The affidavit for a car whose paper trail has a hole in it. Connecticut asks a would-be owner to write out, in their own words, how they came to own the vehicle - and the box it gives them for the purpose is the largest single field in the state's whole vehicle set. It is used for a homemade vehicle, for a lien release that cannot be obtained because the lender no longer exists, and for the cars that arrive with a bill of sale and nothing else.
Written against H-115 (Rev 10-2014), issued under Conn. Gen. Stat. s. 14-171(a) and s. 14-176, administered by the DMV Title Unit.
This is a sworn statement about how you came to own something, made to a commissioner who can revoke the resulting title and leave you liable to whoever had the better claim. Write the ownership status box carefully, name the person you got the car from, and keep whatever paperwork you do have rather than relying on the affidavit alone.
Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank H-115 from the portal.ct.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.
This is the actual H-115, rendered from the PDF the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles publishes and completed end to end: letterhead, every field, and the blocks at the foot.
Amber — you write it
Grey — not yours to fill
Numbered — explained below
Filled in for a car more than twenty model years old that Connecticut never titled, where the owner is being asked to account for a chain of ownership that has no certificate in it. The lien names box is greyed because the answer was no. Every name and number here is invented for the sample.
Field by field
Every line, in the order you meet it
1
You fill this in
Full Name(s)
First, middle initial, last. Two people may swear one affidavit where two people own the car.
Watch out: Use the form of your name that appears on the registration certificate and on whatever bill of sale you are relying on. Consistency across the documents is most of what this affidavit is buying you.
2
You fill this in
Resident Address
One line, number and street through to ZIP.
Watch out: A resident address, not a PO box - the department's registration forms refuse one and this affidavit sits alongside them.
3
You fill this in
Year, Make, Model
Three description boxes.
Watch out: Take them from the last registration certificate if there is one. An affidavit that describes the car differently from the department's own record raises the question it is meant to settle.
4
You fill this in
Vehicle Identification Number
Seventeen characters, in a box of its own.
Watch out: On a vehicle this old the VIN may be shorter than seventeen characters, and that is normal - copy exactly what is on the vehicle and the registration.
5
You fill this in
Ownership Status
The largest box on the sheet, and the department's instruction is to include the name of the prior owner, seller or transferor.
Watch out: Write a sequence with dates in it, not a sentence. When you got it, from whom, what changed hands, and what documents exist - that is what makes an affidavit worth reading.
6
You fill this in
Lien Status, and the oath beneath it
NO or YES, with names and addresses in the box below where the answer is yes. Under that sits the oath, with printed name, signature and date rules.
Watch out: A YES here is not fatal; an unanswered question is, because it is the half of the oath about encumbrances. There is no notary and no witness, which makes the affidavit quicker to sign and no less serious once signed.
At a glance
What goes where
On the form
What to put in it
Statement of Identity: Full Name(s)
First, middle initial, last. Two people can swear the same affidavit.
Resident Address
Number and street, city or town, state and ZIP on one line.
Vehicle Description: Year, Make, Model
Three boxes across one row.
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
A full-width box of its own beneath them.
Ownership Status
The department's own question and the biggest box on the sheet: I (we) came into possession and ownership of the above described vehicle as follows - include name of prior owner, seller, or transferor.
Lien Status
To the best of your knowledge, are there any liens or encumbrances on the above described vehicle? A NO/YES pair, and a large box for names and addresses where the answer is yes.
Oath and Acknowledgment
Five sentences. I (we) are the lawful owners of the above described vehicle. I (we) do not have knowledge of any liens or encumbrances on the said vehicle, except as indicated above - then the false statement warning, then a warning that the Commissioner may revoke any certificate of title and/or registration issued in reliance on the statements made herein, and that in that event the affiant may have liability to any third person or party with a legal interest in the vehicle.
Printed Name(s) of Owner(s), Signature(s) of Owner(s), Date Signed
Three boxes across the foot. No notary block, no witness line.
What gets this one rejected
•An ownership status box filled in with one word. The department asks for a narrative and names what it must contain: the prior owner, seller or transferor.
•A blank lien status. Both boxes exist; leaving neither ticked is an unanswered sworn question.
•Using it as a substitute for a title that exists. Where a Connecticut certificate has been issued and can be replaced, the route is an H-6B rather than an affidavit.
•Using it to skip a lien release that is obtainable. The department accepts it in lieu of a release where the lienholder is out of business or has changed name - not where the lender simply has not replied yet.
•Signing it for somebody else without documentation. A legal representative has to provide a power of attorney or probate document with identification.
Rules that decide whether it is accepted
•It is the homemade vehicle's answer. The department's proof-of-ownership page is blunt about it: for a homemade vehicle, no title is needed - complete a motor vehicle ownership affidavit (Form H-115).
•It is one of two ways round a dead lender. The other is Section 2 of the H-6B, for a loan over ten years old. The affidavit reaches cases the H-6B does not, such as a lender that changed its name or went out of business.
•It does not by itself produce a title. Where the commissioner is not satisfied as to ownership, s. 14-176 gives two options: withhold the certificate until documents satisfy him, or require a bond. The affidavit is evidence in that decision rather than the end of it.
•The revocation clause is real. The oath's own words: the Commissioner may revoke any certificate of title and/or registration issued in reliance on the statements made herein, if the Commissioner becomes aware of any contrary or additional material facts.
Every line here was read off H-115 (Rev 10-2014) itself — the PDF is here — and off the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles pages.
This is plain-language help with a form, not legal advice, and where our wording and the agency's differ,
theirs governs.
