Mich. Comp. Laws » Michigan Compiled Laws / Chapter 257 / Act 300 of 1949
Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.237 (2026)

Transfer of registration; issuance of new registration certificate and certificate of title; filing surrendered certificate of title; retention of records.

✓ current as of July 2026
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MICHIGAN VEHICLE CODE


Act 300 of 1949


257.237 Transfer of registration; issuance of new registration certificate and certificate of title; filing surrendered certificate of title; retention of records.

Sec. 237.

    (1) The secretary of state, upon receipt of a properly endorsed certificate of title and application for transfer of registration accompanied by the required fee, shall transfer the registration thereof under its registration number to the newly acquired vehicle and shall issue a new registration certificate and certificate of title as upon an original registration.

    (2) The secretary of state shall retain and appropriately file every surrendered certificate of title, the file to be so maintained as to permit the tracing of title of the vehicles designated in the file for a period of 6 years, except that records of stolen vehicles reported in section 253 may be destroyed after being maintained on file for the year of entry plus 4 years.

    (3) The secretary of state shall retain the records for 2 years after the date of notification that a vehicle has been processed for scrap.

History: 1949, Act 300, Eff. Sept. 23, 1949 ;-- Am. 1978, Act 507, Eff. July 1, 1979 ;-- Am. 1980, Act 460, Imd. Eff. Jan. 15, 1981

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases, 1991–2012 · leading case: Clevenger v. Allstate Ins., 505 N.W.2d 553 (Mich. 1993).
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Clevenger v. Allstate Ins., 505 N.W.2d 553 (Mich. 1993). · cites it 2× “MCL 257.237; MSA 9.1937. The unlawful use of registrations is also discussed in the vehicle code.”
Titan Ins. v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins., 817 N.W.2d 621 (Mich. Ct. App. 2012). “MCL 257.237(1). If a transfer does not occur within 15 days, the vehicle is considered to be without registration.”
Bruinsma v. Citizens Banking Corp. (In Re Fleming), 226 B.R. 3 (Bankr. W.D. Mich. 1998). · cites it 3× “See Exhibit 2; compare Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § 257.237 (1) (upon receipt of proper paperwork, Secretary of State shall issue new certificate of title) with id.”
Allstate Ins. v. Sentry Ins., 477 N.W.2d 422 (Mich. Ct. App. 1991). “1936, and MCL 257.237; MSA 9.1937. For these reasons, we conclude that there is no basis on the record to conclude that Sentry’s insured, Anna Crosby, was the registrant of the Monte Carlo at the time of the accident.”
Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.237(1): 1 case
Titan Ins. v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins., 817 N.W.2d 621 (Mich. Ct. App. 2012). “MCL 257.237(1). If a transfer does not occur within 15 days, the vehicle is considered to be without registration.”
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