Tennessee motor vehicle title bonds.
From $100.
When you can’t prove ownership of a vehicle, Tennessee lets you get a bonded title — file a surety bond under T.C.A. 55-3-103 and the county clerk titles the vehicle in your name. Premiums start from $100, and no credit check up to $100,000; the bond amount is 1.5× the vehicle’s value.
Trusted by industry leaders
How much does a Tennessee motor vehicle title bond cost?
0.9% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Apply to bonded title in one sitting.
No underwriting queue for the standard title bond — enter your amount, pay, and take the executed bond through the state’s process. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your details, the vehicle, and the bond amount (1.5× the vehicle’s value) — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
No credit check up to $100,000.
File with the state and county clerk
Submit the executed bond through the Department of Revenue’s Special Investigations process; once approved, the county clerk titles the vehicle. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the office insists.
Getting a bonded title in Tennessee, step by step.
Tennessee Department of Revenue, Vehicle Services Division, then your county clerk handles it. The bond amount is 1.5 times the vehicle's fair market value. The bond lasts 3 years; the state keeps the bond on file and may return it then, or sooner if the vehicle leaves Tennessee and the title is surrendered.
Check that you need a bond
Tennessee uses the bond route for a vehicle under 30 years old worth more than $3,000, when the state is not satisfied about ownership, there are no known liens, and it is not reported stolen. A vehicle worth $3,000 or less, or 30 or more years old, uses the Certification of Ownership form instead, with no bond.
Fill out the Surety Bond Application
Complete form RV-F1313201, Surety Bond Application, and attach a bill of sale from the last registered owner or a notarized statement from the seller explaining why the vehicle was never titled in the seller's name. Without either, attach a written appraisal from a licensed dealer or a printout from a value guide such as kbb.com.
Choose a personal or corporate bond
For a personal bond written by the state, list 2 co-signers who own land in Tennessee, live at different addresses from each other and from you, and attach their property tax records. For a corporate bond, list the bonding company's name and address on the application.
Email the application to the state
Send the Surety Bond Application and your papers to Suretybond.title@tn.gov. The Department of Revenue checks the VIN to make sure the vehicle is not reported stolen.
Get the bond on Tennessee's form
For a corporate bond, ask the department for the Tennessee Corporate Surety Bond form and buy the bond for 1.5 times the vehicle's fair market value. The company's attorney-in-fact signs and seals it and attaches an original power of attorney showing it can write surety bonds in Tennessee.
Take the approval letter to the county clerk
Once the department approves the bond, it mails you an approval letter. Bring it to your county clerk, fill out the Multi-purpose Application, and pay the title and registration fees and any sales or use tax to get your title.
Who qualifies
- Only Tennessee residents, or businesses with a Tennessee address, can apply.
- The bond route is for vehicles under 30 years old worth more than $3,000; anything else uses the Certification of Ownership process with no bond.
- The vehicle must have no known liens and must not be reported stolen.
- Cars, trucks, motorcycles, ATVs, golf carts, campers, trailers, and mobile homes not attached to land can qualify.
- A mobile home legally affixed to land, with an Affidavit of Affixation on file at the county register of deeds, cannot be bonded.
After the bond
The bond goes to the Department of Revenue for approval, not to the county; the department then mails you an approval letter. Take that letter to your county clerk to apply for the title, and the state keeps the bond on file for 3 years.
Checked on 22 October 2026 against TN Department of Revenue: VT-12, The Surety Bond Process (updated July 9, 2026), TN Department of Revenue: SB-11, Obtaining and Submitting a Surety Bond Application, TN Department of Revenue: SB-5, Who and What is Eligible for Surety Bond, TN Department of Revenue: SB-10, Length of Time a Surety Bond Is Valid, TN Department of Revenue: SB-7, Costs Associated with Surety Bonds, TN Department of Revenue: SB-12, Length of Time to Receive an Approved Surety Bond and Surety Bond Application, RV-F1313201 (Rev. 09/23). Rules and fees change; the agency’s own page has the final word.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bonded title actually does
When you buy or inherit a vehicle in Tennessee and the paperwork is missing or insufficient, you can establish ownership with a bonded title under T.C.A. 55-3-103. You post a surety bond, the state approves it, and the county clerk issues a certificate of title in your name. The bond protects anyone who later proves a superior claim to the vehicle.
The bond amount is one and one-half (1.5) times the vehicle’s fair market value. You establish value with a NADA or Kelley Blue Book valuation, or a written appraisal from a licensed dealer. Tennessee generally does not require a title bond for vehicles valued under $3,000 or more than 30 years old — so this path is for newer, more valuable vehicles.
The process runs through the Department of Revenue’s Special Investigations Section, which issues a bond-approval letter the county clerk needs to process the title. If a valid superior claim is later paid, you repay the surety. The bond is returned after three years, after which a clean title issues.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The carrier issues this bond for a single three-year term; the term cannot be changed at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the state and county clerk. Submit the executed bond through the Department of Revenue’s Special Investigations process; once approved, the county clerk titles the vehicle. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the office insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 0.9% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $100,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued on the spot.
Submit the application with your bond amount (1.5× the vehicle’s value) — most title bonds are generated instantly, ready for the state’s approval process.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Tennessee bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Bonded title, issued today.
Premiums from $100. Enter your amount and start the state’s process the same day.