Massachusetts Statutes

Section 2. Each police chief shall issue citation books to each permanent full-time police officer of his department whose duties may or will include traffic duty or traffic law enforcement, or directing or controlling traffic, and to such other officers as he at his discretion m…

Section 2A. The authority for police officers appointed by the trustees of the commonwealth's state universities and community colleges under section 22 of chapter 15A to issue citations under this chapter shall be limited to the issuance of citations for violations occurring on …

Section 3. (A) (1) If a police officer observes or has brought to the officer's attention the occurrence of a civil motor vehicle infraction, the officer may issue a written warning or may cite the violator for a civil motor vehicle infraction in accordance with this subsection. …

Section 4. Nothing in this chapter shall prevent a person other than a police officer from applying for a criminal complaint for an offense that constitutes a criminal automobile law violation under subsection (B) of section three of this chapter, and such person need not show th…

Section 5. A citation issued pursuant to this chapter shall not be deemed a writ as comprehended under the provisions of Article V of Chapter VI of Part the Second of the Constitution of Massachusetts.

Section 6. The registrar shall print citation books and distribute the same to each police chief, and shall obtain receipts therefor. Each police chief shall accept and be responsible for all citation books issued to that department. The registrar shall also furnish two copies of…

Section 7. The registrar is hereby authorized to enter into reciprocal and mutual agreements with other states with regard to the interstate enforcement of motor vehicle violations and all other matters relating to motorists and motor vehicles, upon approval by the secretary of p…

Section 7A. The chief justice of the district court department and the registrar may jointly determine that any communication between the courts and the registry required to implement chapter ninety or this chapter may be accomplished solely by electronic means. The registrar may…

Section 8. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to supersede the powers and duties of the registrar as provided in chapter ninety.

Section 9. It shall be unlawful and official misconduct to dispose of a citation or copies thereof, or of the record of the issuance of same in a manner other than as required by the provisions of this chapter.

Section 1. In this chapter, except when the context otherwise requires, the following words shall have the following meanings:— ''Dealer'', any person who is engaged principally in the business of buying, selling, or exchanging vehicles and who has a place of business within the …

Section 10. (a) Each certificate of title issued by the registrar shall contain: (1) The date issued; (2) The name and address of the owner; (3) The names and addresses of any lienholders, in the order of priority as shown on the application; (4) The title number assigned to the …

Section 11. The certificate of title shall be mailed to the first lienholder named in it or, if none, to the owner.

Section 11A. The registrar is authorized to develop, establish and maintain an electronic data and communication system with banks, credit or other financial institutions for the purpose of electronically recording the existence of security interests under the provisions of this …

Section 12. If the registrar is not satisfied as to the ownership of the vehicle or that there are no undisclosed security interests in it, the registrar may register the vehicle but shall either: (a) Withhold issuance of a certificate of title until the applicant presents docume…

Section 13. The registrar shall refuse issuance of a certificate of title if any required fee is not paid or if he has reasonable grounds to believe that: (a) Except as provided for in subsection (e) of section 20, the applicant is not the owner of the vehicle; or (b) The applica…

Section 14. (a) If a certificate of title is lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed or becomes illegible, the first lienholder or, if none, the owner or legal representative of the owner named in the certificate, or any other transferee who has sufficient proof of ownership as dete…

Section 15. (a) Except as provided for in subsection (e) of section 20, if an owner of a vehicle for which a certificate of title has been issued under this chapter transfers the owner's interest therein, other than by the creation of a security interest, the owner shall, at the …

Section 15A. Upon the death of a married resident owner of a motor vehicle registered as a pleasure vehicle in the commonwealth, and unless otherwise provided in a will, said motor vehicle, if used for such purpose, shall be deemed to have been jointly held property with right of…

Section 16. (a) If a dealer buys a vehicle and holds it for resale and procures the certificate of title from the owner or the lienholder after delivery to him of the vehicle, he need not send the certificate to the registrar but, upon transferring the vehicle to another person o…

Section 17. (a) If the interest of any owner in a vehicle passes to another other than by voluntary transfer, the transferee shall, except as provided in paragraph (b), promptly mail or deliver to the registrar the last certificate of title, if available, proof of the transfer, a…

Section 18. (a) An application for a certificate of title shall be accompanied by the required fee when mailed or delivered to the registrar. (b) An application for the naming of a lienholder or his assignee on a certificate of title shall be accompanied by the required fee when …

Section 19. (a) The registrar, upon receipt of a properly assigned certificate of title, except as provided for in subsection (e) of section 20, with an application for a new certificate of title, the required fee and any other documents required by law, shall issue a new certifi…

