CHAPTER 247
UNIFORM MOTOR VEHICLE CERTIFICATE OF TITLE
AND ANTITHEFT ACT

PART I
DEFINITIONS AND EXCLUSIONS

      Sec. 14-165. *(See end of section for amended version of subdivision (7) and effective date.) Definitions. Except when the context otherwise requires, as used in this chapter:

      (1) "Dealer" means a person engaged in the business of buying, selling or exchanging vehicles who is licensed under the provisions of chapter 246;

      (2) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles;

      (3) "Identification number" means the vehicle identification number of a motor vehicle, as defined in section 14-1;

      (4) "Implement of husbandry" means a vehicle registered as a farm vehicle or a vehicle designated and adapted exclusively for agricultural, horticultural or livestock-raising operations or for lifting or carrying an implement of husbandry;

      (5) "Lienholder" means a person holding a security interest in a vehicle;

      (6) "Owner" means a person, other than a lienholder, having the property in or title to a vehicle. The term includes a person entitled to the use and possession of a vehicle subject to a security interest in another person, but excludes a lessee under a lease not intended as security;

      *(7) "Security agreement" means a "security agreement" as defined in subdivision (78) of subsection (a) of section 42a-9-102;

      (8) "Security interest" means a "security interest" as defined in subdivision (35) of subsection (b) of section 42a-1-201;

      (9) "Special mobile equipment" means a vehicle not designed for the transportation of persons or property upon a highway and only incidentally operated or moved over a highway, including, but not limited to, ditch-digging apparatus, well-boring apparatus and road construction and maintenance machinery such as asphalt spreaders, bituminous mixers, bucket loaders, street sweepers, tractors other than truck tractors, ditchers, leveling graders, finishing machines, motor graders, road rollers, scarifiers, earth moving carry-alls and scrapers, power shovels and drag lines, and self-propelled cranes and earth moving equipment. The term does not include house trailers, dump trucks, truck-mounted transit mixers, cranes or shovels, or other vehicles designed for the transportation of persons or property to which machinery has been attached;

      (10) "State" means a state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or a province of the Dominion of Canada;

      (11) "Vehicle" means a motor vehicle as defined by section 14-1;

      (12) "Manufacturer's or importer's certificate of origin" means the original written instrument or document required to be executed and delivered by the manufacturer to the manufacturer's agent or dealer, or a person purchasing direct from the manufacturer, certifying the origin of the vehicle;

      (13) "Electronic title file" means the file maintained by the commissioner in an electronic media format for the purpose of recording and storage of the evidence of a lienholder's security interest in a vehicle; and

      (14) "Special mobile agriculture vehicle" means a vehicle with an operator and agriculture support materials, operated upon or across any public highway, incidentally, in conjunction with the commercial operation of agriculture support. Commercial operation of agriculture support is limited to those services provided by a commercial entity to the agriculture industry and shall be limited to the spreading or spraying of materials to promote the growth of crops.

      (1957, P.A. 607, S. 1; 1961, P.A. 573, S. 1; P.A. 77-604, S. 45, 84; P.A. 84-429, S. 64; P.A. 94-189, S. 32, 34; P.A. 96-162, S. 2; P.A. 01-132, S. 163; P.A. 02-70, S. 3; P.A. 04-199, S. 12; 04-217, S. 26; P.A. 05-109, S. 47; P.A. 08-150, S. 26.)

      *Note: On and after July 1, 2013, subdivision (7) of this section, as amended by section 27 of public act 11-108, is to read as follows:

      "(7) "Security agreement" means a "security agreement" as defined in subdivision (74) of subsection (a) of section 42a-9-102."

      (1957, P.A. 607, S. 1; 1961, P.A. 573, S. 1; P.A. 77-604, S. 45, 84; P.A. 84-429, S. 64; P.A. 94-189, S. 32, 34; P.A. 96-162, S. 2; P.A. 01-132, S. 163; P.A. 02-70, S. 3; P.A. 04-199, S. 12; 04-217, S. 26; P.A. 05-109, S. 47; P.A. 08-150, S. 26; P.A. 11-108, S. 27.)

