Montana Code Annotated 2023

TITLE 61. MOTOR VEHICLES

CHAPTER 3. CERTIFICATES OF TITLE, REGISTRATION, AND TAXATION OF MOTOR VEHICLES

Part 2. Certificates of Title

Odometer Disclosure Requirements On Transfer Of Vehicle -- Dealer To Preserve Record

61-3-206. Odometer disclosure requirements on transfer of vehicle -- dealer to preserve record. (1) Except as provided in subsection (4), before executing any transfer of ownership document relating to a motor vehicle, each seller of a motor vehicle shall record on the certificate of title the odometer reading at the time of transfer or, if the certificate of title does not provide for the recording of the odometer reading, furnish to the purchaser a written statement, to be signed by the seller, that contains the following information:

(a) the odometer reading at the time of transfer;

(b) the date of transfer;

(c) the seller's name and current address;

(d) the purchaser's name and current address;

(e) the motor vehicle year, make, model, body style, and identification number;

(f) one of the following statements or certification:

(i) a certification by the seller that, to the best of the seller's knowledge, the odometer reading reflects the actual miles or kilometers the vehicle has been driven;

(ii) if the seller knows that the odometer reading reflects the amount of mileage in excess of the designed mechanical odometer limit of 99,999 miles or kilometers, the seller shall include a statement to that effect; or

(iii) if the seller knows that the odometer reading differs from the number of miles or kilometers the motor vehicle has actually traveled and that the difference is greater than that caused by odometer calibration error, the seller shall include a statement that the odometer reading is not the actual mileage and should not be relied upon.

(2) The purchaser shall acknowledge receipt of the disclosure statement by signing it.

(3) For the purposes of this section, an odometer disclosure statement may be executed in electronic form and used with an electronic signature pursuant to Title 30, chapter 18, part 1.

(4) The seller of the following types of motor vehicles need not disclose the odometer reading of the vehicle as required in subsection (1):

(a) a motor vehicle with a 2010 model year or earlier;

(b) a motor vehicle with a 2011 model year or later that is 20 years old or older;

(c) a vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, or sailboat that is not self-propelled;

(d) a new motor vehicle transferred between dealers or wholesalers prior to its first retail sale, unless the motor vehicle has been used as a demonstrator;

(e) a motor vehicle having a gross weight rating of more than 16,000 pounds; or

(f) a motor vehicle sold directly by the manufacturer to an agency of the United States.

(5) A dealer, an auto auction, or a wholesaler licensed under chapter 4 of this title shall create a record of the information required in subsection (1) and shall maintain and preserve that record for at least 5 years after the date of sale of the motor vehicle to which the information pertains.

History: En. Sec. 2, Ch. 324, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 23, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 12, Ch. 383, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 724, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 14, Ch. 409, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 54, Ch. 477, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 51, Ch. 542, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 20, Ch. 329, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 231, L. 2015; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 109, L. 2021.