---
title: O.C.G.A. § 40-3-33. Transfer of vehicle to or from dealer; records; application for certificate of title by dealer.
collection: code
id: 40-3-33
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 40-3-33 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/40-3-33
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/40-3-33.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/40-3-33/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t40-ch1-5-(v28a)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=99657e14_0#page=127
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/40-3.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/40-3-32.1.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/40-3-34.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: Effective January 1, 2026.
in_force: true
other_versions:
  - version: Effective until January 1, 2026.
    in_force: false
    md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/40-3-33.md?version=until+January+1%2C+2026
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC / CERTIFICATES OF TITLE, SECURITY INTERESTS, AND LIENS / CERTIFICATES OF TITLE
extraction_warnings:
  - bound_version_dropped:None
---

# O.C.G.A. § 40-3-33. Transfer of vehicle to or from dealer; records; application for certificate of title by dealer.

(a)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, a dealer who buys a vehicle and holds it for resale need not apply to the commissioner for a new certificate of title but may retain the delivered certificate. Upon transferring the vehicle to another person other than by the creation of a security interest, such dealer shall promptly execute the assignment and warranty of title by a dealer. Such assignment and warranty shall show the names and addresses of the transferee and any holder of a security interest created or reserved at the time of the resale and the date of the security agreement, in the spaces provided therefor on the certificate or as the commissioner prescribes. Transfers of vehicles under this Code section shall otherwise conform with Code Section 40-3-32. A dealer selling a previously registered vehicle for which a certificate of title is not required under this chapter need not furnish a purchaser of such a vehicle a certificate of title. After a previously registered vehicle has been brought under the terms of this chapter, a dealer, when selling that vehicle, shall conform to all provisions of this chapter.

(2)(A) As used in this paragraph, the term “franchise dealer” means a dealer who under a contract or franchise agreement with a manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, or importer is authorized to sell new motor vehicles of or for such manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, or importer and who is authorized to use trademarks or service marks associated with one or more makes of motor vehicles in connection with such sales.

(B) A dealer who is not a franchise dealer who acquires a vehicle for which the original certificate of title has not been issued and who holds such vehicle for resale shall not be exempt from the requirement to obtain a certificate of title in such dealer’s name as provided in paragraph (1) of this subsection. Such dealer shall, as provided in Code Section 40-3-32, obtain a certificate of title in such dealer’s name prior to selling or otherwise transferring said vehicle to any other person or dealer.

(b) Every dealer shall maintain a record, in the form the commissioner prescribes, of every vehicle bought, sold, or exchanged or received for sale or exchange. Such record shall be kept for three years and shall be open to inspection by a representative of the commissioner during reasonable business hours. The information contained in records maintained by a dealer pursuant to this subsection shall be an accurate representation of the transaction, and no alternative versions of records shall be produced for a purchaser with information which differs from that contained in records maintained for inspection by the department.

(c) Except as otherwise provided for in subsection (c) of Code Section 40-3-32, the dealer shall submit a properly completed certificate of title application and proper supporting documents to the commissioner or to the appropriate authorized county tag agent so that the application and supporting documents shall be submitted to the commissioner or the appropriate authorized county tag agent within 30 days from the date of the transfer of the vehicle. If the application and supporting documents are not submitted within that time, the dealer shall be required to pay a penalty of $10.00 in addition to the ordinary title fee as provided by this chapter. If the documents submitted in support of the title application are rejected, the dealer submitting the documents shall have 60 days from the date of initial rejection to resubmit the documents required by the commissioner for the issuance of title. If the documents are not properly resubmitted within 60 days, there shall be an additional penalty of $10.00 assessed against the dealer. The willful failure of a dealer to obtain a certificate of title for a purchaser shall be grounds for suspension or revocation of the dealer’s state issued license and registration for the sale of motor vehicles.

(d) All applications for a certificate of title by a motor vehicle dealer shall be submitted to the department electronically. Any motor vehicle dealer who sells no more than ten motor vehicles per month on average as certified by the commissioner may apply on a form prescribed by the commissioner for a waiver from mandatory electronic filing of title applications as required by this subsection. The department shall adopt rules and regulations to administer this subsection.

(e) Any dealer which sells a motor vehicle to a person who is not a resident of the county in which the dealer is located may file an application for title for such motor vehicle with the county tag agent in the county in which the dealer is located.

(f) The department shall be authorized to assess a civil penalty against a dealer of up to $500.00 for each sales transaction conducted in violation of subsection (b) of this Code section.

(g) The department is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the provisions of this Code section.

## History

Ga. L. 1961, p. 68, § 16; Ga. L. 1965, p. 304, § 4; Ga. L. 1981, p. 883, § 6; Code 1981, § 40-3-32; Ga. L. 1985, p. 149, § 40; Ga. L. 1986, p. 438, § 5; Code 1981, § 40-3-33, as redesignated by Ga. L. 1990, p. 2048, § 3; Ga. L. 1992, p. 2785, § 2; Ga. L. 2007, p. 652, § 10/HB 518; Ga. L. 2017, p. 742, § 5/HB 412; Ga. L. 2018, p. 1069, § 1/HB 761;Ga. L. 2025, p. 672, § 7/HB 551, effective January 1, 2026.

## Amendments

The 2025 amendment, effective January 1, 2026, in paragraph (a)(1), substituted “delivered certificate” for “certificate delivered to him” in the first sentence, substituted “the security” for “his security” in the third sentence, and substituted “for which a certificate of title is not required under this chapter” for “which under this chapter need not have a certificate of title” in the fifth sentence; in subsection (b), substituted “exchanged or received” for “exchanged by him, or received by him” in the first sentence and added the last sentence; and added subsections (f) and (g).

## Delayed Effective Date

Code Section 40-3-33 is set out twice in this Code. This version is effective January 1, 2026. For version effective until January 1, 2026, see the preceding version.