LB 490 — Change provisions of the Motor Vehicle Certificate of Title Act

Section 60-164, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended to read:

60-164 (1) The department shall implement an electronic title and lien system for vehicles.

The holder of a security interest, trust receipt, conditional sales contract, or similar instrument regarding a vehicle, or beginning on the implementation date determined by the director pursuant to subsection (7) of section 60-1507, a licensed dealer, may file a lien electronically as prescribed by the department.

Upon receipt of an application for a certificate of title for a vehicle, any lien filed electronically shall become part of the electronic certificate of title record created by the county treasurer or department maintained on the electronic title and lien system.

If an application for a certificate of title indicates that there is a lien or encumbrance on a vehicle or if a lien or notice of lien has been filed electronically, the department shall retain an electronic certificate of title record and shall note and cancel such liens electronically on the system.

The department shall provide access to the electronic certificate of title records for licensed dealers and lienholders who participate in the system by a method determined by the director.

(2) Except as provided in section 60-165 or section 6 of this act, the provisions of article 9, Uniform Commercial Code, shall never be construed to apply to or to permit or require the deposit, filing, or other record whatsoever of a security agreement, conveyance intended to operate as a mortgage, trust receipt, conditional sales contract, or similar instrument or any copy of the same covering a vehicle.

Any mortgage, conveyance intended to operate as a security agreement as provided by article 9, Uniform Commercial Code, trust receipt, conditional sales contract, or other similar instrument covering a vehicle, if such instrument is accompanied by delivery of such manufacturer's or importer's certificate and followed by actual and continued possession of the same by the holder of such instrument or, in the case of a certificate of title, if a notation of the same has been made electronically as prescribed in subsection (1) of this section or by the county treasurer or department on the face of the certificate of title or on the electronic certificate of title record, shall be valid as against the creditors of the debtor, whether armed with process or not, and subsequent purchasers, secured parties, and other lienholders or claimants but otherwise shall not be valid against them, except that during any period in which a vehicle is inventory, as defined in section 9-102, Uniform Commercial Code, held for sale by a person or corporation that is required to be licensed as provided in the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act and is in the business of selling such vehicles, the filing provisions of article 9, Uniform Commercial Code, as applied to inventory, shall apply to a security interest in such vehicle created by such person or corporation as debtor without the notation of lien on the certificate of title.

A buyer of a vehicle at retail from a dealer required to be licensed as provided in the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act shall take such vehicle free of any security interest.

A purchase-money security interest, as defined in section 9-103, Uniform Commercial Code, in a vehicle is perfected against the rights of judicial lien creditors and execution creditors on and after the date the purchase-money security interest attaches.

(3) Subject to subsections (1) and (2) of this section, all liens, security agreements, and encumbrances noted upon a certificate of title or an electronic certificate of title record and all liens noted electronically as prescribed in subsection (1) of this section shall take priority according to the order of time in which the same are noted by the county treasurer or department.

Exposure for sale of any vehicle by the owner thereof with the knowledge or with the knowledge and consent of the holder of any lien, security agreement, or encumbrance on such vehicle shall not render the same void or ineffective as against the creditors of such owner or holder of subsequent liens, security agreements, or encumbrances upon such vehicle.

(4) The holder of a security agreement, trust receipt, conditional sales contract, or similar instrument, upon presentation of such instrument to the department or to any county treasurer, together with the certificate of title and the fee prescribed for notation of lien, may have a notation of such lien made on the face of such certificate of title.

The owner of a vehicle may present a valid out-of-state certificate of title issued to such owner for such vehicle with a notation of lien on such certificate of title and the prescribed fee to the county treasurer or department and have the notation of lien made on the new certificate of title issued pursuant to section 60-144 without presenting a copy of the lien instrument.

The county treasurer or the department shall enter the notation and the date thereof over the signature of the person making the notation and the seal of the office.

If noted by a county treasurer, he or she shall on that day notify the department which shall note -2- LB490 LB490 2025 the lien on its records.

The county treasurer or the department shall also indicate by appropriate notation and on such instrument itself the fact that such lien has been noted on the certificate of title.

