Florida Statutes
Chapter 319 - Title Certificates
319.27 - Notice of Lien on Motor Vehicles or Mobile Homes; Notation on Certificate; Recording of Lien.

(1) Each lien, mortgage, or encumbrance on a motor vehicle or mobile home titled in this state shall be noted upon the face of the Florida certificate of title or on a duplicate or corrected copy thereof, as provided by law; however, this section does not apply to any security agreement, retain title contract, conditional bill of sale, chattel mortgage, or other like instrument covering any motor vehicle or mobile home floor plan stock of any licensed dealer. Except for the recording of liens upon motor vehicles or mobile homes for which no Florida certificates of title have been issued as provided in subsection (3), the department shall not be a recording office for liens on motor vehicles or mobile homes.
(2) No lien for purchase money or as security for a debt in the form of a security agreement, retain title contract, conditional bill of sale, chattel mortgage, or other similar instrument or any other nonpossessory lien, including a lien for child support, upon a motor vehicle or mobile home upon which a Florida certificate of title has been issued shall be enforceable in any of the courts of this state against creditors or subsequent purchasers for a valuable consideration and without notice, unless a sworn notice of such lien has been filed in the department and such lien has been noted upon the certificate of title of the motor vehicle or mobile home. Such notice shall be effective as constructive notice when filed. The interest of a statutory nonpossessory lienor; the interest of a nonpossessory execution, attachment, or equitable lienor; or the interest of a lien creditor as defined in s. 679.1021(1)(zz), if nonpossessory, shall not be enforceable against creditors or subsequent purchasers for a valuable consideration unless such interest becomes a possessory lien or is noted upon the certificate of title for the subject motor vehicle or mobile home prior to the occurrence of the subsequent transaction. Provided the provisions of this subsection relating to a nonpossessory statutory lienor; a nonpossessory execution, attachment, or equitable lienor; or the interest of a lien creditor as defined in s. 679.1021(1)(zz) shall not apply to liens validly perfected prior to October 1, 1988. The notice of lien shall provide the following information:
(a) The date of the lien if a security agreement, retain title contract, conditional bill of sale, chattel mortgage, or other similar instrument was executed prior to the filing of the notice of lien;
(b) The name and address of the registered owner;
(c) A description of the motor vehicle or mobile home, showing the make, type, and vehicle identification number; and
(d) The name and address of the lienholder.

(3)(a) A person may file a notice of lien with regard to a motor vehicle or mobile home before a security agreement, retain title contract, conditional bill of sale, chattel mortgage, or other similar instrument is executed granting a lien, mortgage, or encumbrance on, or a security interest in, such motor vehicle or mobile home.
(b) As applied to a determination of the respective rights of a secured party under this chapter and a lien creditor as defined by s. 679.1021(1)(zz), or a nonpossessory statutory lienor, a security interest under this chapter shall be perfected upon the filing of the notice of lien with the department, the county tax collector, or their agents. Provided, however, the date of perfection of a security interest of such secured party shall be the same date as the execution of the security agreement or other similar instrument if the notice of lien is filed in accordance with this subsection within 15 days after the debtor receives possession of the motor vehicle or mobile home and executes such security agreement or other similar instrument. The date of filing of the notice of lien shall be the date of its receipt by the department central office in Tallahassee, if first filed there, or otherwise by the office of the county tax collector, or their agents.

(4)(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (2), any person holding a lien for purchase money or as security for a debt in the form of a security agreement, retain title contract, conditional bill of sale, chattel mortgage, or other similar instrument covering a motor vehicle or mobile home previously titled or registered outside this state upon which no Florida certificate of title has been issued may use the facilities of the department for the recording of such lien as constructive notice of such lien to creditors and purchasers of such motor vehicle or mobile home in this state provided such lienholder files a sworn notice of such lien in the department, showing the following information:
1. The date of the lien;
2. The name and address of the registered owner;
3. A description of the motor vehicle or mobile home, showing the make, type, and vehicle identification number; and
4. The name and address of the lienholder.
Upon the filing of such notice of lien and the payment of the fee provided in s. 319.32, the lien shall be recorded in the department.

(b) When a Florida certificate of title is first issued on a motor vehicle or mobile home previously titled or registered outside this state, the department shall note on the Florida certificate of title the following liens:
1. Any lien shown on the application for Florida certificate of title;
2. Any lien filed in the department in accordance with paragraph (a); and
3. Any lien shown on the existing certificate of title issued by another state.

(c) When a Florida certificate of title has been issued on a motor vehicle or mobile home previously titled or registered outside this state, liens valid in and registered under the law of the state wherein such liens were created are not valid in this state unless filed and noted upon the certificate of title under the provisions of this section.

(5) All liens, mortgages, and encumbrances noted upon a certificate of title shall take priority according to the order of time in which the same are noted thereon by the department. However, the lien shown on the application for original certificate of title shall take priority over all liens or encumbrances filed subsequent to the date shown on such application. Exposure for sale of any motor vehicle or mobile home by the owner thereof, with the knowledge or with the knowledge and consent of the holder of any duly noted lien, mortgage, or encumbrance thereon, shall not render the same void or ineffective as against the creditors of such owner or holders of subsequent liens, mortgages, or encumbrances upon such motor vehicle or mobile home.
(6) The person described in paragraph (3)(a) and the holder of a security agreement, retain title contract, conditional bill of sale, chattel mortgage, or other similar instrument covering a motor vehicle or mobile home, upon presentation of the Florida certificate of title, together with a sworn notice of lien on a form to be provided by the department, may have such lien noted on the face of the certificate of title. The notice of lien shall provide the following information:
(a) The date of the lien if a security agreement, retain title contract, conditional bill of sale, chattel mortgage, or other similar instrument was executed prior to the filing of the notice of lien;
(b) The name and address of the registered owner;
(c) A description of the motor vehicle or mobile home, showing the make, type, and vehicle identification number; and
(d) The name and address of the lienholder.
If the original lienholder sells and assigns his or her lien to some other person and if such assignee desires to have his or her name substituted on the certificate of title as the holder of the lien, the assignee may, after delivering the original certificate of title to the department and providing a sworn statement of the assignment, have his or her name substituted as the lienholder. The owner of a motor vehicle or mobile home subject to a lien which has been assigned who has retained possession of the certificate of title shall, upon receipt of a sworn statement of the assignment, deliver the original certificate of title and the sworn statement of assignment to the department to have the assignee’s name substituted as the lienholder. Upon substitution of the assignee’s name as lienholder, the department shall deliver the certificate of title to either the assignee as the first lienholder or to the owner as indicated by the assignee.

(7) The department shall establish and administer an electronic titling program that requires the electronic recording of vehicle title information for new, transferred, and corrected certificates of title. Lienholders shall electronically transmit liens and lien satisfactions to the department in a format determined by the department. Individuals and lienholders who the department determines are not normally engaged in the business or practice of financing vehicles are exempt from the electronic titling requirement.
History.—s. 8, ch. 23658, 1947; s. 6, ch. 25150, 1949; s. 10, ch. 26484, 1951; s. 7, ch. 28184, 1953; s. 1, ch. 59-340; s. 6, ch. 65-190; s. 1, ch. 65-342; s. 2, ch. 67-215; ss. 24, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 12, ch. 82-134; s. 9, ch. 83-218; s. 23, ch. 88-176; s. 2, ch. 89-156; s. 343, ch. 95-148; s. 23, ch. 2000-313; s. 59, ch. 2005-164; s. 18, ch. 2005-241; s. 23, ch. 2012-181.