Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, every dealer shall obtain, on the purchase of each vehicle, a certificate of title issued to the dealer or shall obtain an assignment or reassignment of a certificate of title for each vehicle purchased, except that a certificate of title shall not be required for any new vehicle to be sold as such. Any person found guilty of violating any of the provisions of this section is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
The provisions of this section shall also apply to watercraft trailers and watercraft trailer dealers.
Va. Code § 46.2-1544