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Connecticut lien release

Paid off your car in Connecticut? How the lien comes off the title

Connecticut lienholders hold the paper title. When the loan is satisfied, state law requires the lienholder to sign a release and deliver the certificate to the owner within 10 days after the owner's demand and in any event within 30 days after payoff. The DMV says that once the loan is satisfied you do not need to request a new title; you can keep the stamped-paid certificate from your lender for a future sale or transfer. To have the lienholder removed from a title, the DMV requires a release letter from the lender on its letterhead.

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Checked against official Connecticut sourcesLast reviewed Sep 28, 2026. Every fact below links to its source at the end of the page.
After the last payment

What happens to the title in Connecticut

The Connecticut DMV says the state does not take part in electronic title or electronic lienholder programs and cannot receive an electronic title, so liens are recorded on paper titles held by the lienholder.

Connecticut lienholders hold the paper title. When the loan is satisfied, state law requires the lienholder to sign a release and deliver the certificate to the owner within 10 days after the owner's demand and in any event within 30 days after payoff. The DMV says that once the loan is satisfied you do not need to request a new title; you can keep the stamped-paid certificate from your lender for a future sale or transfer. To have the lienholder removed from a title, the DMV requires a release letter from the lender on its letterhead.

Your steps

Getting a clear Connecticut title

Fee: $25.00 duplicate (replacement) title fee.

  1. After the final payment, ask the lender for the title with the lien released (stamped paid or signed off); state law gives the lender 10 days after your demand and no more than 30 days after payoff.
  2. Get a lien release letter on the lender's letterhead that lists the owner name(s), the year, make and VIN, states the loan is paid in full (or that the lender has no interest), and carries an authorized signature.
  3. Keep the stamped-paid title for a future sale or transfer; the DMV says you do not need to apply for a new title just to remove the paid lienholder.
  4. If the title is lost and a lien is listed, submit Form H-6B (Application for Replacement Certificate of Title) with the lien release letter and the $25 fee, signed by the owner(s), to the DMV in Wethersfield.
  5. If the loan is more than 10 years old and no release letter can be obtained, complete Section 2 of Form H-6B or the Motor Vehicle Ownership Affidavit (Form H-115) instead of a release letter.
If the lender is slow

How long the lender has

Connecticut gives the lienholder 10 days after payoff.

The lienholder must execute and deliver the release within 10 days after demand and, in any event, within 30 days after the debt is paid. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-188.

Lender gone or unreachable

If the lienholder is out of business

Compare other states' procedures

Under Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-188(d), a lienholder that has disappeared and cannot be located by the debtor is deemed to have released the lien once evidence satisfactory to the DMV commissioner is filed, and the statute sets no waiting period. Section 14-188(e) also treats a lien held by a financial institution that no longer exists (and that gave no proper release) as dissolved not earlier than ten years after it was perfected, if successor institutions cannot find the debtor's records. The DMV says that for a loan over 10 years old with no release letter, the owner can complete Section 2 of Form H-6B or the Motor Vehicle Ownership Affidavit (Form H-115) instead.

Official form: H-6B Application for Replacement Certificate of Title (Section 2, liens over 10 years old)

Optional paid help

Get the Connecticut lien release finished

Your loan is paid off but the title, the release, or the Connecticut record still isn't right. We check the path and do the paperwork with you.

  • We find the release path for your state and lender from official sources.
  • We prepare the lien release or clear-title request, and any state form, for you to sign and send.
  • We track the lender and the state until the record shows the lien released.
One-time $89 for a paid-off loan whose title still shows the lien. We show the work, terms, exclusions, and delivery date before payment.
Every guide and official link on this site stays free.
By lender

What your lender says about payoff

Each page covers what the lender publishes about releasing the lien, timing, and contacts.

Official sources

The Connecticut rules behind this page

Recheck the agency page before you apply. Statute copies from third-party sites are labelled.

Connecticut title after payoff questions

How long does a lender have to release a lien in Connecticut?
The lienholder must execute and deliver the release within 10 days after demand and, in any event, within 30 days after the debt is paid. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-188.
Will Connecticut mail me the title after I pay off the loan?
Connecticut lienholders hold the paper title. When the loan is satisfied, state law requires the lienholder to sign a release and deliver the certificate to the owner within 10 days after the owner's demand and in any event within 30 days after payoff. The DMV says that once the loan is satisfied you do not need to request a new title; you can keep the stamped-paid certificate from your lender for a future sale or transfer. To have the lienholder removed from a title, the DMV requires a release letter from the lender on its letterhead. The Connecticut DMV says the state does not take part in electronic title or electronic lienholder programs and cannot receive an electronic title, so liens are recorded on paper titles held by the lienholder.
What if my lender went out of business?
Under Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-188(d), a lienholder that has disappeared and cannot be located by the debtor is deemed to have released the lien once evidence satisfactory to the DMV commissioner is filed, and the statute sets no waiting period. Section 14-188(e) also treats a lien held by a financial institution that no longer exists (and that gave no proper release) as dissolved not earlier than ten years after it was perfected, if successor institutions cannot find the debtor's records. The DMV says that for a loan over 10 years old with no release letter, the owner can complete Section 2 of Form H-6B or the Motor Vehicle Ownership Affidavit (Form H-115) instead.
How much does a clear title cost in Connecticut?
$25.00 duplicate (replacement) title fee. Confirm the current fee with the Connecticut title agency before you apply.