This section sets fees for certain title-related transactions, forbids fees for termination statements and assignee-name statements, and lets the office use local licensing officials or agents to receive documents and collect/forward fees.
(a) There shall be a fee of twenty dollars ($20) to be collected by the office for processing and issuing the required documents and performing the other duties required by this chapter in connection with each of the following transactions: (1) an application for a certificate of title; (2) an application for a replacement certificate of title; (3) an application for a transfer of ownership by operation of law using a transfer-by-law statement; (4) an application for a transfer of ownership using a transfer statement; (5) an application for a transfer of ownership without a certificate of title, transfer-by-law statement, or transfer statement; and (6) a search request, including upon request the certification required by Section 33-5B-11(e). (b) There shall be no fee for processing a termination statement or a statement merely providing the office with the name of a secured party’s assignee. (c) Each county licensing official shall serve as an agent of the office for the purpose of receiving a document specified in subsection (a) or (b), collecting a fee as provided for by subsection (a) and forwarding the document and any fee to the office. A fee of five dollars ($5) shall be paid to the appropriate licensing official for a transaction specified in subsection (a) to be deposited in a separate fund maintained by the licensing official to be used in his or her sole discretion for any legal purpose in the operation of his or her office. There shall be no fee for a transaction specified in subsection (b). (d) The office may designate as its agent a dealer or financial institution located in this state for the purpose of preparing an application for a certificate of title and collecting the fee provided for by subsection (a) and forwarding the application and fee to the office. An agent acting under this subsection may charge a fee of no more than five dollars ($5) for its services. (e) The fees collected under this section shall be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the State General Fund after the appropriation provided to the office for the implementation and administration of this chapter.