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When you cannot prove ownership of a vehicle in Lamar County, TX, the Texas DMV lets you get a bonded title — post a surety bond and the county tax office issues the title. Pricing starts from $125; the amount is 1.5 times the vehicle value the DMV assigns, and no credit check up to $100,000.
















No underwriting queue for the standard title bond — enter your amount, pay, and take the executed bond to the Lamar County tax office. Here is the whole thing:
Your details, the vehicle, and the bond amount (1.5× the vehicle value) — that is the application.
No credit check up to $100,000, and most applicants are approved and issued as soon as they pay.
Take the executed bond and your DMV paperwork to the Lamar County tax assessor-collector to get your bonded title. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the office insists.
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) Regional Service Center, then your county tax assessor-collector handles it. The bond amount is 1.5 times the vehicle's value as TxDMV determines it. The bond lasts 3 years from the bond's effective date; the 'bonded' remark can be removed after that if no claim is pending.
Complete Form VTR-130-SOF (Bonded Title Application or Tax Collector Hearing Statement of Fact), explaining how and from whom you got the vehicle. Gather any bill of sale or canceled check, your photo ID, and an original lien release or letter of no interest if a lien under 10 years old shows on the record.
If the vehicle has no Texas record, have a law enforcement auto theft investigator complete Form VTR-68-A (Law Enforcement Identification Number Inspection). TxDMV does not perform these inspections.
Mail or bring the packet and the $15 fee to the Regional Service Center that serves your county. Mailed fees must be a check or money order; cash is taken only in person.
If approved, TxDMV issues Form VTR-130-ND (Notice of Determination for a Bonded Title or Tax Assessor-Collector Hearing), which states the bond amount. TxDMV also mails notice to the owner and any lienholder of record.
Buy a Certificate of Title Surety Bond (Form VTR-130-SB) for at least the amount on the notice, from an agency licensed to sell vehicle surety bonds in Texas. You have 1 year from the notice date; after that you need a new notice.
Within 30 days of the bond's effective date, take Form 130-U (Application for Texas Title and/or Registration), the original notice with its enclosures, the original bond and any power of attorney, proof of insurance and your photo ID to the county tax assessor-collector. Pay the title fee and any tax or registration fees there.
These are the state’s fees. The bond premium is separate and shown in the price card.
File the original bond with your county tax assessor-collector within 30 days of its effective date; the title issues with a 'BONDED TITLE' remark that stays for the full 3 years, even if you sell the vehicle. After 3 years with no claim pending, ask a TxDMV Regional Service Center to remove the remark, then apply for an original title at the county and pay the title fee.
Checked on 22 October 2026 against TxDMV: Bought a vehicle with no title, TxDMV Form VTR-130-SOF (Rev 11/24), TxDMV Motor Vehicle Title Manual (August 2026), sections 3.6 and 8.3 and TxDMV adopted rules, 43 TAC 217.9 Bonded Titles. Rules and fees change; the agency’s own page has the final word.
When you buy or inherit a vehicle in Lamar County, TX and the paperwork is missing, lost, or defective — and there is no lien on the state record — Texas lets you establish ownership with a bonded title. You post a surety bond, the county tax office and Texas DMV issue a title in your name, and the bond protects anyone who later proves a superior claim.
The bond amount is 1.5 times the vehicle's value as determined by the Texas DMV. You start by requesting a Bonded Title (or rejection) letter from the DMV's Regional Service Center, which sets the value; the bond is written for 1.5× that figure and runs a three-year term.
If someone with a better claim comes forward and is harmed, they can recover against the bond — and if the surety pays, you repay the surety. After three years with no valid claim, a clean Texas title issues. We write the bond starting from $125, with no credit check up to $100,000 on the application.
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.
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.
File with the Lamar County tax office. Take the executed bond and your DMV paperwork to the Lamar County tax assessor-collector to get your bonded title. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the office insists.
The premium is 0.9% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, $125 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.
Submit the application with your bond amount (1.5× the vehicle value) — the executed title bond is generated instantly, ready to take to the Lamar County tax office.
Start the application →Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Pricing from $125. Enter your amount and take it to the Lamar County tax office the same day.