Ohio title fees to increase under state budget

As part of a two-year state operating budget bill passed in July, Ohio drivers will have to pay $3 more for a certificate of title when they buy a car. The increase, which went into effect Jan. 1, will raise title fees to $18, with the additional $3 earmarked for the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Wendy Jones, clerk of courts for Tuscarawas County, said she believes title fees have not increased since at least 2015, and that fees could be raised beyond the $3 should the county choose to do so.

“Language included in the bill stated we could, as clerks of court, ask for an additional $5 increase by asking our county commissioners to pass a resolution allowing it,” said Jones. “But, I can tell you, at this point, I’m not going to do that.”

Jones said, while her office would like to increase the fees to help with operating expenses, she believes it would not actually benefit the title office. Because drivers are allowed to obtain a title at any title office in any county, Jones said raising fees in one county would simply drive motorists to neighboring counties.

“Let’s say we ask for an increase here but Stark County doesn’t, people will just go there to get a cheaper title,” said Jones. “So all of us in the Ohio Clerk of Courts Association kind of agree that it would not be beneficial to any of us.”

Why direct the increase to the OSHP?

“The service fee increase is necessary to cover the administrative costs associated with enforcing motor vehicle and traffic laws,” said Lieutenant Brice A. Nihiser of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Public Affairs Unit. “Revenue from this adjustment will also be used to strengthen and sustain our operations.”

Nihiser said one example of the ongoing operations includes partnering with local agencies to reduce violent crime, remove felons from the streets and recover stolen vehicles.

Earlier this year, Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson testified to state senators as to the importance of directing fees to the OHSP. Wilson reportedly said the OSHP used to receive a funding share from the state’s gas tax. That ended in 2003. Since then , according to Wilson, the OSHP has been funded through an assortment of vehicle fees that have not been increased in more than 20 years.

Other vehicle fee increases

Fees to register and renew vehicles through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles also will increase slightly beginning Jan. 1. Annual registration for passenger cars will increase from $11 to $16.

Likewise, non-commercial registrations and renewal fees will go from $11 to $16 and non-apportioned commercial fees will increase from $30 to $35. Once again, the additional $5 will be designated to the Department of Public Safety for administrative costs associated with enforcing traffic laws.

For additional information on title fees contact the Title Office at 330-365-3227. For information on other vehicle fee increases, contact the BMV at 330-602-8787.