certificate of title

certificate of title definition - legal

n

  1. A certificate issued by the state or local government identifying the owner(s) of personal or real property, and often listing any encumbrances on the property.
  2. A certificate issued by a title insurance company indicating that it has conducted a diligent examination of the title of a piece of real property and that, except for the encumbrances noted in the certificate, a person has good title to the land. This is not, however, a guarantee or insurance of good title.

Webster's New World Law Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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