Transfer-on-Death Registration by State: Brokerage and Vehicles (2026)

Updated October 8, 2026. Quick answer: Each state sets its own rules for naming a transfer-on-death beneficiary on a brokerage account or a vehicle title. The table below gives each state’s securities registration statute and what its motor vehicle pages say about a beneficiary on a title, and links to the state’s page.

Transfer-on-death registration, state by state

How to read the table

A statute citation is the state’s own. Where a state’s vehicle pages do not describe a beneficiary on a title, the table says so instead of guessing, and the state’s motor vehicle agency is the place to confirm.

Related: transfer on death deeds by state, and car titles after a death, by state.

Sources

• Florida Statutes, Chapter 711, Part II: Uniform Transfer-on-Death Security Registration Act (Florida Legislature): www.leg.state.fl.us
• TL-18 Motor Vehicle Procedure Manual, Deceased Owners (Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles): https://www.flhsmv.gov/pdf/proc/tl/tl-18.pdf
• Texas Estates Code, Chapter 113: Multiple-Party Accounts (Texas Legislative Council): https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/ES/htm/ES.113.htm
• Texas Estates Code, Chapter 115: Beneficiary Designation for Motor Vehicles (Texas Legislative Council): https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/ES/htm/ES.115.htm
• Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 501 (Texas Legislative Council): https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/TN/htm/TN.501.htm
• Texas Estates Code, Chapter 111: Nonprobate Assets in General (Texas Legislative Council): https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/ES/htm/ES.111.htm
• House Bill 494, Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration Act (Tennessee General Assembly): https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/99/Bill/HB0494.pdf
• Senate Bill 2702, amending Title 35, Chapter 12 (Tennessee General Assembly): https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/107/Bill/SB2702.pdf
• Titling a Vehicle (Tennessee Department of Revenue): https://www.tn.gov/revenue/title-and-registration/vehicle-titling/titling-a-vehicle.html
• SB2029 bill information, 114th General Assembly (Tennessee General Assembly): wapp.capitol.tn.gov
• Chapter 21.35 RCW, Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration Act (Washington State Legislature): app.leg.wa.gov
• WAC 308-56A-335, Owner deceased (Washington State Legislature, Department of Licensing rule): https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=308-56A-335
• Title 20 Pa.C.S. Chapter 64, Transfer on Death Security Registration (Pennsylvania General Assembly): www.palegis.us
• Fact Sheet: Vehicle Transfer after Death of Owner (PennDOT): https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/penndot/documents/public/dvspubsforms/bmv/bmv-fact-sheets/fs-vehtrans.pdf
• Uniform TOD Security Registration Act, 815 ILCS 10, Sections 1 to 12 (Illinois General Assembly): https://www.ilga.gov/Documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/081500100K1.htm
• 625 ILCS 5/3-104, Application for certificate of title (Illinois General Assembly): https://www.ilga.gov/Documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/062500050K3-104.htm
• Uniform TOD Security Registration Act, Probate Code sections 5500 to 5512 (California Legislative Counsel): https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zip
• Vehicle Code section 4150.7 (California Legislative Counsel): https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zip
• 11.170 Transfer on Death (TOD) Beneficiary, Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual (California DMV): https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/vehicle-industry-registration-procedures-manual-2/transfers/transfer-on-death-tod-beneficiary/
• EPTL section 13-4.6, Effect of registration in beneficiary form (New York State Senate, Open Legislation): https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/EPT/13-4.6
• EPTL section 13-4.7, Ownership on death of owner (New York State Senate, Open Legislation): https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/EPT/13-4.7
• EPTL section 13-4.9, Nontestamentary transfer on death (New York State Senate, Open Legislation): https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/EPT/13-4.9
• If a Family Member Has Passed Away (New York DMV): https://dmv.ny.gov/more-info/if-a-family-member-has-passed-away
• Uniform TOD Security Registration Act, N.J.S.A. 3B:30-1 to 3B:30-12 (New Jersey Legislature): https://pub.njleg.gov/statutes/STATUTES-TEXT.zip
• N.J.S.A. 39:3-30.1b and 39:3-30.1c, Transfer of motor vehicle on death (New Jersey Legislature): https://pub.njleg.gov/statutes/STATUTES-TEXT.zip
• Transfer on Death Beneficiary Designation form (New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission): https://nj.gov/mvc/pdf/vehicles/beneficiary_transfer_form.pdf
• M.G.L. c. 190B, section 6-301, Definitions (Massachusetts Legislature): https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartII/TitleII/Chapter190B/Section6-301
• M.G.L. c. 190B, section 6-306, Effect of Registration in Beneficiary Form (Massachusetts Legislature): https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartII/TitleII/Chapter190B/Section6-306
• M.G.L. c. 190B, section 6-309, Nontestamentary Transfer on Death (Massachusetts Legislature): https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartII/TitleII/Chapter190B/Section6-309
• M.G.L. c. 90D, section 15A, Death of registered owner of motor vehicle (Massachusetts Legislature): https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter90D/Section15A
• A.R.S. 14-6301, Definitions (Arizona Legislature): https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/06301.htm
• A.R.S. 14-6306, Effect of registration (Arizona Legislature): https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/06306.htm
• A.R.S. 14-6307, Ownership on death of owner (Arizona Legislature): https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/06307.htm
• A.R.S. 28-2055, Certificate of title; transfer on death provision (Arizona Legislature): https://www.azleg.gov/ars/28/02055.htm
• Chapter 41, Article 4, Uniform TOD Security Registration Act (North Carolina General Assembly): https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByArticle/Chapter_41/Article_4.html
• Vehicle Title Documents and Forms (North Carolina DMV): https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/vehicle/Pages/documents-forms.aspx
• Uniform Transfers on Death (TOD) Security Registration Act, Code of Virginia Title 64.2, Chapter 6, Article 3: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacodefull/title64.2/chapter6/article3/
• Designate a Beneficiary on a Vehicle Title: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/vehicles/title/designative-beneficiary
• Code of Virginia section 46.2-633.2, Transfer of title on death: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter6/section46.2-633.2/
• Section 1709.01, Uniform transfer-on-death security registration act definitions: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1709.01
• Section 1709.06, Effect of designation of transfer-on-death: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1709.06
• Section 1709.09, Transfer-on-death is not testamentary: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1709.09
• Section 2131.13, Transfer-on-Death of Motor Vehicle, Watercraft, or Outboard Motor Statute: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2131.13
• MCL 700.6306 Registration in beneficiary form (Michigan Legislature): https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-700-6306
• MCL 700.6307 Death of owner (Michigan Legislature): https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-700-6307
• MCL 700.6309 Nontestamentary transfer (Michigan Legislature): https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-700-6309
• Title transfer and vehicle registration (Michigan Secretary of State): https://www.michigan.gov/sos/vehicle/titles
• Minnesota Statutes chapter 524, Uniform TOD Security Registration Act (Office of the Revisor of Statutes): https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/524/full
• Minnesota Statutes chapter 168A, section 168A.125 (Office of the Revisor of Statutes): https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/168A/full

Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 8, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer, the plan administrator or the agency itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.