Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 321.48 (2026)

Vehicles acquired for resale

✓ current as of July 2026

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1. a. When the transferee of a vehicle is a dealer who holds the vehicle for resale and operates the vehicle only for purposes incident to a resale and displays a dealer plate on the vehicle or does not drive such vehicle or permit it to be driven upon the highways, such transferee shall not be required to obtain a new registration or a new certificate of title but upon transferring title or interest to another person shall execute and acknowledge an assignment and warranty of title upon the certificate of title assigned to the person and deliver the same to the person to whom such transfer is made.

b. A dealer licensed pursuant to chapter 322 or chapter 322C who has acquired a vehicle for resale which is subject to a security interest as provided in section 321.50 and who has forwarded to the secured party the sum necessary to discharge the security interest may offer the vehicle for sale prior to the receipt from the county treasurer of the certificate of title for the vehicle with the lien discharged for a period of not more than thirty days from the date the vehicle was acquired and the provisions of section 321.104, subsection 2, shall not apply.

2. A foreign registered vehicle purchased or otherwise acquired by a dealer for the purpose of resale shall be issued a certificate of title for the vehicle by any county treasurer upon proper application as provided in this chapter and upon payment of a fee of fifteen dollars and the dealer is exempt from the payment of any and all registration fees for the vehicle. The application for certificate of title shall be made within thirty days after the vehicle comes within the border of the state. However, a dealer acquiring a vehicle registered in another state which permits Iowa dealers to reassign that state’s certificates of title shall not be required to obtain a new initial registration or a new certificate of title and upon transferring title or interest to another person shall execute an assignment upon the certificate of title for the vehicle to the person to whom the transfer is made and deliver the assigned certificate of title to the person.

3. Notwithstanding subsections 1 and 2, requirements in those subsections for obtaining title to a vehicle or acknowledging assignment and warranty of title do not apply to a dealer\n\nTue Dec 09 22:16:58 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 321 (137, 2) 67 MOTOR VEHICLES AND LAW OF THE ROAD, §321.50\n\nwho sells a motor vehicle to a purchaser in a consignment transaction authorized under section 322.7B.

4. In a transaction in which a vehicle is traded to a dealer as defined in chapter 322 or chapter 322C toward the purchase price of another vehicle and each vehicle is owned in whole or in part by the same person, the person acquiring the vehicle from the dealer shall be entitled to a credit under section 321.46.

5. A transferee of a new completed motor vehicle shall obtain a certificate of title for the vehicle but is not required to pay the annual registration fee for the vehicle, provided all of the following apply:

a. The transferee is an equipment dealer licensed as a motor vehicle dealer under chapter 322.

b. The transferee purchases the vehicle at retail for the purpose of modifying the vehicle as provided in section 321.105A, subsection 2, paragraph “c”, subparagraph (31), prior to selling it as a used vehicle to a business or government entity.

c. The transferee operates the vehicle only for purposes incidental to a resale.

d. The transferee displays a dealer plate on the vehicle or does not drive the vehicle or permit it to be driven upon the highways.

6. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a dealer from obtaining a new certificate of title or new registration in the same manner as other purchasers. [C24, 27, 31, 35, §4965; C39, §5002.04; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §321.48] 82 Acts, ch 1062, §9, 38; 83 Acts, ch 82, §3; 84 Acts, ch 1169, §1; 84 Acts, ch 1305, §54; 88 Acts, ch 1215, §7; 90 Acts, ch 1116, §2; 99 Acts, ch 13, §7; 2003 Acts, ch 8, §11; 2010 Acts, ch 1061, §180; 2014 Acts, ch 1065, §1; 2014 Acts, ch 1123, §26; 2024 Acts, ch 1145, §14, 26 Referred to in §321.23, 321.25, 321.30, 321.46, 321.49, 321.50, 321.52A, 321.71, 321.104, 331.557, 805.8A(2)(l) Surcharge imposed; §321.52A For applicable scheduled fines, see §805.8A, subsection 2 \n

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 4 cases, 1988–2002 · leading case: Nelson v. Merchants Bonding Co., 425 N.W.2d 433 (Iowa Ct. App. 1988).

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Nelson v. Merchants Bonding Co., 425 N.W.2d 433 (Iowa Ct. App. 1988). “Iowa Code § 321.48 (2) (1983) (emphasis added).”

Huisinta v. Consum. Portfolio Servs. Inc. (In Re Orcutt), 280 B.R. 837 (Bankr. D. Iowa 2002). “27(321,322) (emphasis added); see also Iowa Code § 321.48 (1). A dealer, such as McGrath, is directed that it may only sell a vehicle if it holds the certificate of title assigned from the previous owner or obtains a new certificate of title in its own name.”

In Re Merritt, 267 B.R. 625 (Bankr. D. Iowa 2001). “Iowa Code § 321.48 (2). McGrath, an Iowa dealer, did not apply for title within 15 days after it acquired the vehicle from Onyx in Illinois on February 4, 2000.”

Hanrahan v. Triad Fin. Corp. (Merritt), 267 B.R. 625 (Bankr. D. Iowa 2001). “Iowa Code § 321.48 (2). McGrath, an Iowa dealer, did not apply for title within 15 days after it acquired the vehicle from Onyx in Illinois on February 4, 2000.”

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