Section 2. (a) No certificate of title need be obtained for: (1) A vehicle owned by the United States unless it is registered in accordance with the provisions of chapter ninety; provided, that a vehicle on loan from the United States or from a motor vehicle manufacturer or distr…

Section 20. (a) Except as provided for in subsection (e), whenever an insurer acquires ownership of a motor vehicle which it has determined to be a total loss salvage motor vehicle, it shall, within ten days from the date of acquisition, surrender the certificate of title to the …

Section 20A. (a) The application for the salvage title shall be made by the owner, except as provided for in subsection (e) of section 20, to the registrar on such form or forms as the registrar shall prescribe and shall be accompanied by: (1) a properly assigned certificate of t…

Section 20B. No salvage title need be obtained for: (1) a vehicle owned by the United States unless it is registered in accordance with the provisions of chapter ninety; (2) a vehicle moved solely by animal power; (3) an implement of husbandry; (4) special mobile equipment; (5) t…

Section 20C. (a) If an owner of a vehicle for which a salvage title has been issued under this chapter transfers his interest therein, he shall execute the assignment to the transferee on the space provided therefor on the salvage title or on such other form as the registrar shal…

Section 20D. (a) Any owner who reconstructs or restores a total loss salvage motor vehicle to its operating condition which existed prior to the event which caused a salvage title to issue under this chapter or the laws of another state, or who recovers a total loss salvage motor…

Section 20E. (a) Any person who takes possession of a motor vehicle for the purpose of junking or scrapping shall within ten days after receipt of delivery, cause the certificate of title, salvage title or any other document required by the registrar as proof of ownership, to be …

Section 20F. (a) Any person, including a person licensed under section fifty-nine of chapter one hundred and forty, who reassembles a motor vehicle by means of welding together or connecting the frames or unit bodies of two or more motor vehicles, which are not total loss salvage…

Section 21. A security interest in a vehicle for which a certificate of title is issued under this chapter is perfected by the delivery to the registrar of the existing certificate of title, if any, an application for a certificate of title containing the name and address of the …

Section 21A. In the case of motor vehicles or trailers, notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a transaction does not create a sale or security interest merely because it provides that the rental price is permitted or required to be adjusted under the agreeme…

Section 22. If an owner creates a security interest in a vehicle:— (a) The owner shall immediately execute the application, in the space provided therefor on the certificate of title or on such separate form as the registrar shall prescribe, to name the lienholder on the certific…

Section 23. (a) A lienholder may assign, absolutely or otherwise, his security interest in the vehicle to a person other than the owner without affecting the interest of the owner or the validity of the security interest, but any person without notice of the assignment is protect…

Section 24. Upon the satisfaction of a security interest in a vehicle for which the certificate of title is in the possession of the lienholder, the lienholder shall, within three days after demand and, in any event, within ten days, execute a release of his security interest, in…

Section 24A. (a) If a lienholder fails to comply with section 24, an aggrieved party may file a complaint against the lienholder with the registrar. For the purposes of this section, an aggrieved party shall be the owner or any person who delivers to the lienholder an authorizati…

Section 25. A lienholder named in a certificate of title shall, upon written request of the owner or of another lienholder named on the certificate, disclose any pertinent information as to his security agreement and the indebtedness secured by it.

Section 26. The method provided in this chapter of perfecting and giving notice of security interests in vehicles for which certificates of title are issued, or are required to be issued, under this chapter is exclusive.

Section 27. The registrar shall suspend or revoke a certificate of title, upon notice and reasonable opportunity to be heard in accordance with section thirty, when authorized by any other provision of law, or if he finds that the certificate of title was fraudulently procured or…

Section 28. The registrar shall collect fees, as determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven, for the following: (1) For filing an application for a first certificate of title, a certificate of title after a tr…

Section 29. The registrar shall prescribe and provide suitable forms of applications, certificates of title, notices of security interests and all other notices and forms necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter. The registrar may make necessary investigations to pro…

Section 3. This chapter shall not apply to or affect: (a) A lien given by statute or rule of law to a supplier of services or materials for the vehicle; (b) A lien given by statute to the United States, the commonwealth, or any political subdivision of the commonwealth; and (c) A…

Section 30. Any person aggrieved by a ruling or decision of the registrar under this chapter shall be entitled to review thereof in accordance with the provisions of section twenty-eight of chapter ninety.

Section 31. Nothing contained in this chapter shall be deemed to impose any liability whatsoever upon the registrar of motor vehicles or upon the commonwealth for any damage which may result from, or be connected with, any act or omission in the issuance of any certificate of tit…

Section 32. (a) Whoever falsely makes, alters, forges, or counterfeits a certificate of title or salvage title; or alters or forges an assignment of a certificate of title or salvage title, or supporting documents, or an assignment or release of a security interest on a certifica…