(5) A transaction does not create a sale or a security interest in a vehicle, other than an all-terrain vehicle, a utility-type vehicle, or a minibike, merely because it provides that the rental price is permitted or required to be adjusted under the agreement either upward or downward by reference to the amount realized upon sale or other disposition of the vehicle.

(6) The county treasurer or the department, upon receipt of a lien instrument duly signed by the owner in the manner prescribed by law governing such lien instruments together with the fee prescribed for notation of lien, shall notify the first lienholder to deliver to the county treasurer or the department, within fifteen days after the date of notice, the certificate of title to permit notation of such other lien and, after notation of such other lien, the county treasurer or the department shall deliver the certificate of title to the first lienholder.

The holder of a certificate of title who refuses to deliver a certificate of title to the county treasurer or the department for the purpose of showing such other lien on such certificate of title within fifteen days after the date of notice shall be liable for damages to such other lienholder for the amount of damages such other lienholder suffered by reason of the holder of the certificate of title refusing to permit the showing of such lien on the certificate of title.

(7) Upon receipt of a subsequent lien instrument duly signed by the owner in the manner prescribed by law governing such lien instruments or a notice of lien filed electronically, together with an application for notation of the subsequent lien, the fee prescribed in section 60-154, and, if a printed certificate of title exists, the presentation of the certificate of title, the county treasurer or department shall make notation of such other lien.

If the certificate of title is not an electronic certificate of title record, the county treasurer or department, upon receipt of a lien instrument duly signed by the owner in the manner prescribed by law governing such lien instruments together with the fee prescribed for notation of lien, shall notify the first lienholder to deliver to the county treasurer or department, within fifteen days after the date of notice, the certificate of title to permit notation of such other lien.

After such notation of lien, the lien shall become part of the electronic certificate of title record created by the county treasurer or department which is maintained on the electronic title and lien system.

The holder of a certificate of title who refuses to deliver a certificate of title to the county treasurer or department for the purpose of noting such other lien on such certificate of title within fifteen days after the date when notified to do so shall be liable for damages to such other lienholder for the amount of damages such other lienholder suffered by reason of the holder of the certificate of title refusing to permit the noting of such lien on the certificate of title.

(8) When a lien is discharged, the holder shall, within fifteen days after payment is received, note a cancellation of the lien on the certificate of title over his, her, or its signature and deliver the certificate of title to the county treasurer or the department, which shall note the cancellation of the lien on the face of the certificate of title and on the records of such office.

If delivered to a county treasurer, he or she shall on that day notify the department which shall note the cancellation on its records.

The county treasurer or the department shall then return the certificate of title to the owner or as otherwise directed by the owner.

The cancellation of lien shall be noted on the certificate of title without charge.

For an electronic certificate of title record, the lienholder shall, within fifteen days after payment is received when such lien is discharged, notify the department electronically or provide written notice of such lien release, in a manner prescribed by the department, to the county treasurer or department.

The department shall note the cancellation of lien and, if no other liens exist, issue the certificate of title to the owner or as otherwise directed by the owner or lienholder.

If the holder of the title cannot locate a lienholder, a lien may be discharged ten years after the date of filing by presenting proof that thirty days have passed since the mailing of a written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the last-known address of the lienholder.

Sec.

5.

Section 60-166, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended to read:

60-166 (1)(a) This subsection applies prior to the implementation date designated by the Director of Motor Vehicles pursuant to subsection (2) of section 60-1508.

(b) In the event of (i) the transfer of ownership of a vehicle by operation of law as upon inheritance, devise, bequest, order in bankruptcy, insolvency, replevin, or execution sale or as provided in sections 30-24,125, 52-601.01 to 52-605, 60-1901 to 60-1911, and 60-2401 to 60-2411, (ii) the engine of a vehicle being replaced by another engine, (iii) a vehicle being sold to satisfy storage or repair charges or under section 76-1607, or (iv) repossession being had upon default in performance of the terms of a chattel mortgage, trust receipt, conditional sales contract, or other like agreement, the county treasurer of any county or the department, upon the surrender of the prior certificate of title or the manufacturer's or importer's certificate, or when that is not possible, upon presentation of satisfactory proof of ownership and right of possession to such vehicle, and upon payment of the appropriate fee and the presentation of an application for certificate of title, may issue to the applicant a certificate of title thereto.

