AUTO TITLE MANUAL - Franklin County, Ohio

FRANKLIN COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS
AUTO TITLE MANUAL
When a power of attorney is needed to supplement a customer’s paperwork, it becomes
part of the transaction and must accompany the title to the Clerk of Courts’ office for
filing.
When someone signs with a general power of attorney, we do not need the original of this
document. We will accept a certified copy of the general power of attorney to keep in
our files.
A person who has been given power of attorney cannot, in turn, give that power to
anyone else.
If a person who has given another individual power of attorney dies, that power of
attorney is no longer valid.
For sample form, see exhibit "F".
Notary Information
A notary who is witnessing a signature of a seller on an automobile or watercraft title is
witnessing the entire assignment; therefore, the notary should make certain that all
pertinent data is completed prior to affixing their signature.
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ legal opinion is that “neither the buyer nor seller
(except a dealership employee in an assignment from or to a dealership) may notarize an
assignment of title. If he/she does notarize, the subsequent transfer of title is invalid and
subject to cancellation under RC 4505.02.”
Manufacturer Certificate of Origin (MCO)
This document is made and furnished by the factory conveying ownership of a new motor
vehicle or watercraft to the dealer. It is sometimes referred to as the property’s “birth
certificate.”
Dealers are not required to obtain a title in their name on a new vehicle or watercraft.
When the dealer sells the new motor vehicle or watercraft, he transfers or assigns
ownership of the vehicle or watercraft on the reverse side of the form. There are several
assignments on this form to enable transfer of ownership from dealer to dealer as well as
to the retail purchaser.
In the case of motor vehicles, reassignments on the back side of the MCO can only be
made to an Ohio new vehicle dealer that is franchised and licensed with the Ohio Bureau
of Motor Vehicles to sell that make of vehicle, or to the retail purchaser. Ohio does not
have a franchise law with regard to watercraft.
Once an assignment is made to a retail purchaser, the MCO cannot be reassigned. A title
must be issued in the name of the purchaser.
5 FRANKLIN COUNTY TITLE DIVISION CUSTOMER - CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE LINE (614) (614) 525-3090
462-3090