How Do You Replace a Lost Car Title in Washington?

The Washington rule in one table

What makes Washington different

Washington is the only state in this directory with two speeds priced as two fees. The standard replacement is 39 dollars and 50 cents for a vehicle and arrives by mail in 4 to 6 weeks through a licensing office, inside a general 6 to 8 week mailing window. The Quick Title is 89 dollars and 50 cents and leaves with you at a Quick Title office, or is mailed immediately. The 50 dollar difference buys weeks, not a different document.

The signature rule is the second Washington difference. All registered owners sign in the presence of a notary public, and at a licensing office a licensing agent can take the place of a notary. A mailed affidavit without notarized signatures stalls. And the financed rule is absolute: while payments continue, the lienholder applies. An owner application for a financed vehicle goes nowhere.

The process, step by step

1. Check who applies. Still making payments: the lienholder applies. Paid off: you apply.
2. Complete the Affidavit of Loss and Release of Interest, printed on white paper. All registered owners sign in the presence of a notary public, or before a licensing agent at a licensing office.
3. File by mail or at a vehicle licensing office, and pay the standard fee. Vehicles and trailers 39 dollars and 50 cents, boats 30 dollars and 75 cents.
4. For speed, use a Quick Title office instead. Vehicles and trailers 89 dollars and 50 cents, boats 80 dollars and 75 cents. Receive it before you leave, or mailed immediately. Quick Title requests by mail go only to the Olympia address in the table above, by United States Postal Service only.
5. Wait for the mailed standard title, or leave with the Quick Title. Standard titles through a licensing office are mailed within 4 to 6 weeks, inside the general 6 to 8 week window.

If the owner is changing, file a transfer instead: How to Transfer a Car Title in Washington. If the owner stays the same and only the sticker is expiring, renew instead: How to Renew Vehicle Registration in Washington.

Duplicate titles in the other states

Every state replaces a lost title, but the form, the fee, and the lienholder rule change at the state line. See How to Replace a Lost Car Title in Oregon and How to Replace a Lost Car Title in Colorado. For all seven states side by side, see the Duplicate Title Replacement by State directory. If the owner is changing rather than the paper, you need a transfer, not a duplicate. See Car Title Transfer, Renewal, or Duplicate: Which One Do You Need to tell the three apart.

Source

Form, fees, channels, signatures, lienholder rule, coverage, and timing on this page come from the department: Washington Department of Licensing, Replace a lost title or registration and the Quick Title offices page. The department pages were read through localized nodes serving the English page text; the form number was not stated in the page text read and is not given in this guide. Facts verified 2026-10-25.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your state agency.