Relating to motor vehicle dealers, including rights to certain vehicles, records storage requirements, and remote sales of motor vehicles

This bill relates to remote sales. Under current law, a person does not acquire any right, title, claim, or interest in or to any vehicle subject to registration except by virtue of a certificate of title or manufacturer’s or importer’s certificate for such vehicle, with certain exceptions. The bill provides that a licensed motor vehicle dealer is deemed to have acquired and to possess the right, title, claim, and interest in a vehicle if the vehicle’s certificate of title is issued or properly assigned to an entity with direct ownership or control over the dealer. Under current law, if a dealer has more than one established place of business, the dealer may designate one such location in this state for purposes of keeping all the dealer’s books and records, regardless of the line-make of motor vehicles to which such books and records pertain, by submitting a written certification to the department of transportation (DOT) in a manner approved by the DOT. The bill requires a dealer to store all records at a place of business of the dealer or at a place of business within the United States of an entity that has direct ownership or control over the dealer, provide electronic records to the DOT within hours after receiving a request, and provide physical records to the DOT within a reasonable time considering postal delivery. The bill expands the requirement for a dealer to possess the certificate of title to any motor vehicle offered for remote sale by authorizing an entity with direct ownership or control over a dealer to possess the title at the time of the sale. Under the bill, the certificate of title may be in an electronic format as described in the bill. The bill strikes a provision prohibiting a dealer, during a remote sale, from signing a proposed purchase agreement until the dealer receives an executed purchase agreement from a buyer. The bill requires a dealer engaging in a remote sale to disclose to a prospective buyer certain facts about the location and title status of a vehicle. A dealer is required to produce proof that the dealer has the certificate of title for a vehicle offered for sale if requested by the DOT. The dealer is required to retain records showing where a vehicle is stored, the status of the vehicle’s title, and documents relating to the remote sale of the vehicle, in accordance with the bill. For purposes of remote sales, the bill requires an electronic signature captured and applied to an image of a physical certificate of title that was originally printed by a secure printing process in compliance with all applicable requirements under federal regulations to be accepted for purposes of odometer disclosure. A dealer using an electronic signature on a digital image of a physical title is required to mark the original title as “void” or “surrendered” and submit an application for certificate of title and registration electronically in accordance with current law. The bill specifies that a remote sale of a motor vehicle is not a “door-to-door sale” and is not subject to Code chapter 555A (door-to-door sales). Under current law and the bill, remote sales are subject to Code chapter 554D (electronic transactions —— computer agreements).