How to fill out the Form 4809 in Missouri
A field-by-field walkthrough of the Missouri Form 4809 (Notice of Lien, Lien Release, or Authorization to Add/Remove Name from Title) for licensed used car dealers — what goes in every section, who signs what, and the documents you attach. Verified against the official form, the DOR's lien release guidance, and RSMo 301.640 as of October 2026.
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Filling out the MO Form 4809 after a sale:
- What it is
- The DOR's combined lien form; its Lien Release section releases a lien on a separate, notarized document
- Who completes it
- The lienholder's agent. On a BHPH note that's someone authorized to sign for your dealership, in front of a notary
- Where to file it
- You give it to the owner. The form says to attach it to the title, and the original must be submitted
- Processing time
- RSMo 301.640 requires the release within 5 business days after the lien is satisfied
- Cost
- No release fee printed on the form. The form lists License Office notary service at $2.00
This guide is informational and does not replace the official Missouri instructions. Always confirm the current form and procedure with the Missouri Department of Revenue before you file.
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What the Form 4809 is and why it matters
Form 4809 is the Missouri Department of Revenue's lien form, and its Lien Release section is how most Missouri lienholders release a vehicle lien. If you run buy-here-pay-here, your dealership is the lienholder on every note you carry. When the customer makes the last payment, you complete the release, get it notarized, and get it to the owner.
Missouri is strict on two points. Since July 1, 2003, a lien can't be released on the face of a Missouri title; it has to be on a separate document. And that document has to be notarized. RSMo 301.640 gives you five business days after the lien is satisfied, with liquidated damages that climb the longer you wait. This guide walks the release from the dealer's seat.
The current revision is Form 4809 (Revised 08-2025). It's one form with three jobs: a Notice of Lien to record a lien, a Lienholder Authorization to add or remove a name, and a Lien Release section marked "attach to title." At payoff you use the owner and unit description blocks plus the Lien Release section. The form's instructions say to leave the first and second lienholder sections blank on a release.
Documents to have before you start
The release goes to the owner, who attaches it to the title. Have these ready before your agent signs in front of the notary.
- The payment history showing the note paid in full — The Release Date on the form is the day the lien was satisfied. Make sure the last payment cleared before you sign.
- The owner's name, address, and the vehicle's year, make, and VIN — The release instructions say to complete all applicable owner and unit description blocks. Copy them from the title so they match.
- The lien creation date — The Lien Release section asks for it. On a BHPH deal that's the date of your contract or the lien date shown on the title.
- A notary — The form's instructions say the notary information is required to release the lien. The signature has to be made in front of the notary.
Form 4809, section by section
Which part of the 4809 is the release
The 4809 is printed as one page with separate blocks. The top half is the Notice of Lien, which records a lien and carries a $9.00 processing fee. The middle is the Lienholder Authorization for adding or removing a name. The bottom is LIEN RELEASE, ATTACH TO TITLE, marked NOTARY REQUIRED. For a release, the instructions on the back say: complete the owner information and unit description blocks, leave the first and second lienholder sections blank, then complete the Lien Release section and the notary block. Don't fill in the Notice of Lien lienholder blocks by habit; that's a different transaction.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Owner information and unit description Complete all applicable blocks. | You (dealer) |
First and second lienholder sections Leave blank on a release. | You (dealer) |
Lien Release section + notary block | You (dealer) |
Owner information and unit description
Owner's name goes last, first, middle, as it's shown on the title application; the form notes only the first 50 characters print on a title. Then the street address, county, city, state and ZIP, and the owner's DLN or FEIN. Check the unit type box (passenger, truck, motorcycle and so on) and fill in year, make, and the VIN/HIN. Copy the VIN from the title, all 17 characters. The form also asks whether this is a change of ownership and has purchase date, previous title number, and net price boxes. The instructions say to complete the blocks that apply; those tie to a sale, and on a straight payoff release nothing is changing hands.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Owner's name (last, first, middle) As shown on the title application. | You (dealer) |
Street address, county, city, state, ZIP | You (dealer) |
DLN or FEIN | You (dealer) |
Unit type Passenger, truck, motorcycle, etc. | You (dealer) |
Year, make, VIN/HIN From the title. | You (dealer) |
The Lien Release section
The instructions list four entries: the lienholder's name as shown on the title, the date of release, the printed name of the lienholder's agent, and the agent's signature. The section also has a Lien Creation Date box next to the Release Date. On a BHPH note, the lienholder name is your dealership's name exactly as it's on the title, and the agent is whoever signs for the dealership. The form prints the warning from RSMo 301.640: anyone who knowingly submits a separate document releasing someone else's lien without authority is guilty of a class D felony.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Lienholder's name as shown on title Your dealership's name, matching the title. | You (dealer) |
Printed name of lienholder's agent | You (dealer) |
Signature of lienholder's agent Signed in front of the notary. | You (dealer) |
Lien creation date | You (dealer) |
Release date The date the lien was satisfied. | You (dealer) |
The notary block
