(a) Ownership of title to a vehicle subject to registration may be held in beneficiary form that includes a direction to transfer ownership of the vehicle to a designated beneficiary on the death of the owner if both of the following requirements are satisfied:
(1) Only one owner is designated.
(2) Only one TOD beneficiary is designated.
(b) A certificate of ownership issued in beneficiary form shall include, after the name of the owner, the words “transfer on death to” or the abbreviation “TOD” followed by the name of the beneficiary.
(c) During the lifetime of the owner, the signature or consent of the beneficiary is not required for any transaction relating to the vehicle for which a certificate of ownership in beneficiary form has been issued.
(d) The fee for registering ownership of a vehicle in a beneficiary form is ten dollars ($10).
(Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 1055, Sec. 58. Operative January 1, 1993, by Sec. 64 of Ch. 1055.)