxes. "Owner is seriously ill or deceased" is a listed reason, with a death certificate (plate surrender).

Sales tax: no official Nevada source specifically addresses inherited vehicles. The DMV says private party sales, family sales and gifts are not subject to sales tax. Contact the DMV to confirm for your situation.

• DMV office: all DMV services are by appointment only, with a few exceptions such as license plate drop-off (appointments). Registration must be done in person.
• By mail (TOD title only): a TOD beneficiary can mail the title or VP 241, death certificate(s) and fee to Nevada DMV Title Processing, 555 Wright Way, Carson City, NV 89711. Official sources do not say whether VP 024 or probate transfers can be mailed, so contact the DMV to confirm.
• Online: the DMV's online Turbo Title service is described for new residents and private-party or out-of-state purchases, not for transfers after a death.
• Questions: DMV Vehicle Title Section, (702) 486-4368, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. The general phone center cannot complete title transfers.

The Nevada DMV does not publish a separate process for selling a deceased owner's car. The general rules:

• The seller signs the title exactly as the name appears on it. With "and," every owner signs. With "or," one owner can sign.
• With the VP 024 affidavit, documents are signed as the decedent's name appears on the title, for example "John Jones by Mary Jones."
• For 2011 and newer vehicles, the seller must give the buyer a paper title. A bill of sale with a duplicate title application, or multiple bills of sale, will not be accepted.
• A power of attorney ends when the person who gave it dies, so it cannot be used to sign for the deceased owner.
• A TOD beneficiary or heir can title the car in their own name first and then sell it as the owner. An executor should check with the DMV on what proof of authority to attach.
• If the car is not being registered right away, the DMV says to surrender the deceased owner's plates immediately.

If probate is needed, our Nevada probate guide walks through it.