GA · STATE PROCESS
Georgia: from final payment to clear title.
The Georgia guide below works one post-payoff title problem back through the state's documents and release process.
DMV SNAPSHOT
- Title system
- Georgia generally uses its Electronic Liens on Title program for financial-institution liens. When a lien is electronic, the certificate of title and lien are stored in the state's DRIVES system instead of being printed.
- After payoff
- Georgia directs owners to contact the lender holding an electronically recorded lien so the lender can release it electronically. The Department of Revenue says it will not itself release an electronically recorded lien on the owner's request alone.
- Lien release
- For a traditional paper title, the lienholder completes the lien-release section on the title. If the title is unavailable, the lienholder can provide Form T-4, Lien or Security Interest Release.
- Owner action
- For an ELT lien, verify the lender has transmitted the electronic release. For a paper-title lien, keep the released title or Form T-4 and follow the county tag-office process if a replacement or corrected title is needed.
- Timing
- Georgia says a released paper title should be mailed or delivered to the next lienholder, or to the owner if there is no remaining lienholder, within five days after the interest is satisfied. That five-day statement is specifically part of the paper-title release procedure.