Arkansas Vehicle Title Transfer After Death: DFA Form 10-306 Explained

Transferring a vehicle after someone dies in Arkansas is handled separately from the probate court — through the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), not the circuit clerk. For many estates, this is the simplest asset transfer in the entire process. But the correct form and the conditions under which it can be used are specific, and presenting the wrong documentation to the DFA will send you back to square one.

When You Can Skip Probate for a Vehicle

Arkansas allows sole heirs to transfer a vehicle title without opening formal probate in specific circumstances. This is permitted under A.C.A. § 27-14-1602 and related DFA directives when:

• No formal estate administration is being or will be opened for the decedent's estate
• The person seeking the transfer is the sole heir or the person entitled to the vehicle under the estate

If formal probate is already open, the vehicle transfers through the estate — the executor uses the Letters Testamentary to manage and ultimately distribute the vehicle as part of the estate administration.

DFA Form 10-306: Affidavit of Inheritance of a Motor Vehicle

The instrument for a probate-free vehicle transfer is DFA Form AR 10-306, titled the Affidavit of Inheritance of a Motor Vehicle. This is filed with the DFA Motor Vehicle Division, not with the circuit court.

The form requires:

• The vehicle identification number (VIN) and description of the vehicle
• The decedent's name and date of death
• A sworn statement by the affiant that they are the sole heir or the person entitled to the vehicle
• A sworn statement that the decedent's estate has not been, and will not be, formally administered

This last requirement is the critical condition. If the estate is going through formal probate — or if the heir plans to open formal probate to handle other assets — they cannot use Form 10-306. The form's sworn statement that no formal administration will occur conflicts with actually opening a probate case.

What Happens If Multiple People Inherit the Vehicle

Form 10-306 is specifically for sole heirs. If multiple people have a legal claim to the vehicle — for example, if the decedent died without a will and has three surviving children with equal inheritance rights — the form does not apply.

In that situation, options include:

• Opening formal probate (if needed for other assets anyway) and distributing the vehicle through the estate, with the executor executing a title transfer
• Filing the Small Estate Affidavit (Form 23) with the circuit court and presenting it to the DFA, if the total estate qualifies under the $100,000 threshold and the heirs agree on who receives the vehicle
• The heirs agreeing among themselves that one person takes the vehicle and compensates the others — but this still requires a formal mechanism to transfer the title

What to Bring to the DFA Office

To transfer the vehicle title using Form 10-306, present the following to the DFA Motor Vehicle Division office in your county:

1. Completed and notarized Form AR 10-306
2. Certified copy of the death certificate from the Arkansas Department of Health
3. The original certificate of title if available (if the title is lost, a separate process to obtain a duplicate title applies)
4. Payment for the title transfer fee

The DFA will issue a new title in the heir's name. At that point, the heir can register the vehicle, sell it, or retain it as they see fit.

Manufactured Homes: A Different Process

Manufactured and mobile homes present a more complex situation. Under Arkansas law, a manufactured home has a vehicular certificate of origin or title issued by the DFA — similar to a car title — rather than a real estate deed. When a manufactured home is permanently affixed to real property, the owner should cancel the vehicular title and record an affidavit of affixation so the home legally merges with the real estate deed.

If an executor is dealing with an estate that includes a manufactured home on real property and the vehicular title was never canceled, the property title is split between two different government systems: the DFA holds the title to the structure and the county recorder holds the deed to the land. A title company cannot insure the sale of the combined property until this discrepancy is resolved.

To fix it, the executor must submit the manufacturer's certificate of origin or original title to the DFA for cancellation, along with a court order or a recorded affidavit of affixation. This process is governed by A.C.A. § 27-14-1603. Getting it done requires coordination between the probate court, the DFA, and the county recorder's office.

This manufactured home complication is one reason why seemingly straightforward Arkansas estates sometimes stall — particularly in rural counties where manufactured homes are common and the title cancellation step was overlooked when the home was originally installed.

Vehicles in Formal Probate

When a vehicle is part of a formal probate estate, the executor includes it in the inventory (Form 17, due within 60 days of appointment) at its fair market value as of the date of death. The vehicle's Blue Book value or a DFA estimate typically serves as the basis for this valuation.

Once the estate is ready for distribution, the executor transfers the title using the Letters Testamentary as authority. The executor signs the back of the title on behalf of the estate, and the recipient files for a new title at the DFA. The estate account pays any outstanding balance on the vehicle loan before distribution, or the vehicle can be sold and the proceeds added to estate funds if the heirs prefer cash.

Vehicles With Outstanding Loans

A vehicle with an outstanding loan is a secured debt. The lender holds a lien on the title. If an heir wants to keep the vehicle, they must either:

• Continue the loan payments (which typically requires the lender's consent and a refinance into the heir's name), or
• Pay off the loan balance from estate funds and receive a clean title

If neither option is viable, the vehicle is sold, the lien is paid from the proceeds, and any remaining equity passes to the estate. The executor handles this transaction as part of the overall estate debt management.

For executors managing estates with vehicles, the Arkansas Probate Process Guide covers both the DFA Form 10-306 route for simple transfers and the full inventory and distribution process for vehicles that are part of a formal estate administration — including how to handle manufactured home title cancellations.

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