Bill would create administrative path to title long‑abandoned vehicles; sponsors say it would avoid costly court actions

Representative Keith Kepnick introduced House Bill 14 80 to provide an administrative procedure for requesting a certificate of title for motor vehicles that have been unregistered or effectively abandoned for an extended period. The sponsor said the proposal is patterned on North Dakota’s processes for abandoned mineral claims and is intended to give people a workable option short of filing a quiet‑title action in court.

Under the draft described to the committee, an applicant must search for the last known owner, send a certified letter to the owner’s last known address, and publish notice in the county’s official newspaper for a statutory period (the draft referenced a two‑week publication). If no claimant responds, the applicant may present evidence to the Department of Transportation and the DOT would issue a reissued certificate of title. The sponsor said a 10‑year inactivity threshold was used in the draft but could be adjusted.

Dennis Johnson, a former speaker of the House, testified in support and related constituent cases in which heirs could not obtain titles without costly court proceedings. He described instances where vehicles — including rare collector vehicles and family‑owned trucks — sat for years in garages or on properties and the cost of litigation made restoring or selling the vehicles impractical.

Committee members asked about edge cases such as illegible or missing vehicle identification numbers (VINs). Sponsor Kepnick said the bill contemplates reasonable steps to identify last known owners, including searches of property records, and acknowledged VIN‑related issues will arise and may require additional steps or evidence in some cases.

The hearing concluded with committee members and DOT staff noting other related bills are under consideration; no vote was taken at this hearing.