Resale Titles for Maryland Vehicle Dealers

A dealer resale title is a Maryland Certificate of Title that shows a licensed vehicle dealer as the owner of a vehicle for resale. This is only for licensed Maryland dealers — not private sellers or buyers.

What is a dealer resale title?

A dealer resale title is a Maryland Certificate of Title that lists a licensed vehicle dealer as the owner of a vehicle for resale. This title gives the dealer legal ownership to transfer to the buyer at the time of sale. T

When excise tax does not apply

A dealer resale title may be tax-exempt (no excise tax charged) in these situations:

1. The vehicle is registered in a place where titles are not required.
2. The vehicle was turned over to the dealer without a title (for example, by court order or auto repossession).
3. The vehicle was once salvaged but has been restored by the dealer and inspected according to Maryland law.
4. The vehicle was acquired for resale and the existing title’s dealer reassignment sections have already been used. 

If none of these situations apply, the dealer must pay excise tax to get a resale title. 

How to apply for a dealer resale title

Licensed dealers may apply for a resale title:

• In person — Visit any full-service MVA branch office. If you go to the Glen Burnie office, use the dealer window.
• By mail — Send your title application and required documents to the MVA’s Repossession/Resale Unit in Glen Burnie.
• Through a licensed tag and title service — A dealer may use an MVA-licensed tag and title service to help prepare and submit the paperwork. 

What to submit

Dealers typically need to submit:

• Proof of ownership
  • This may be the current title, properly assigned to the dealer.
  • If the title is not available, other documents may be used, such as a Security Interest Filing (SIF), a court order, mechanic’s lien proof, certificate of repossession, or similar ownership documents.
• Title application
  • If a Maryland title already exists, the reassigned title may serve as the application.
  • For non-Maryland titles, a completed Application for Certificate of Title is required.
• Odometer disclosure statement
  • If the vehicle has a Maryland title, use the odometer section on the title.
  • Otherwise, submit the MVA’s standalone odometer disclosure form. 

Additional documents you may need

Sometimes more paperwork is needed:

• Lien release — If the vehicle has a lien listed on the title, a signed release document from the lien holder must be submitted.
• Power of attorney — If someone other than the dealer or authorized officer signs the forms, a power of attorney is required.
• Certificate of repossession — This is needed when a lien holder has repossessed the vehicle. 

How you receive the title

The dealer resale title will be mailed to the dealer once approved. If the dealer is acting as a lien holder and the vehicle was repossessed, the title may be issued the same day.

Fees

• Dealers pay the standard title fee when obtaining a resale title.
• Excise tax is not charged in the exempt situations listed earlier, but is charged in all other cases. 

Excise tax & title errors

If a title error was corrected with a letter from the MVA, a dealer must still pay excise tax unless the MVA made the error.