(1) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles may issue a duplicate certificate of title upon application by the person entitled to hold such a certificate if the department is satisfied that the original certificate has been lost, destroyed, or mutilated. The department shall charge a fee of $6 for issuing a duplicate certificate.

(2) In addition to the fee imposed by subsection (1), the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall charge a fee of $5 for expedited service in issuing a duplicate certificate of title. Application for such expedited service may be made by mail or in person. The department shall issue each certificate of title applied for under this subsection within 5 working days after receipt of a proper application or shall refund the additional $5 fee upon written request by the applicant.

(3) If, following the issuance of an original, duplicate, or corrected certificate of title by the department, the certificate is lost in transit and is not delivered to the addressee, the owner of the vessel or the holder of a lien thereon may, within 180 days after the date of issuance of the title, apply to the department for reissuance of the certificate of title. An additional fee may not be charged for reissuance under this subsection.

(4) The department shall implement a system to verify that the application is signed by a person authorized to receive a duplicate title certificate under this section if the address shown on the application is different from the address shown for the applicant on the records of the department.

History.—s. 4, ch. 67-586; ss. 25, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 13, ch. 74-327; s. 14, ch. 84-184; s. 2, ch. 87-291; s. 59, ch. 95-333; s. 63, ch. 96-413; s. 59, ch. 99-248; s. 14, ch. 2019-76.

1Note.—Section 14, ch. 2019-76, amended s. 328.11, effective July 1, 2023, to read:

328.11 Duplicate certificate of title.—

(1) If a written certificate of title is lost, stolen, mutilated, destroyed, or otherwise becomes unavailable or illegible, the secured party of record or, if no secured party is indicated in the files of the department, the owner of record may apply for and, by furnishing information satisfactory to the department, obtain a duplicate certificate in the name of the owner of record.

(2) An applicant for a duplicate certificate of title must sign the application, and, except as otherwise permitted by the department, the application must comply with s. 328.01. The application must include the existing certificate unless the certificate is lost, stolen, mutilated, destroyed, or otherwise unavailable.

(3) A duplicate certificate of title created by the department must comply with s. 328.04 and indicate on the face of the certificate that it is a duplicate certificate.

(4) If a person receiving a duplicate certificate of title subsequently obtains possession of the original written certificate, the person shall promptly destroy the original certificate of title.

(5) The department shall charge a fee of $6 for issuing a duplicate certificate.

(6) In addition to the fee imposed by subsection (5), the department shall charge a fee of $5 for expedited service in issuing a duplicate certificate of title. Application for such expedited service may be made by mail or in person. The department shall issue each certificate of title applied for under this subsection within 5 working days after receipt of a proper application or shall refund the additional $5 fee upon written request by the applicant.

(7) The department shall implement a system to verify that the application is signed by a person authorized to receive a duplicate title certificate under this section if the address shown on the application is different from the address shown for the applicant on the records of the department.

Note.—Former s. 371.79.