Pine Bluffs Post - Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908

CHEYENNE: Joint owner of a vehicle? New law on titles issued after Jan. 1 may affect you

If two owners are listed on a vehicle title, who can sell the vehicle? According to the Laramie County Clerk, the answer depends on when the title was issued and how the owners’ names are joined.

County Clerk Debra Lee said a new law, which takes effect January 1, 2020, changes the way vehicle ownership is held when multiple owners’ names are joined by the conjunction “or” and the names are not listed as joint tenants.

Prior to January 1, 2020, multiple ownership on a title—regardless of how the names were joined—required the signatures of all owners to sell the vehicle. Under the new law, if owner names are joined by “or” and no joint tenancy is involved, the signature of just one owner is sufficient to sell the vehicle.

Lee provided the example of two people who purchase a car and join their names with “or” on the title, or their names are listed with no conjunction. If the vehicle title is issued after Jan. 1, 2020, it only takes one owner to legally sell the vehicle.

“If the owners’ names are joined by “and”,“and/or”, or if they indicate “joint ownership with rights of survivorship” on the title, the signatures of all owners are still required to sell the vehicle,” said Lee.

Lee said county clerks throughout the state are working with vehicle dealerships to help spread the word about the new law and what it means.

The new law only applies to titles issued on or after January 1, 2020.