The release section is marked NOTARY REQUIRED, and the instructions repeat it: the notary information is required to release the lien. The notary completes the state and county (or City of St. Louis), the subscribed-and-sworn date, signature, typed or printed name, commission expiration, and applies the embosser or black rubber stamp seal. The form notes that a License Office offers notary service for $2.00. RSMo 301.640 also says a release on a separate document shall be notarized, so an unnotarized 4809 won't clear the lien.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
State, county (or City of St. Louis) Notary completes. | At the counter |
Subscribed and sworn date Notary completes. | At the counter |
Notary signature, name, commission expiration, seal Notary completes. | At the counter |
4809 or a letter on your letterhead
The DOR's lien guidance gives a business lienholder two options: a completed, signed, and notarized Lien Release section of the 4809, or a notarized release on the lienholder's letterhead listing the year, make, VIN, lien release date, lienholder name and signature, and the vehicle owner's information. A faxed copy may be accepted if the notary information is legible. If neither can be had, the original security agreement stamped "paid" with the lienholder's official seal is accepted; the seal must carry the business name. Either way, the notary is the part that can't be skipped.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Notarized 4809 Lien Release section | You (dealer) |
Or a notarized letterhead release Year, make, VIN, release date, lienholder name and signature, owner info. | You (dealer) |
Five business days, and what's at stake
RSMo 301.640 says that within five business days after the lien is satisfied, the lienholder releases it and mails or delivers the release (and the title, if the lienholder holds it) to the owner or to someone the owner authorizes in writing. Miss it and the lienholder owes the person who satisfied the lien liquidated damages: $500 if the release isn't made within five business days, $1,000 if not within ten, $2,000 if not within fifteen, and $2,500 if not within twenty, capped at $2,500 per lien. For a mailed release, the statute counts the postmark date. Build the release into the payoff routine so it goes out the same week the last payment clears.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Release delivered to the owner Within 5 business days of payoff. | You (dealer) |
Common Form 4809 mistakes that cause rejections
The DOR says liens released on or after July 1, 2003 can't be released on the face of a Missouri title. Use the 4809's Lien Release section or a notarized letterhead release.
The release section is marked NOTARY REQUIRED, and RSMo 301.640 says a release on a separate document shall be notarized.
The release instructions say to leave the first and second lienholder sections blank. Only the owner, unit, and Lien Release sections are yours.
The section asks for the lienholder's name as shown on title. Use exactly what's on the title, not a newer DBA.
The form says the original document must be submitted. Keep a copy for your file and give the owner the notarized original.
The liquidated damages in RSMo 301.640 start at $500 after five business days and rise to $2,500 after twenty.
Common questions
What is the Missouri release of lien form?+
It's Form 4809, Notice of Lien, Lien Release, or Authorization to Add/Remove Name from Title, from the Missouri Department of Revenue. The current revision is 08-2025. The lienholder uses its Lien Release section: lienholder's name as shown on the title, release date, the agent's printed name and signature, and a notary.
Does a Missouri lien release have to be notarized?+
Yes. The 4809's release section is marked NOTARY REQUIRED, and RSMo 301.640 says a release on a separate document shall be notarized. A letterhead release also has to be notarized under the DOR's guidance.
How long does a lienholder have to release a lien in Missouri?+
Five business days after the lien is satisfied, under RSMo 301.640. A lienholder that misses it owes liquidated damages to the person who satisfied the lien: $500 past five business days, $1,000 past ten, $2,000 past fifteen, and $2,500 past twenty, capped at $2,500 per lien.
Can I release a lien on the back of a Missouri title?+
Not for a release made on or after July 1, 2003. The DOR says those must be released on a separate document: the 4809's Lien Release section or a notarized letter on the lienholder's letterhead.
Can a BHPH dealer use a letter instead of Form 4809?+
Yes, if the dealership is a business entity and the letter is notarized. The DOR lists what it must show: year, make, VIN, lien release date, lienholder name and signature, and the vehicle owner's information. DealerVLO's BHPH servicing prints a release letter on your letterhead with the owner, vehicle, VIN, and payoff date, but it has no notary block, so in Missouri the 4809 with its built-in notary section is usually the simpler route.
Is Form 4809 also used to file a lien?+
Yes. The top half is the Notice of Lien. The form says a $9.00 processing fee goes with each Notice of Lien, and that liens should reach the Department within 30 days of the loan date for the lienholder to be protected if the debtor files bankruptcy. On a sale with a title application, the DOR also accepts the lien on the Form 108's copies.
Is there software that fills out the Form 4809 automatically?+
Yes. The Missouri Form 4809 is a fillable PDF, so dealer management software like DealerVLO can fill it for you: upload the blank form once, DealerVLO detects its fields and suggests a mapping you confirm, and from then on it fills from every deal you enter — the buyer, co-buyer, the vehicle you sold, and your dealership's details already in place. It's $29/month flat with a 14-day free trial, and the same deal also generates your federal documents (Bill of Sale, FTC Buyers Guide, odometer disclosure) and your state title paperwork.
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- Missouri odometer disclosure statement (Form 3019)
- Renewing a Missouri dealer license
- Title application forms in every state
- How much is a dealer's license? Cost in every state
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