How we check facts

Where the facts come from

We use government sources only: state agencies and state statutes, and federal sources where a federal rule applies. We don't use law blogs, other template sites or our own memory as a source. If we can't find a rule in a government source, we leave it out rather than guess.

How a state page is checked

1. A first pass collects each rule with a link to the source and a short quote from it.
2. A second, separate pass opens every source again and confirms or rejects each rule. Rejected rules are removed.
3. A state page is published only when at least 5 rules are confirmed (4 for a trailer or boat page, which has no odometer rule) and it has at least 120 words written about that state specifically.

Each state page, such as the Texas bill of sale page, lists its sources and the date we last checked them, and each row in the car title transfer by state and release of liability by state guides is one line from a vehicle state page, with its sources and the date we last checked it.

Keeping pages current

Every week an automatic check opens each link to an agency. When a link is broken, the check opens a task for us to review the page. If an agency's site turns the automatic check away, the link is listed in the check's report as not checked. Our build also flags every rule that hasn't been checked for 12 months, so it can be checked again. The date on each page is the date of its oldest check, and we only change it when we actually check again.

What we never do

• We don't apply rules to anyone's situation.
• We don't claim that a template is approved or accepted by any agency or court.
• No attorney reviews our templates, and we say so on every page and in every file.

Found an error?

Email hello@templatesbystate.com with the page address and, if you can, the agency page that shows the right information.