      History: 1961 act redefined security agreement and security interest (Subsecs. (g), (h)) to conform to Uniform Commercial Code; P.A. 77-604 replaced reference to (h) of Sec. 42a-9-105(1) with reference to (l) of said section; P.A. 84-429 made technical changes for statutory consistency; P.A. 94-189 redefined "special mobile equipment" to include street sweepers, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 96-162 applied provisions to Sec. 14-167a but specific reference not added since said Sec. already included in existing reference to "this chapter"; P.A. 01-132 replaced Sec. 42a-9-105(1)(l) with Sec. 42a-9-102(a)(78) as the statutory reference for the definition of "security agreement" and made technical changes, including a technical change for purposes of gender neutrality; P.A. 02-70 redesignated Subsecs. (a) to (l) as Subdivs. (1) to (12), amended Subdiv. (3) to redefine "identification number" as the vehicle identification number of a motor vehicle, as defined in Sec. 14-1, added Subdiv. (13) defining "electronic title file" and made technical changes throughout, effective July 1, 2002; P.A. 04-199, effective July 1, 2004, and P.A. 04-217, effective January 1, 2005, both amended Subdiv. (3) to eliminate reference to Sec. 14-1(a)(91); P.A. 05-109 amended Subdiv. (8) by replacing reference to Sec. 42a-1-201(37) with reference to Sec. 42a-1-201(b)(35); P.A. 08-150 added Subdiv. (14) defining "special mobile agriculture vehicle", effective June 12, 2008; P.A. 11-108 amended Subdiv. (7) re definition of "security agreement" to replace reference to Sec. 42a-9-102(a)(78) with reference to Sec. 42a-9-102(a)(74), effective July 1, 2013.

PART II
CERTIFICATE OF TITLE

      Sec. 14-188. Release of security interest. (a) Upon the satisfaction of a security interest in a vehicle for which the certificate of title is in the possession of the lienholder, the lienholder shall, within ten days after demand and, in any event, within thirty days, execute a release of the security interest, in the space provided therefor on the certificate or as the commissioner prescribes, and mail or deliver the certificate and release to the next lienholder named therein, or, if none, to the owner or any person who delivers to the lienholder an authorization from the owner to receive the certificate. The commissioner may require such lienholder to electronically transmit to the Department of Motor Vehicles a release of its security interest in a vehicle.

      (b) If the security interest of the lienholder is maintained in the electronic title file pursuant to subsection (b) of section 14-175, such lienholder shall, upon the satisfaction of such security interest, execute a release of such security interest, and mail, deliver or electronically transmit such release to the next lienholder or, if none, to the owner or to any person who delivers or electronically transmits to the lienholder, an authorization from the owner to receive a certificate of title. Such release shall be provided in not more than ten days and shall be in such form and manner, and contain such information necessary to evidence the release of the lien and to identify the motor vehicle and the record of the certificate of title, as the commissioner may prescribe. The commissioner may require the lienholder to electronically transmit to the Department of Motor Vehicles information pertaining to the release of a security interest in a vehicle.

      (c) Upon the satisfaction of a security interest in a vehicle for which the certificate of title is in the possession of a prior lienholder, the lienholder whose security interest is satisfied shall within ten days after demand and, in any event, within thirty days execute a release in the form the commissioner prescribes and deliver the release to the owner or any person who delivers to the lienholder an authorization from the owner to receive it, and shall deliver or electronically transmit such release to the prior lienholder. The lienholder in possession of the certificate of title shall deliver the certificate to the owner or the person authorized by the owner to receive such title. The commissioner may require a subordinate lienholder to electronically transmit to the Department of Motor Vehicles information pertaining to the release of its security interest in a motor vehicle.

      (d) A lienholder who does not comply with subsection (b) or (c) of this section and who has disappeared and cannot be located by the debtor shall be deemed for purposes of this section only to have released such security interest, if evidence satisfactory to the commissioner is filed concerning the disappearance of the lienholder, and the commissioner shall so note on the records of the department.

      (1957, P.A. 607, S. 24; 1967, P.A. 796; P.A. 02-70, S. 13; P.A. 08-150, S. 22; P.A. 11-213, S. 34.)

      History: 1967 act added Subsec. (c) re release of security interest; P.A. 02-70 made technical changes in Subsec. (a) for purposes of gender neutrality, inserted new Subsec. (b) to require lienholder, upon satisfaction of security interest, to notify commissioner within ten days of such satisfaction if the security interest of lienholder is maintained in electronic title file pursuant to Sec. 14-175(b) and to provide for the form and manner of such notification, and redesignated existing Subsecs. (b) and (c) as Subsecs. (c) and (d), making technical changes therein, effective July 1, 2002; P.A. 08-150 amended Subsec. (b) to replace provisions requiring lienholder to notify commissioner within 10 days of satisfaction with provisions requiring lienholder to execute release of security interest and mail, deliver or electronically transmit such release, in not more than 10 days, to next lienholder or, if none, to owner or any person who delivers or electronically transmits to lienholder an authorization from owner to receive a certificate of title, and amended Subsec. (d) to include lienholder who does not comply with Subsec. (b); P.A. 11-213 amended Subsecs. (a) to (c) to delete requirements that documents be mailed or delivered to commissioner and that commissioner release lienholder's rights or issue new certificate, and to authorize commissioner to require lienholder to electronically transmit release, or information pertaining to release, to department, effective July 1, 2011.