How to get a motorcycle title in Pennsylvania

Woo Hoo!  The order came in the mail recognizing my ownership of the bike!  I can send that to PennDOT with a check and they'll issue me a title.  I mentioned earlier that I had bought the project sans title and I knew it would be difficult to get one in Pa. but I felt it would be worth the hassle. 

My first attempt was to go through one of these places that gets you a title from another state that you can transfer to your state.  This all sounds pretty shady, but I didn't know what else to do.  I first tried Broadway Title, but they wouldn't work with a bike as old as Ava.  I then contacted International Title Service, which I know people have used in the past.  This was back in November of last year.  We'll, after I sent him my money, I started reading more recent reviews of the joint and it became apparent that he just steals money now (the rumor is, when his parents ran the business it was legit, but the son is a thief).  And, that's what happened to me.  In January he told me that all the paperwork was filed, but it's now four months later and he won't return any of my emails.  I can't think of a way to recoup the money that won't cost me more than I sent him, so I am $275 poorer but richer for the experience.  Moral = don't use ITS to try and get a title!

I then did some research and found out that, in Pennsylvania, you can petition your local Court of Common Pleas to grant you ownership of a vehicle you bought without a title.  It's called either "Petition for Involuntary Transfer of Title" or "Petition for Declaration of Ownership."  Here's what you do:

1.  Send PennDOT a form DL-135 (Request for Vehicle Information).  You'll send them $10 for a certified response.  Fill out sections A, C, D, & F.  In C, I only had the VIN, so that's all I put there.  In D, you want a current title history.  In F, I checked option 4.  PennDot had no record of the bike, so that's what my response letter said.

2. Draft up a Petition for Declaration of Ownership.  Here's 3 packets with petition forms and civil cover sheets (don't forget to fill out both the local civil cover sheet and the Pa. Supreme Court civil cover sheet).  Just follow the instructions - it doesn't matter if you're not in one of these three counties, it should all be the same (I'm in Chester County).  To get your county's civil cover sheet, google their website:

Lancaster County Packet
Dauphin County Packet
Erie County Packet

Here's also the PennDot fact sheet on the process.

3.  Go to your local Court of Common Pleas prothonotary's office, file the petition with the response to your DL-135 and bill of sale as exhibits.  This will cost you about $130 in filing fees.  Depending on the court, you may get a court date right then (I did) or you might have to get one later.  Then follow the notice requirements in the packets.  If you didn't get a court date when you filed your petition, you'll have to send notice to potentially interested parties twice.  Because there was no record of previous owners of the bike, I didn't really have anyone to send notice to except the gent from whom I bought the bike.

4.  Go to your court hearing, explain the situation to the judge, give him any green return receipt cards you have from sending out notices (you'll read about that in the packets), and if all goes well, he'll sign your order.

5.  5/19/12 UPDATE:  I got my title in the mail today!  After you get your court order, go to a title place and fill out and sign form MV-1 (Application for Certificate of Title).  Have them notarize it.  Then I sent to Penndot copies of the MV-1, my court order, bill of sale, and a VIN rubbing with a check for 6% of the sales price (sales tax) plus $22.50 for the title fee. It took about two weeks