Georgia Motor Vehicle Title Bond

What a Georgia title bond does

When you hold a vehicle but cannot produce a properly assigned certificate of title, Georgia will not issue a new title on your word alone. Under O.C.G.A. § 40-3-28, the state accepts a surety bond in place of the missing proof of ownership. The bond, which Georgia calls a bonded vehicle title, promises that anyone who later proves a better claim to the vehicle (a prior owner, a lienholder, a subsequent purchaser) will be paid their loss up to the bond amount. On the strength of that promise Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division (apply at the county tag office) issues a title in your name. It is a real title: you can register, insure, drive and sell the vehicle. The only difference is a brand on the face of the title that lapses when the bond term runs without a claim.

Three parties sign on. You are the principal. Georgia Department of Revenue and every potential claimant are the obligees. Surety One, Inc. is the surety that guarantees your claim. If the surety ever pays, it looks to you under the indemnity agreement in the application, which is why we ask for evidence of how you came to possess the vehicle before issuing.

How much bond do you need in Georgia?

Georgia fixes the penal sum at 2.0× vehicle value and never less than $5,000. We round up to the next $1,000 because sureties issue in whole thousands and the DMV never objects to a bond that exceeds the requirement.

At $20 per $1,000 that $17,000 bond carries a premium of $340.00, plus the $85 administrative fee, for a total of $425.00 covering the full 4-year term. Nothing renews and nothing is refunded; the premium is fully earned when the bond is executed.

Where the value comes from. Twice the fair market value established by the Georgia Department of Revenue under O.C.G.A. § 48-5C-1 (the Motor Vehicle Assessment Manual). Where no DOR value exists (commercial vehicles, trailers), twice the taxable value set by the county Board of Tax Assessors on signed letterhead. The county tag office or MVD provides the amount. Never less than $5,000.

How to get a bonded title in Georgia

1. The owner must be a Georgia legal resident and the vehicle must require a Georgia title; model year 1985 or older vehicles are not titled and not eligible, nor are abandoned vehicles.
2. The vehicle must be free of liens (a lien in the title history is a denial unless a T-4 release is produced).
3. An NMVTIS report is required, plus a certified out-of-state title history if the vehicle was last titled elsewhere, and a law enforcement T-22B inspection.
4. The bond must come from a Georgia-licensed surety in the owner's legal name, signed by the owner and the agent, witnessed, with the power of attorney attached.
5. Apply in person at the county tag office within 6 months of the bond date.
6. The title legend reads Surety Bond.
7. Covers motor vehicles and mobile homes.

Once the bond is in hand, file it with the title application at Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division. The executed bond carries the surety's power of attorney, is signed and witnessed as the state requires, and matches the vehicle description on your application exactly. Any discrepancy between the bond and the application (a transposed VIN digit, a name that does not match your ID) is the most common reason a bonded title is rejected.

Georgia title bond FAQ

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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 →