Who you process with matters 

Fees and operational timelines are determined at the county level:

• County selection affects total deal cost
• County volume affects processing speed
• County staffing affects turnaround time
• County fee adoption affects title expense

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What is Cross-County Titling?

In Ohio, you are not restricted to submitting every transaction to a single county. Through an electronic title platform like Vitu’s ETA system, you can submit title work to multiple Ohio County Clerk of Courts Auto Title Offices, allowing operational flexibility when needed. You can route work through another participating county.

This will not affect your ACH, which will still be pulled in one lump sum for deals approved across multiple county locations. Just let us know which county (or counties) you would like to add for processing and we will take care of the rest!

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Why this matters

• Business Continuity — Unexpected county closures shouldn’t halt or delay processing. Cross-county capability allows you to continue submitting deals without interruption.
• Turnaround Time Management — Processing times vary by county based on volume and staffing. Having options helps manage expectations and timing.
• Fee Awareness & Margin Protection

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A critical reminder:

Title fees in Ohio are set by the issuing County Clerk of Courts — not by Vitu or any electronic provider.

Under Ohio law (see Ohio Revised Code 4505.06), clerks assess statutory title fees. Currently:

• $18 — standard title fee
• $23 — total if the county has enacted the additional $5 optional county fee

Not every county enacts the additional fee. The title fee may be $18 or it may be $23. This depends entirely on the individual county’s adopted fee structure. The only document to obtain from the processing county is a physical title if there is one. You can print the memo title and receipt. 

That difference can impact front-end deal calculations to collect appropriate amounts from consumers, helping avoid absorbing the additional cost or refunding back for collecting too much.

The Motor Vehicle Dealer Vehicle Registration Convenience Fee Rule was recently amended to allow dealers to charge customers up to $50 (plus mailing costs, if applicable) to register or electronically title a vehicle on their behalf using a third-party provider, such as Vitu. 

This rule does not apply if the dealer is signed up with Electronic Title Service (ETS Agreement) or Ohio Title Gateway (OTG Agreement). The prior rule only allowed dealers to charge the convenience fee for registration.

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Important notes

• The new Motor Vehicle Dealer Vehicle Registration and Titling Service Fee Rule (OH ADC 4501:1-6-12) took effect March 1, 2026.
• If you perform both electronic registration and titling, you still may only charge customers a maximum of $50 (plus mailing costs, if applicable).
• There are other important disclosure/compliance issues related to this Rule. OADA Members are encouraged to contact OADA for more information. 

Be sure your disclosures are correct. Dealers are required to disclose the fee in writing. Because only one fee may be charged, it is important to decide which service your dealership will provide and whether you will designate the convenience fee as a Registration Service Fee or a Titling Service Fee. Please note that if you are designating the fee as a Registration Service Fee, the rule requires a statement that the registration service is optional. However, this statement is not required if a lender or other secured party requires you to perform the registration service.

If you would like more calendar wheels, please send an email to marketing@vitu.com, telling us the amount you would like, the address of where to send them, and who to send them to. Feel free to request as many as you like and we will send them promptly, at no charge, while supplies last.

The trade-in titling process can be a slog — no longer. With Accelerated Title^™ (AT) and National Title Exchange (NTX) working in unison, dealers cut weeks off of their trade-in titling process. Here’s how:

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The Accelerated Title^™ difference.

Waiting weeks (or longer) for lien payoffs and title releases? Accelerated Title^™ provides both in just 4-6 business days, saving time and headaches while helping you generate profits faster. 

Dealers who use Accelerated Title^™ see:

• 80% faster title releases, with most titles in hand as fast as 4-6 days^¹
• 165+ active lenders — and growing — available to help you speed payoff, lien, and title release on trades
• $36 saved per day in average daily holding costs per vehicle^²
• 2x higher likelihood to sell vehicles on the first pass at auction with title in hand
• Accurate payoff quotes in just a few clicks

And once the lien is paid off and the title is released? That’s where NTX comes in.

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Dealer titles in days — meet NTX.

Instead of waiting for manual processing and potential delays when acquiring a title in your dealership’s name, NTX provides an E-Title or a physical title in hand in 1-3 business days — not the weeks or months the traditional process takes.

NTX allows you to overcome traditional titling roadblocks, and you reap the benefits:

• Vehicle acquisition and trade-in — Unprecedented speed and security with a completely digital process
• Speed to retail — Title in hand before selling the vehicle, avoiding the hassle of rebuilding a chain of custody
• Skip duplicate titles — With NTX, get a paper dealer title in 1 to 3 business days or less
• Be auction ready — Title in hand brings in an average of 10-20% more in wholesale profit per vehicle

The process is simple — Obtain chain of custody (with a Bill of Sale and Odometer Statement, for example, obtain a lien satisfaction if a lien is on the vehicle (or just pay it off with Accelerated Title^™), then simply sign, upload and submit docs. The process is easy and completely digital.

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Level up your process.

Don’t let lien payoffs and title releases plus dealer titles get in the way of profit — move vehicles off your lot faster.

To learn more about how AT and NTX drive profit and speed commerce, schedule a demo using the link below.