All 51 jurisdictions · Vehicle-title lending statutes

Title loan laws by state

Title loans put your car on the line, so the state statute matters twice — it caps the cost and it controls when the vehicle can be repossessed. 19 jurisdictions license the product, 22 cap rates at 36% APR, and 10 prohibit it. Verified September 6, 2026.

State	Status	Max loan	Fee / APR	Term	Rollovers	Statute
Alabama	Allowed (single-payment)	$2,500 max	25%/mo up to $1,500; 12.5% to $2,500	10–30 days	Renewals allowed with 10% principal reduction	Ala. Code §5-18-1 et seq.
Alaska	36% APR cap	—	36% APR cap	—	—	Alaska Stat. §06.50.010 et seq.
Arizona	Allowed (single-payment)	—	17%/mo ≤$500; 15% ≤$2,500; 13% ≤$5,000; 10% above	—	—	A.R.S. §44-291
Arkansas	Not permitted	—	17% constitutional usury cap	—	—	Ark. Const. amend. 89
California	Allowed (single-payment)	No cap under $2,500	36% cap on $2,500–$10,000; uncapped below	—	—	Cal. Civ. Code §1789.10; Fin. Code §22303
Colorado	36% APR cap	—	36% APR cap	—	—	Colo. Rev. Stat. §5-3.5-101 et seq.
Connecticut	36% APR cap	—	36% small-loan cap	—	—	Conn. Gen. Stat. §36a-555
Delaware	Allowed (single-payment)	≤25% of vehicle value	No APR cap	Total term ≤180 days	—	5 Del. C. §2301 et seq.
Florida	Allowed (single-payment)	—	30%/yr first $2,000; 24% next $1,000; tiered down	30 days	Renewals allowed	Fla. Stat. §537.011
Georgia	Allowed (installment / title pawn)	—	≤25% of principal per 30-day period (~300% APR)	30-day periods, extendable	Extensions in 30-day periods; charges drop after 90 days	O.C.G.A. §44-12-131 et seq. (title pawn)
Hawaii	36% APR cap	—	36% APR cap	—	—	Haw. Rev. Stat. §412:10.5 (2021 Act 133)
Idaho	Allowed (single-payment)	—	—	30 days	Auto-renews unless paid in full	Idaho Code §28-46-501 et seq.
Illinois	36% APR cap	—	36% APR all-in cap	—	—	815 ILCS 122 (2021 PLPA)
Indiana	36% APR cap	—	UCCC rate caps	—	—	Ind. Code §24-4.5-3-201
Iowa	36% APR cap	—	36% APR cap	—	—	Iowa Code §537.2503
Kansas	36% APR cap	—	36% cap on loans under $1,000	—	—	Kan. Stat. §16a-2-401
Kentucky	Not permitted	—	—	—	—	Title Pledge Act repealed 2020 — new title pledge loans not authorized
Louisiana	Allowed (single-payment)	$1,400 max	—	1 month	Renewals allowed	La. R.S. §6:1331 et seq.
Maine	36% APR cap	—	Consumer-loan caps ≤36%	—	—	Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 9-A, §2-401
Maryland	Not permitted	—	24–33% rate caps	—	—	Md. Code, Com. Law §12-102
Massachusetts	36% APR cap	—	30% cap on small loans under $6,000	—	—	Mass. Gen. Laws c. 140, §96
Michigan	Not permitted	—	—	—	—	Mich. Comp. Laws §493.1 et seq. — not authorized
Minnesota	36% APR cap	—	36% APR cap (2024)	—	—	Minn. Stat. §53.12
Mississippi	Allowed (single-payment)	$2,500 max	25%/month (300% APR)	30 days	Renewals with principal reduction	Miss. Code §75-67-401 et seq.
Missouri	Allowed (single-payment)	Up to 50% of vehicle value	No APR cap	—	Rollovers allowed	Mo. Rev. Stat. §361.100 et seq.
Montana	36% APR cap	—	36% APR cap	—	—	Mont. Code §31-1-801
Nebraska	36% APR cap	—	36% APR cap	—	—	Neb. Rev. Stat. §45-919
Nevada	Allowed (installment / title pawn)	≤ vehicle fair market value	No cap (title loans defined as APR above 35%)	30–210 days	Payments ≤25% of gross monthly income	Nev. Rev. Stat. §604A.5076
New Hampshire	Allowed (single-payment)	—	25%/month (~300% APR)	—	—	N.H. Rev. Stat. §399-A
New Jersey	Not permitted	—	30% criminal usury cap	—	—	N.J. Stat. §2C:21-19
New Mexico	36% APR cap	—	36% APR cap	—	—	NMSA §58-15-33 et seq.
New York	Not permitted	—	25% civil usury cap	—	—	N.Y. Penal Law §190.40
North Carolina	Not permitted	—	16% usury cap	—	—	N.C. Gen. Stat. §24-1.1
North Dakota	36% APR cap	—	36% APR cap	—	—	N.D. Cent. Code ch. 13-08
Ohio	36% APR cap	$1,000 max (STLA)	28% APR cap (Short-Term Loan Act)	—	No renewals	Ohio Rev. Code §1321.35 et seq.
Oklahoma	36% APR cap	—	36% APR cap	—	—	Okla. Stat. tit. 14A, §2-401
Oregon	36% APR cap	—	36% APR + fee cap	—	—	Or. Rev. Stat. §725.340
Pennsylvania	Not permitted	—	6–18% CDCA rate caps	—	—	41 P.S. §21
Rhode Island	36% APR cap	—	36% small-loan cap	—	—	R.I. Gen. Laws §6-26-2
South Carolina	Allowed (single-payment)	$2,500 max	25%/month (300% APR)	≥1 month	Max 6 rollovers	S.C. Code §37-3-413
South Dakota	36% APR cap	—	36% APR cap	—	—	S.D. Initiated Measure 21 (2016)
Tennessee	Allowed (single-payment)	$2,500 max	2%/mo interest + fees ≤1/5 of principal	30 days	Renewals allowed	Tenn. Code §45-15-101 et seq.
Texas	Allowed (single-payment)	—	10% interest + uncapped CSO fees	30 days	≤5 renewals (city ordinances)	Tex. Fin. Code §393 (CSO model)
Utah	Allowed (single-payment)	—	No APR cap	29 days	10 renewals (≥29-day terms)	Utah Code §7-22-101 et seq.
Vermont	Not permitted	—	12% usury cap	—	—	Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 9, §41a
Virginia	Allowed (installment / title pawn)	≤50% of vehicle value	36% APR (2021 reform)	≤24 months	No renewals	Va. Code §6.2-2200 et seq.
Washington	36% APR cap	—	36% APR + fee cap	—	—	RCW 31.45.073
Washington, D.C.	Not permitted	—	24% usury cap	—	—	D.C. Code §28-3302
West Virginia	36% APR cap	—	36% APR cap	—	—	W. Va. Code §46A-4-107
Wisconsin	Allowed (single-payment)	—	No cap (APRs above 100% common)	—	—	Wis. Stat. ch. 218 (title loans)
Wyoming	Allowed (single-payment)	—	No APR cap	—	—	Wyo. Stat. §40-14-101 et seq. (UCCC)

