Classic, Antique and Barn Find Title Bonds

Three kinds of states

States that do not title old vehicles. No title means no bond; the vehicle registers on a bill of sale and an affidavit. Maine does not title vehicles more than 25 model years old; Connecticut does not title vehicles older than 20 model years; New Hampshire does not title model years before 2000; Rhode Island titles only 2001 and newer; New York does not title cars and trucks of model year 1972 and older; Alabama does not title motor vehicles more than 35 model years old; Georgia does not title model year 1985 and older; Colorado exempts vehicles 25 years and older from bonding with a VIN inspection and a bill of sale within 24 months (DR 2462); Kansas titles antiques on a TR-90 affidavit with an MVE-1 inspection.

States that exempt old vehicles from the bond but still title them. Montana requires no bond for a vehicle 30 years old or older; Tennessee requires none for a vehicle 30 years or older (a Certification of Ownership is filed instead); Idaho titles vehicles 10 model years and older on a verified statement of applicant without a bond; Minnesota's bonded route is for vehicles more than five years old, so newer vehicles are handled at DVS discretion; Iowa exempts a vehicle worth $1,000 or less that is 12 model years or older; Louisiana (a non-bond state) has a good-faith possession route for vehicles 25 years and older.

The state that bonds only old vehicles. South Dakota issues bonded titles solely for vehicles 30 years and older with no record on file and no bill of sale; a newer vehicle has no bond route there at all.

Everywhere else: the appraisal problem

Price guides stop at a certain age, so the value of a classic comes from an appraisal. Texas allows an appraisal on Form VTR-125 for vehicles 25 years and older, and if the appraisal comes in under $4,000 the bond is computed on $4,000 anyway. Illinois accepts an officer of an antique vehicle club as an appraiser. Alaska requires a licensed dealer, insurance appraiser or bank. A restored car appraised at $40,000 in a 1.5× state needs a $60,000 bond, which is judgment-underwritten and will want a personal financial statement; a $9,000 project car needs $14,000 and costs $365.00 online.

Barn finds and abandoned vehicles

A vehicle found on property you bought, or left in a barn by someone long gone, is abandoned property in the eyes of most states, and the bond statutes exclude abandoned vehicles (North Carolina, Alaska, Illinois, Colorado, Washington, Georgia). The route is the state's abandoned vehicle process, which usually involves notice to the owner of record and a waiting period, after which a title can issue without a bond. If instead you bought the car from the person who owned the barn, that is an ordinary private sale and the bond route applies.

Military and specialty vehicles

Kansas's TR-90 covers antique military vehicles. Most states treat surplus military vehicles as never-titled property requiring an affidavit and inspection rather than a bond. Ask before you buy a bond.

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Written and reviewed by C. Constantin Poindexter, MA, JD, CPCU, AFSB, ASLI, ARe, AINS, AIS, CPLP, founder of Surety One, Inc. and CEO of Janus Assurance Re, with more than thirty years of surety and reinsurance underwriting experience. Author of The Contractor's Guide to Surety Bonds. Reflects state law and DMV practice as of November 5, 2026. More about the author →