One of the most common questions that I receive from a surviving spouse is how to transfer the title of a vehicle from a deceased spouse.
It is not uncommon for vehicles to be solely titled in the name of only one spouse as when buying a car, most people do not give it a second thought. But what happens when the husband passes away and the surviving spouse wants the vehicle in their name?
Does the surviving spouse have to open a Probate Case? The short answer is it depends on the value of the vehicle(s).
Under Ohio Law (ORC 2106.18), a surviving spouse can transfer vehicles to her name if the value of the vehicle(s) do not exceed the sum of $65,000.
Example – Joe and Sue are married and Joe has two vehicles that are titled only in his name. The first vehicle has a value of $7,550 and the second vehicle has a value of $42,500. Sue can transfer both titles into her name because the combined value is under $65,000.
How to Transfer – To transfer the title of a vehicle, the surviving spouse would need 1) an original death certificate; 2) either original title or copy of vehicle title; 3) proper identification. The surviving spouse can then go to any Title Bureau in the State of Ohio to get a new vehicle title in their name.