Salvage and Rebuilt Vehicle Bonded Titles

This is the first decision, and the answer is often "no — use the inspection route." Read the hub on vehicle title bonds for how a bonded (surety) title works in general, then check your state below.

• States that bar or do not offer a bond for salvage/junk. Georgia's statute forbids a title — bond included — for a not-rebuildable vehicle. Texas Transportation Code 501.053(f), as reproduced in the TxDMV Motor Vehicle Title Manual, says a person "may not obtain a title under this section for a salvage motor vehicle or a nonrepairable motor vehicle" (a separate TxDMV salvage manual Q&A mentions a hearing or bonded title for a salvage title lacking assignments, so confirm that case with TxDMV). North Carolina lists bonds as "not acceptable" for vehicles "branded parts-only, non-rebuildable or declared junked" and for insurer total-loss vehicles never titled in the insurer's name; a plainly rebuildable salvage-branded vehicle is not addressed, so confirm with NCDMV. Arkansas excludes a vehicle "issued a junking certificate or similarly branded certificate of title."
• States where the route is a rebuilt inspection, not a bond. Florida, Washington and Arizona put repaired vehicles through an inspection process (details below); Michigan's salvage certificates and salvage vehicle inspections are governed by MCL 257.217c, and Tennessee's documented rule is a photo requirement for rebuilt vehicles titled by Certification of Ownership. Whether a bond is available alongside that is not stated in the official rules for Arizona (A.R.S. 28-2057 is silent on salvage), Michigan (MCL 257.217c governs salvage certificates and inspections) or Tennessee — confirm with the state agency.
• States with a bond route that reaches salvage vehicles. Alabama, California, Colorado, Missouri and Nevada each document a bond route that reaches salvage vehicles, each with its own basis and limits.

Illinois' salvage and junk-title rules are not covered here; confirm your case with the Illinois Secretary of State.

States not shown in this table are not covered here. "Bond for salvage/rebuilt" is whether a surety bond is a documented path to title for a salvage or rebuilt vehicle in that state; where it is not, the state's actual route is named.

In several licensed states we found no bonded-title route for any vehicle, salvage or otherwise: Indiana uses a court order, Pennsylvania falls back to a court order when ownership documents are missing, New Jersey uses an 8-step Motor Vehicle Commission ownership procedure, and in Ohio, where title applications go to a clerk of courts, we found no bond route — confirm with the clerk.

Georgia — rebuilt inspection, no bond

For a Georgia rebuilt title, the route is an inspection, not a bond. For a rebuilt title, the restored vehicle must, "before it is painted," pass inspection by one of the Department's state inspectors or an approved private inspector. The application uses Form MV-1 with Form T-22R (Request for Inspection of a Rebuilt Motor Vehicle), Form T-129 (Labor and Parts Certification), the salvage title and photographs. The statute sets a $100 inspection fee; the Department lists $118 for inspection and title fees together with a state inspector, and an $18 title fee. A salvage-only title (no rebuild yet) uses Form MV-1S. A vehicle determined not rebuildable cannot be titled by any means, a surety bond included.

Florida — the salvage title inspection

Florida rebuilds a salvage vehicle through the TL-37 rebuilt process; we found no salvage bond route. Repairs are made, then the vehicle is inspected by a Regional Office Compliance Examiner. The application uses Form HSMV 82040 MV (or MH for mobile homes), Form HSMV 84490 (the affidavit for a rebuilt inspection) and bills of sale for the replacement parts. The inspection fee is $40, with a $20 fee for each additional inspection if the vehicle fails, and a "Rebuilt" decal "shall not be affixed until a 'pass' rebuilt inspection is completed" (procedure TL-37). Florida's separate bonded-title route (procedure TL-70) is a narrow casual-sale path for a Florida resident or Florida-based business with a current Florida paper title and no lien; it is twice the vehicle's value and does not reach a vehicle titled out of state or carrying a non-Florida NMVTIS record.

Texas — a bonded title is barred for salvage

Texas bars a bonded title for a salvage or nonrepairable vehicle. Transportation Code 501.053(f), as reproduced in the TxDMV Motor Vehicle Title Manual, bars a bonded title "for a salvage motor vehicle or a nonrepairable motor vehicle," and the public bonded-title page says the vehicle "cannot be considered junked, nonrepairable, or otherwise ineligible for a title." The TxDMV Salvage/Nonrepairable manual's Q&A separately says a tax assessor-collector's hearing or bonded title is the only option for a salvage title lacking complete assignments, and the bond application (VTR-130-SOF) asks whether the vehicle is salvage and requires a Rebuilt Vehicle Statement (VTR-61) if so; those procedures are not available for a vehicle issued a Nonrepairable Vehicle Title after September 1, 2003. A rebuilt Texas title is branded "Rebuilt Salvage" at the county tax office on Form 130-U with Form VTR-61, after salvage titling on Form VTR-441; the Rebuilt Salvage fee is $65 plus the title fee. Confirm your specific case with TxDMV.

Alabama, Nevada, Colorado, Missouri, California — where a bond route reaches salvage vehicles

• Alabama reduces the bond for a vehicle deemed salvage to 25% of the schedule amount if it is less than 10 model years old, or 20% if 10 or more. Salvage is a total loss "greater than or equal to 75 percent of the fair retail value"; the rebuilt inspection fee is $90 in certified funds. If you did not own the vehicle before it was salvaged, Alabama requires a master dealer regulatory license to apply for a rebuilt inspection.
• Nevada has a defined "Salvage Bonded Title" at 25% of MSRP (versus 1.5× the DMV-set value for a standard bonded title). The vehicle must follow rebuilding procedures before it can be registered, an Authorization for Vehicle Restoration (VP-209) is required for vehicles five years old or newer, and ownership transfer outside Nevada may not be allowed. Bonded titles are processed only in Carson City by Central Services.
• Colorado uses Form DR 2922, titled "Title Or Salvage Title Established By Surety Bond," with a bond "not less than twice the reasonable value of the vehicle." A salvage certificate (DR 2410) must be obtained within 60 days, and a vehicle with a salvage title "cannot be driven on the road" until it earns a rebuilt-from-salvage title.
• Missouri allows a salvage title for a vehicle 25 years old or older with no known certificate of ownership, backed by a surety bond "equal to one and one-half times the purchase price," a descriptive bill of sale and a seller statement — a separate route from the standard RSMo 301.192 bond. Reconstructed vehicles use Form 108 with a Vehicle Examination Certificate (Form 551) completed by the Highway Patrol or the St. Louis City/County Auto Theft Unit.
• California: the Motor Vehicle Ownership Surety Bond (REG 5057), or the REG 5059 deposit, is for the vehicle's fair market value and applies when ownership proof is unavailable and a trigger such as a $5,000+ value applies. It can support a Salvage Certificate or Non-Repairable Vehicle Certificate (REG 488C); reviving a salvage vehicle uses REG 343 with a verification (REG 31 or CHP 97C) and a Vehicle Safety Systems Inspection certificate.

• Estimate a standard title-bond amount with the title bond calculator. Salvage routes often use a different basis — Alabama a percentage of a fixed schedule, Nevada a share of MSRP, California the fair market value — so the calculator's standard multiple may not match; your DMV sets the exact amount.
• New to the process? See how to get a bonded title.
• Dealers, rebuilders and inspectors: start at title professionals.