Clerk of Courts Title Department

The Fairfield County Clerk of Courts Title Department processes titles for automobiles, boats, trailers, campers, motor homes, boat motors, all-terrain vehicles (ATV), off-highway motorcycles, wave runners, and jet skis. The Title Department also issues duplicate titles when the original has been lost, stolen or destroyed.

• The Lancaster Title Office and Pickerington Title Office are open for walk-in transactions — no appointments necessary.
• For locations and office hours.
• The Clerk of Courts has been designated as an authorized office to accept passport applications. See Passport Information at the U.S. Department of State (external link; leaving this website; opens in a new tab). Passports are processed by appointment only.
• Please note: The Title Department does not issue license plates or driver’s licenses. These are issued through the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV).
• Please contact the Ohio BMV (external link; leaving this website; opens in a new tab) for the locations of its Deputy Registrar offices for license plate and driver’s license services.
• For a printable list of title information including fees and a checklist of items required to obtain a Certificate of Title, see the Title Information Guide.
• Fees are payable by cash, certified or personal check, credit/debit card or money order. Customers using a credit/debit card will be charged a non-refundable processing fee of $2.00 or 2.39%, whichever is greater, by LexisNexis VitalChek Network, Inc.
• For questions or assistance, please email Titles@FairfieldCountyOhio.gov.

You may apply for a Certificate of Title in any of Ohio’s 88 counties. A valid government-issued ID is required. Taxes are calculated and paid to a buyer’s county of residence.

• Never make any alterations or erasures to a Certificate of Title. If this is done, the title becomes null and void and a replacement title will have to be obtained.
• Do not fill in any part of the Assignment or Application (on the reverse side of the title) unless it is done in the presence of a Notary Public or another duly authorized officer with the power to administer oaths.
• All signatures must be notarized.
• Your certificate of title must be procured within 30 days after delivery of the motor vehicle or a mandatory $5.00 late fee will be assessed.
• Always inspect any automobile you buy, checking the serial number to see that it corresponds with the serial number on your Certificate of Title.
• If the title is electronic, a lien release letter will be provided by the lienholder and the lien will be released in the system.

• Do not complete the assignment on the reverse side of the certificate of title until the sale has been completed. Make certain that the buyer’s full name and address, current mileage and purchase price are inserted before you sign the assignment.
• Be sure to sign in the presence of a Notary.
• The seller should make a copy of the front and back of the assigned title and remove the license plates.

• If you apply for a loan using your car as collateral, always insist on getting a memorandum certificate of title with which you can obtain license plates.
• Upon satisfaction of your lien, you should receive the original certificate of title from the bank or financial company.
• If the bank is an electronic lienholder, you must apply and pay for an original title after the lien is properly discharged and cancelled.

You cannot transfer ownership of an automobile with a Memorandum Certificate of Title (white copy). It is issued only for the purpose of obtaining license plates when the lienholder holds the original title.

• If the original title is lost, stolen, or destroyed, you may obtain a duplicate Certificate of Title.
• If a name on the title and driver’s license do not match, a marriage certificate, divorce decree or other court paperwork must be presented to verify the name change.

A surviving spouse may take title to two automobiles (one may be a motorcycle), one boat and a motor, if not disposed of by will (total value may not exceed $65,000). For other vehicle transfers, proper probate authority is required.

• A Certificate of Title is required on all boats 14 feet or longer and all outboard motors 10 H.P. or greater. A canoe or kayak is exempt. Boats, including jet skis, 14 feet or less with an inboard motor 10 H.P. or greater are titled.
• Before purchasing a boat or motor, be sure the seller has the Certificate of Title. The seller is required to assign the Ohio Watercraft Registration Card to you.
• No registration is required for outboard motors.

• Do not execute the assignment on the reverse side of the Certificate of Title until the sale is complete. Be certain the buyer’s full name and address are inserted before you sign the assignment.
• Initials are not acceptable.
• You must have your signature notarized.
• If you do not have a title for your boat or motor and have owned it prior to October 10, 1963, the Clerk of Courts may issue a title based on the evidence you present.

• If there is no manufacturer’s serial number, or it has been removed, a serial number must be affixed to the boat or motor before a Certificate of Title can be issued.
• Application for a serial number (external link; leaving this website; opens in a new tab) is made to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Watercraft, or by contacting the Division of Watercraft at 614-265-6480.

To renew or apply for a new watercraft registration, you must present your certificate of title to a Boat Registrar.

Documented vessels are not titled in Ohio but are registered by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The owner of a manufactured home is required to obtain a certificate of title. Manufactured homes are transferred in the same manner as motor vehicles. Owners are required to register the manufactured home with the County Auditor annually and pay the taxes assessed to the County Treasurer. Ownership cannot be transferred until proof of annual registration and payment of taxes is provided. If you purchase a manufactured home from a private individual, make sure the County Treasurer and County Auditor have stamped the Certificate of Title evidencing payment of all taxes.

Law defines recreational vehicles as vehicular portable structures designed and constructed to be used as temporary dwellings for travel, recreation, and vacation. They are titled as travel trailers, motor homes, or truck campers, depending on whether they are self-propelled, not self-propelled, or designed to be attached to a motor vehicle.

• A Certificate of Title is not required on any utility or commercial trailer weighing under 4,000 pounds. To obtain license plates you must procure a Weight Card from the Ohio License Bureau and have the trailer weighed.
• Commercial trailers or semi-trailers weighing more than 4,000 pounds must have a Certificate of Title.
• To sell, transfer, or mortgage such trailers, the Certificate of Title must be presented.

• Damaged and wrecked vehicles may require a salvage title. The owner must present a valid Ohio title, identification and $5.00. Salvaged autos are not operable on the highway until rebuilt and inspected by the State Highway Patrol.
• When you sell your car to a salvage dealer, you must surrender your signed and notarized Certificate of Title to the dealer with the assignment completed.
• To convert a salvage title to a regular title, an inspection must be made by the State Highway Patrol. A fee of $53.50 is charged and payable to the BMV.
• The application for the inspection may be obtained at the Ohio License Bureau or the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Columbus.

If your name is changed through marriage or court proceedings, the name on your Certificate of Title cannot be changed. There is no authority in the law to issue a new title in your new name for the same vehicle.

No person can sign for you without a notarized Power of Attorney form. This is attached to our files and becomes a part of the file. It must be an original or a certified copy.

• Section 4505.06 of the Ohio Revised Code requires that Ohio sales and use tax be paid in cash, certified or personal check, credit/debit card, or money order payable to the Clerk of Courts before an application for an automobile or watercraft title can be accepted.
• The Clerk of Courts is required to administer this law and collect this tax for the State of Ohio.

• You must state the purchase price of the vehicle upon which your residential county’s tax rate will be levied (Fairfield County is currently 6.75%).
• If a customer has purchased a vehicle less than 6 months ago while living in another state, they may need to pay additional taxes on the vehicle. The customer must bring in the bill of sale from the dealer.

NOTE: The certificate of title can be obtained in any county in the State of Ohio.