The law creates a presumption that the last titled owner of a vehicle is responsible for abandoning it. If the vehicle is abandoned, the Secretary of State will send notice to the last owner of record. The owner of record may be liable for all fees and penalties associated with the abandoned vehicle. You may contest your responsibility for the vehicle by providing a "record of the sale" to the court. This law also applies to custodian and towing agencies that sell abandoned vehicles.

Section 257.240 of the Michigan Vehicle Code requires a person who transfers his or her interest in a vehicle (e.g. sold, gave away, donated or traded in) to either accompany the purchaser to the Secretary of State branch office to transfer the title OR keep a "record of sale" or a copy of the reassigned title for at least 18 months. An acceptable "record of the sale" is either a photocopy of the reassigned title or a document that includes the name, address, driver's license number and signature of the person to whom the vehicle was sold, along with the purchase price and date of the sale.

If you traded in the vehicle to a dealer, the title application for your new vehicle should show that your previous vehicle was traded in.

Ownership records can only be changed when the new owner submits an assigned title and processes a title application at a Secretary of State branch office. The Secretary of State cannot change the record of ownership based on your submission of a "record of sale."

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