Where title lending is not permitted

32 jurisdictions either ban vehicle-title lending outright or hold it under the same 36% APR ceiling that rules out classic title-loan pricing. In those states a lender holding your title at payday-loan rates is operating without a license — and an illegal title loan's lien can be challenged.

Alaska , Arkansas , Colorado , Connecticut , Hawaii , Illinois , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Kentucky , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts , Michigan , Minnesota , Montana , Nebraska , New Jersey , New Mexico , New York , North Carolina , North Dakota , Ohio , Oklahoma , Oregon , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , South Dakota , Vermont , Washington , Washington, D.C. and West Virginia — each link covers what is legal instead and how a repossession threat should be handled.

What makes title loans different from payday loans

Both are small-dollar, high-cost products, but a title loan is secured: the lender holds the lien on your vehicle until the note is paid. That changes the risk — default does not just add fees, it can cost the car. It also changes the arithmetic: because the loan is collateralized, amounts are larger (commonly $100–$10,000 where legal) and terms run one to twelve months rather than two weeks. The state statutes mirror that difference — several title states cap the loan at a share of the vehicle's value or your income, and most lending states regulate repossession notice and surplus sale proceeds separately from the fee cap.

Questions about state title loan laws

In which states are title loans legal?

Title lending is licensed in 19 jurisdictions in some form — single-payment in some, installment or title-pawn structures in others. 22 more hold small-dollar credit to a 36% APR ceiling that classic title-loan pricing cannot meet, and 10 prohibit the product outright. The table above lists the statute behind each ruling.

What happens if I cannot repay a title loan?

A title loan uses your vehicle title as collateral, so the lender’s ultimate remedy is repossession — in most lending states after notice and a chance to cure, and many states require the lender to return surplus from the sale above what you owe. Extended payment plans are a statutory right in a number of title-lending states; take one before missing a payment.

Are online title loans legal?

Only where the product is legal and only from a lender licensed in your state. The vehicle inspection and title lien still have to happen under your state’s rules — an online lender that skips your state’s disclosure or rollover limits is operating illegally, and that loan may be void.

How much can a title loan cost?

Where single-payment title loans are legal, monthly fees commonly run the equivalent of 25% per month (about 300% APR) — caps and fee schedules vary by state and are listed per state above. Several large title states cap amounts rather than rates, which is why the same loan can be priced very differently across state lines.