-3- LB490 LB490 2025 (2)(a) This subsection applies beginning on the implementation date designated by the director pursuant to subsection (2) of section 60-1508.

(b) In the event of (i) the transfer of ownership of a vehicle by operation of law as upon inheritance, devise, bequest, order in bankruptcy, insolvency, replevin, or execution sale or as provided in section 30-24,125, sections 52-601.01 to 52-605, sections 60-1901 to 60-1911, and sections 60-2401 to 60-2411, (ii) the engine of a vehicle being replaced by another engine, (iii) a vehicle being sold to satisfy storage or repair charges or under section 76-1607, or (iv) repossession being had upon default in performance of the terms of a chattel mortgage, trust receipt, conditional sales contract, or other like agreement, and upon acceptance of an electronic certificate of title record after repossession, in addition to the title requirements in this section, the county treasurer of any county or the department, upon the surrender of the prior certificate of title or the manufacturer's or importer's certificate, or when that is not possible, upon presentation of satisfactory proof of ownership and right of possession to such vehicle, and upon payment of the appropriate fee and the presentation of an application for certificate of title, may issue to the applicant a certificate of title thereto.

(3) If the prior certificate of title issued for such vehicle provided for joint ownership with right of survivorship, a new certificate of title shall be issued to a subsequent purchaser upon the assignment of the prior certificate of title by the surviving owner and presentation of satisfactory proof of death of the deceased owner.

(4) Only an affidavit by the person or agent of the person to whom possession of such vehicle has so passed, setting forth facts entitling him or her to such possession and ownership, together with a copy of a court order or an instrument upon which such claim of possession and ownership is founded, shall be considered satisfactory proof of ownership and right of possession, except that if the applicant cannot produce such proof of ownership, he or she may submit to the department such evidence as he or she may have, and the department may thereupon, if it finds the evidence sufficient, issue the certificate of title or authorize any county treasurer to issue a certificate of title, as the case may be.

(5) If from the records of the county treasurer or the department there appear to be any liens on such vehicle, such certificate of title shall comply with section 60-164 or 60-165 or section 6 of this act regarding such liens unless the application is accompanied by proper evidence of their satisfaction or extinction.

Sec.

6.

(1) For purposes of this section, device means any of the following for which a certificate of title has been issued under subsection (3) of section 60-137:

(a) Any utility trailer;

(b) Any self-propelled equipment designed and used exclusively to carry and apply fertilizer, chemicals, or related products to agricultural soil and crops, agricultural floater-spreader implements, and other implements of husbandry designed for and used primarily for tilling the soil and harvesting crops or feeding livestock;

or (c) Any power unit hay grinders or a combination that includes a power unit and a hay grinder when operated without cargo.

(2) Any security interest in a device that is perfected pursuant to article 9, Uniform Commercial Code, before, on, or after January 1, 2026, shall continue to be perfected until (a) the financing statement perfecting such security interest is terminated or lapses in the absence of the filing of a continuation statement pursuant to article 9, Uniform Commercial Code, or (b) a certificate of title is issued and a notation of lien is made for the device as provided in section 60-164.

(3) Any lien noted on the face of a certificate of title for the device or on an electronic certificate of title record for the device pursuant to subsection (2), (4), or (5) of this section, on behalf of the holder of a security interest in the device that was previously perfected pursuant to article 9, Uniform Commercial Code, shall have priority as of the date such security interest was originally perfected.

(4) The holder of a certificate of title for a device shall, upon request, surrender the certificate of title to a holder of a previously perfected security interest in the device to permit notation of a lien on the certificate of title or on an electronic certificate of title record and shall do such other acts as may be required to permit such notation.

(5) If the owner of a device subject to a security interest perfected pursuant to article 9, Uniform Commercial Code, fails or refuses to obtain a certificate of title after January 1, 2026, the security interest holder may obtain a certificate of title in the name of the owner of the device following the procedures of section 60-144 and may have a lien noted on the certificate of title or on an electronic certificate of title record pursuant to section 60-164.

(6) The assignment, release, or satisfaction of a security interest in a device shall be governed by the laws under which it was perfected.

Sec.

7.

Original sections 60-101, 60-137, 60-152, 60-164, and 60-166, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, are repealed.

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