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Lien expiration

Does a lien on a car title expire?

Not by itself. In the sources we cite, only 9 states have a rule that ends or cancels a paid-off lien after a set time: Delaware, Missouri, Minnesota, Mississippi, Connecticut, Georgia, Nebraska, Alabama, and South Carolina. Each has narrow conditions, and even there you still apply to the title agency for a clear title. Wisconsin can only drop an old lien from its records. For the other 37 states and the District of Columbia that we cover, we found no such rule, which does not prove none exists.

Each row gives the period as the law words it, what starts the clock, who has to act first, the limits, and what you still do. The cited pages are the final word.

See the tableFree lien release letter
Before you rely on a period

How to read the table

Read the exclusions before you count years.

  • The clock starts at a date on the record. Which date depends on the state: perfection, recording, filing, the security agreement, or the issue of the title.
  • Some lienholders can keep a lien in force. Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina let the lienholder file a continuation or recertify, so an old lien can still be in force.
  • The limits are narrow. Vehicle type, weight, purchase price and the kind of lender can each take a lien out of a rule.
  • You still need the title agency. A clear title comes from the title agency in every row, so the last columns say what to ask it for.
  • Rules change. Open the cited page and your state's page before you rely on a date.
The law sets the period; you still apply
The statute ends or satisfies the lien once the period runs. You still ask the title agency for a clear title.
You send notice first, then apply
You mail the lienholder a notice first. Only then can the lien be discharged or canceled, and you still ask the title agency for the title.
You file evidence with the agency
The title agency decides what it accepts, and you still apply for the title.
Record removal only; the loan agreement stays
The state may drop the lien from its computer records. That is not a lapse and not a release.
9 states, shortest period first

Time-based lien rules by state

Select a state for the steps to a clear title and what to do if the lender is gone.

Time-based rules that lapse or cancel a lien on a car title, by state
StateYears and startWho must actConditions and exclusionsWhat you still doSource
DelawareMore than 3 yearsfrom the date the lien was recordedThe law sets the period; you still apply
  • Only for a lien recorded in favor of a firm or corporation that has dissolved, ceased to do business or gone out of business since the lien was recorded.
  • The statute says such a lien, if it remains of record as that firm's lien for more than 3 years from the date of recording, "shall become null and void and of no further force and effect."
  • A lien held by a firm that is still in business is not covered by this section.
  • Ask the Delaware DMV what it needs to see that the firm is gone and that the lien has been of record for more than 3 years.
  • Apply to the Delaware DMV for a title without the lien.
21 Del. C. 2338
Missouri6 yearsfrom the date the lien was originally perfectedThe law sets the period; you still apply
  • Only for a motor vehicle or trailer whose purchase price did not exceed $6,000 at the time of purchase.
  • Excluded: a lien perfected by a motor vehicle financing corporation whose net worth exceeds $100 million, or by a depository institution.
  • Does not apply if a new lien or encumbrance has been perfected as provided in section 301.600.
  • Does not apply if the certificate of ownership has the words "subject to future advances" recorded in the second lienholder portion.
  • Check the purchase price, the date the lien was perfected, and whether your lender is a depository institution or a motor vehicle financing corporation over the $100 million net worth line.
  • Ask the Missouri Department of Revenue to issue a title without the lien.
RSMo 301.640, subsection 3
Minnesota7 yearsfrom the perfection dateYou send notice first, then apply
  • Only for a passenger automobile as section 168.002 subdivision 24 defines it: a motor vehicle designed and used to carry not more than 15 people, including the driver. The definition includes pickup trucks and vans and excludes motorcycles, motor scooters, buses and commuter vans.
  • Only for vehicle owners who are individuals, or for licensed dealers buying a vehicle from an individual owner to resell it.
  • The owner must have paid the lien in full and be unable to locate the lienholder.
  • The statute says the lien "may be canceled" on the owner's request. It does not say the lien ends by itself.
  • Send the lienholder a letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, asking for a lien release. The statute calls this the minimum.
  • If no release comes, give the department or its agent the returned letter as evidence that you tried, and ask for the lien to be canceled.
  • Keep proof that you paid the lien in full.
Minn. Stat. 168A.20 subd. 5
MississippiMore than 8 yearsfrom the date the lien was placed on the vehicleThe law sets the period; you still apply
  • For a lien on a motor vehicle. The statute has the department record the lien in its automated statewide system as satisfied, released and discharged.
  • Does not apply if the lienholder recertifies the lien every year in the format and with the data the department requires.
  • Mississippi DOR says lienholders recertify older liens each year, with a December 1 deadline, and that liens not recertified are removed from the state system the following January.
  • Check the date the lien was placed on the vehicle.
  • Ask Mississippi DOR Motor Vehicle Services whether the lien still shows in its system, and how to get a title without it.
Miss. Code 63-21-16(15)
ConnecticutNot earlier than 10 yearsfrom the date the security interest was perfectedYou file evidence with the agency
  • The statute covers only a security interest originally perfected by a financial institution or other institution that no longer exists and never signed a release.
  • The interest is "deemed to be dissolved" not earlier than 10 years after it was perfected, and only if the debtor's records cannot be located by any successor institution.
  • Separate DMV route: if the loan is more than 10 years old and you cannot get a lien release, the DMV says to complete Section 2 of form H-6B (lien over 10 years old) or the Motor Vehicle Ownership Affidavit (form H-115) in place of the release letter. Its examples include a lender that is out of business or changed its name.
  • Ask any successor institution for its records and a release first.
  • Complete Section 2 of form H-6B or form H-115 and submit it to Connecticut DMV in place of a lien release letter.
Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-188(e)
Georgia10 years (4 years if the vehicle is 12 or more model years old)from the issue date of the title that lists the lienThe law sets the period; you still apply
  • The statute gives the 10-year period for a vehicle 11 model years old or less. The Department of Revenue page words that tier as "11 model years old or older", so ask your county tag office which period applies to your vehicle.
  • The 4-year period is for a vehicle 12 or more model years old.
  • Mobile homes, cranes and vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight are excluded. Their liens still need a release.
  • Check the issue date on your title and the vehicle's model year.
  • Ask your county tag office to issue a title without the lien.
O.C.G.A. 40-3-56(c)
Nebraska10 yearsfrom the date of filingYou send notice first, then apply
  • Only when the holder of the title cannot locate a lienholder.
  • The lien may be discharged by presenting proof that 30 days have passed since a written notice was mailed, by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the lienholder's last-known address.
  • Mail the notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the lienholder's last-known address, and keep the proof of mailing.
  • When 30 days have passed and the lien is 10 years past filing, ask the Nebraska DMV or your county treasurer how to present that proof and get a title without the lien.
Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-164(8)
Alabama12 years (4 years if the vehicle is 12 or more model years old)from the date of the security agreement as recorded on the titleThe law sets the period; you still apply
  • The 12-year period is for a motor vehicle other than a travel trailer, a manufactured home or a vehicle that weighs more than 12,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (Ala. Code 32-8-64.1).
  • The 4-year period is for a vehicle that is 12 or more model years old, with the same exclusions (Ala. Code 32-8-64.2).
  • Does not apply if the lienholder filed a second title application with a notice of continuous lien perfection (form MVT 5-64) before the lien was released by law.
  • For a travel trailer, a manufactured home or a vehicle over 12,000 pounds, the rule says a surety bond is needed when the lien release cannot be provided.
  • Find the security agreement date on your title and the vehicle's model year.
  • Apply to the Alabama Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division, or a designated agent, for a title without the lien.
Ala. Code 32-8-64.1 and 32-8-64.2; Ala. Admin. Code r. 810-5-75-.21
South Carolina12 yearsfrom the date the lien was perfectedThe law sets the period; you still apply
  • For a lien on a vehicle titled by South Carolina. Motor homes, mobile homes, special mobile equipment and commercial trucks are excluded.
  • The lien lapses at the end of the 12 years unless the lienholder on the current title files a continuation statement, which keeps it effective for 2 more years from the filing date.
  • The lienholder may apply for continuation no more than 6 months before the lien expires.
  • The 12 years count the age of the lien, not the age of the vehicle.
  • Act 115 of 2026, in effect since October 6, 2026, restates this rule as subsection (E) of the same section, with the same 12 years and the same 2-year continuation.
  • Check the date the lien was perfected on your title record.
  • Ask an SCDMV branch to confirm the lien has lapsed and to issue a clear title.
S.C. Code 56-19-265(E), as amended by Act 115 of 2026; formerly subsection (G)
Not a lapse

