Power of attorney guide
Vehicle Power of Attorney
A vehicle power of attorney authorizes someone to sign motor-vehicle paperwork for you: transferring a title, applying for registration, signing an odometer disclosure, releasing a lien or selling the vehicle. Most state motor-vehicle agencies publish their own one-page form, and most of those forms must be notarized.
Also called: motor vehicle power of attorney, DMV power of attorney, power of attorney for a motor vehicle, title power of attorney.
Who uses one
Dealers, who have buyers sign one so the dealer can complete the title work. Lenders and leasing companies, who need it to transfer a title on a lease return or a repossession. Military members, students and expatriates who are away when a car has to be sold or registered. Families handling a vehicle for a parent in care. Buyers and sellers who live in different states.
The form is a limited power of attorney: it names the vehicle by year, make and vehicle identification number, and it authorizes only title and registration acts. It does not let the agent spend the principal's money or sign anything unrelated to that vehicle.
State forms and federal odometer rules
Texas (Form VTR-271), California (REG 260), Florida (HSMV 82053), New York (MV-908?) — nearly every state has a form, and the state pages on this site list the ones we index. Most include a notary block; a few, such as California's, accept a plain signature.
Federal odometer law adds a wrinkle. The odometer disclosure must be signed by the transferor, and a power of attorney can only be used for it under the secure, two-part form the states print for that purpose (the “secure power of attorney for odometer disclosure”), and only when the title is held by a lienholder or is lost. A general or limited power of attorney is not enough for the odometer statement.
Notarization
Where the DMV form includes a notary block, the agency will reject it without a seal. Where it does not, the state's general power-of-attorney rules still apply, and dealers routinely notarize anyway so the document is accepted in every state the vehicle may be titled in. An online notarization performed under Florida law is recognized by every state's motor-vehicle agency that recognizes out-of-state notarizations — which, under the uniform recognition statutes, is all of them — though the agency's own intake practice is the final word.
Vehicle power of attorney: rules by state
- Texas
- California
- Florida
- New York
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, D.C.
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Common questions
- Does a vehicle power of attorney need to be notarized?
- Usually. Most state DMV forms include a notary block and are rejected without it. Check the specific form; the state pages here list the forms we index and whether they carry a notary certificate.
- Can I use a general power of attorney at the DMV?
- Often yes, if it grants authority over tangible personal property or motor vehicles and is notarized. Many DMVs prefer their own form, and the federal odometer disclosure can only be signed by an agent under the secure odometer power of attorney.
- Can a dealer use a power of attorney to sign the odometer statement?
- Only with the secure odometer power of attorney, and only when the title is held by a lienholder or has been lost. Otherwise the seller must sign the odometer disclosure personally.
Notarize a power of attorney online
A vehicle power of attorney follows your state's signing rules — notary in most states, witnesses in some. Upload the document, verify your ID, and sign on video with a commissioned online notary in about 15 minutes. Witnesses, where your state requires them, can join the same session.
Related types
Limited power of attorney
Authority for one task or one period — a closing, a permit, a vehicle sale, a trip abroad.
Financial power of attorney
Banking, bills, investments, taxes and property. Usually durable; usually on the state's statutory form.
Real estate power of attorney
To buy, sell, mortgage or manage property. Must be notarized and is recorded with the deed.
All types of power of attorney and the state-by-state table →
General information about how powers of attorney are signed, not legal advice. Execution rules are set by each state’s statute and change; the sources on each state page link to the current text. Whether a particular bank, recorder, agency or title company accepts a document is its own decision — confirm with the receiving party before signing. Rush Notary’s notaries are commissioned online notaries public in Florida who notarize for signers in every state under Florida’s remote online notarization law; see the online notarization requirements for your state.