TORRINGTON – Vehicle titles in the Cowboy State are getting a face-lift.

Goshen Count Clerk Cindy Kenyon this week announced the issuance of new, upgraded title documents for cars, motorcycles, boats - anything that requires a vehicle title in the state. The new documents will feature several enhanced security features, making them more difficult to duplicate or alter, not the least of which is the state emblem – Steamboat, the bucking horse and rider logo – featured prominently, front-and-center on the document.

“The shadow horse and rider is one of several new, enhanced security features,” Kenyon said Wednesday. “I particularly like that one.”

But the changes are more than cosmetic, she said. In addition to Steamboat, the new Certificate of Title is larger, increased in width to a standard 8.5 inches, doing away with the necessity of a specifically-formatted printer and letting county clerks use standard-sized envelopes for mailing. The added width also offers more room for names, signatures and other required information specific to a transfer of title.

“The old titles were on smaller paper,” Kenyon said. “The new titles are slightly larger. This gets everything to line up better.”

On the back of the title, specific sections relating to selling or transferring vehicle ownership are now highlighted to stand out more clearly, detailing precisely what the current owner, the new owner and others involved in the transfer have to fill out. 

“This just clarifies the process (of transfer) better,” Kenyon said. “It’s definitely more user friendly.”

There will also be some obvious deletions on the new titles, she said. No longer will people registering watercraft be required to list mode of propulsion, type and hull material when doing their official paperwork. Wyoming Game and Fish officials decided that was extraneous information, so it’s been removed from the titling process.

The old title certificate has been in use for many years, Kenyon said. The last time it was significantly changed was around 2010, when county clerks across the state began issuing watercraft titles.

Regulations and requirements governing what types of vehicles need to have a state of Wyoming title haven’t changed. And the old-style titles will still be valid, until and unless a title change is required, she said.

“This is simply an update,” Kenyon said. “A face-lift to the form.”

Kenyon wanted people to be aware of the new certificate of title documents, which could begin appearing as soon as Nov. 1. Physically, the new documents are noticeably different than the previous version and Kenyon wanted to avoid possible confusion.

Use of the new title documents is already authorized, but county clerks around the state will exhaust their existing stock of the old form before issuing the new. Nobody wants to just throw away hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars worth of the documents which can still be used and waste all that tax-payer money, she said.

Kenyon’s office issues on average about 6,000 Certificates of Title each year in Goshen County alone.

Questions or concerns about the new titles, or the validity of any Wyoming title, should be addressed to the County Clerk’s office, (307) 532-4051.