Wisconsin: record removal only

This rule is not counted above. The lien and the loan agreement stay.

Rules that let a state drop an old lien from its computer records
StateYears and startWho must actConditions and exclusionsWhat you still doSource
Wisconsin10 years (20 years for a recreational vehicle, 8 years for a truck tractor)from the original perfectionRecord removal only; the loan agreement stays
  • The statute says the department "may remove" the information from its computerized records. It does not say the lien ends.
  • The information is not removed if the security interest was renewed.
  • The statute says removal from the records does not affect the security agreement between the owner and the lienholder.
  • Ask WisDOT what it will accept to issue a title without the lien.
  • Do not treat the removal as a release. The statute says it does not affect the security agreement.
Wis. Stat. 342.22(3) and (4)
None in the sources we cite

The other 37 states and the District of Columbia

We did not find a rule in these states that ends or cancels a lien after a set number of years. That does not mean none exists. Ask the title agency.

Lien expiration questions

Does a lien on a car title expire?
Not by itself. In the sources we cite, only 9 states have a rule that ends or cancels a paid-off lien after a set time: Delaware, Missouri, Minnesota, Mississippi, Connecticut, Georgia, Nebraska, Alabama, and South Carolina. Each has narrow conditions, and even there you still apply to the title agency for a clear title. Wisconsin can only drop an old lien from its records. For the other 37 states and the District of Columbia that we cover, we found no such rule, which does not prove none exists. The table lists the period, what starts it, and the exclusions for each state.
If the period has passed, do I still need the title agency?
Yes. In every state in the table, the owner still applies to the title agency for a clear title. Minnesota and Nebraska also need you to mail the lienholder a certified letter first. The last two columns say what to do in your state.
What if my state is not in the table?
37 states and the District of Columbia show none in the sources we cite. That means we did not find a rule that ends or cancels a lien after a set number of years, not that none exists. Ask the title agency, then use the lender-out-of-business guide and the free lien release letter.
Next

Where to go from here

Free tools and guides. A lapse rule is one option among several.

Official sources

Where these rules come from

Every page below was re-read on Oct 7, 2026. Recheck the page before you send anything.

Statute text (unofficial copy)