How Do I Title & Register A Trailer in North Carolina?

Check out this video on How Do I Title & Register a Trailer in North Carolina?

Are you moving to North Carolina with a trailer, or you just purchased a trailer in North Carolina?  We will take a look at how to title and register your trailer, but first, let’s get a quick rundown on the titling and registration requirements in North Carolina.

What’s required?

Titling Requirement:  you need to title your trailer if you're planning to garage your trailer in North Carolina for six months or more each year, you need to title it in North Carolina. The DMV treats trailers just like any other vehicle, so the titling process is similar to what you'd do to title a car or truck.

Registration Requirement: If you’re towing your trailer on North Carolina roads with a vehicle registered in the state, your trailer must be registered in North Carolina.

Now let’s take a look at how to title and register your trailer.

The Title & Registration Process

1. Gather Your Documents:

   1. Valid North Carolina Driver's License or ID:  New residents need to get a North Carolina Driver's License, and title and register their vehicles in North Carolina.

   2. Proof of Insurance on the Tow Vehicle: Insurance card showing provider and policy number, declaration page, or other proof that includes the provider and policy number.

   3. Bill of Sale:This should include the buyer and seller’s full names and addresses, date of purchase, amount of purchase, and signatures of both buyer and seller.

   4. New Trailers:

      1. MCO:  If the trailer is new, a notarized MCO assigned to the purchaser

   5. Used Trailers:

      1. Title:  If you are registering a used trailer,  a properly re-assigned and notarized title.

      2. Damage Disclosure:Required if the trailer is 5 year models old or less.

2. Visit the NC DMV Tag Office:Take your documents to the nearest DMV tag office. They will generate a title application form that you’ll need to sign.

3. No MCO or Title? If you don’t have an MCO or title, check out "Titling and Registering in North Carolina Without a Title" for more information.

4. Registration:  The tag office will register your trailer during your visit and provide you with a registration card and a tag.  There are two options when registering your trailer:

   1. Single Year:  A single year trailer registration needs to be renewed every year, very similar to how your vehicle registration renewal works.

   2. Multi-Year:  A multi-year registration is available for trailers.  You pay a higher one time fee and never have to renew your registration again.  This is the option we recommend to customers who plan to own their trailer for 3 more years.

5. Title:  The tag office will submit your title application to the DMV central office.  They will process your application and mail your title to you.

Potential Issues and how to avoid them

Unfortunately, title and registration issues occur every day in North Carolina:

• Civil penalties: these include unpaid fines, late fees, property tax issues, and more can cause issues when registering your trailer.  The tag office typically finds this at the time of registration and requires resolving the penalty before additional vehicles or trailers can be registered.

  • Pay your penalties ahead of time:  Make sure to pay your fees and fines prior to visiting the tag office.

• Liens:  If the trailer had a lien on it that the financial institution has not released, the tag office will not transfer the title until they receive a lien release form.

  • Get a record of your lien releases: Liens are usually listed on the title.  Make sure your financial institution has issued a lien release and you can provide it if necessary in the event that the tag office system doesn’t have a record of the release being recorded.

• Improper titling or reassignment:  If the trailer was titled improperly by the previous owner or the title reassignment has errors or omissions, the tag office will likely not be able to complete the title transfer.  If the title is transferred with errors, issues can arise when you later resale the trailer.

  • Professional Title Work: Have a professional such as a dealership or tag office assist with your title work. Purchasing from a dealership reduces the likelihood of title errors.  A few dealerships in North Carolina are DMV hubs that can also register your trailer directly through the DMV system and issue tags and registrations at the time you purchase your trailer.  These select dealerships are required to stay compliant through regular training.  For more information check out our information on Trailer DMV Hubs here.

Conclusion

By understanding title and registration requirements, you ensure your trailer is compliant with North Carolina laws.  These requirements are designed to help you protect your investment and keep you legally covered. Consider purchasing and selling your trailer to a reputable DMV Hub Dealer.  They are trained on how to handle different titling issues, they prevent you from going to the DMV yourself and can provide registration at the time of purchase. Correctly titling and registering your trailer allows you to hit the road with peace of mind!

Don't forget, if you are the market for a new trailer, NC Trailers does your NC DMV title, tag, and registration paperwork for you at the dealership, so you simply pay/sign and go home with a NC permanent single-year or multi-year tag the day of purchase!

NEXT UP: PART 4: TITLE AND REGISTRATION BLOGS: I DON'T HAVE A TITLE. HOW DO I GET A TITLE FOR MY TRAILER AND REGISTER MY TRAILER IN NORTH CAROLINA?