When a Car Is Totaled: State Rules (2026)
Each state's total loss threshold or formula for deciding when a damaged car is a total loss.
| State | Total loss rules |
|---|---|
| Alabama | A vehicle becomes a salvage vehicle (total loss) when an insurer or anyone else pays a monetary settlement for a vehicle whose damage is equal to or greater than 75% of its fair retail value before the damage, as shown in a current nationally recognized compilation of retail values. A salvage vehicle cannot be registered or driven on public roads until a rebuilt title is issued. An owner who owned the vehicle before it became salvage applies by mail for a rebuilt inspection, with the salvage title, bills of sale for replacement parts, the pre-salvage registration receipt and a $90 inspection fee in certified funds; someone who did not own it before salvage needs a master dealer regulatory license to apply. Alabama Department of Revenue, Salvage and Rebuilt Vehicles; FAQs; Alabama Department of Insurance, Automobile Insurance FAQs (Ala. Code § 32-8-87(d)) |
| Alaska | Alaska uses a cost-to-repair test rather than a fixed percentage: a "constructive total loss" means the cost of repairing the vehicle exceeds its worth or insured value, and an "actual total loss" means the vehicle is wrecked, dismantled or destroyed. An insurer that takes title to an unrepairable vehicle after paying such a claim must mark the title "junk" and surrender the title and registration to the DMV. Since Aug. 1, 2025, the DMV can issue a "Salvage" title (Form 857, $15 fee) for a junk-branded vehicle that has not yet been reconstructed; it is not valid for road use, and the vehicle must get a reconstructed title before it can be registered. 2 Alaska Admin. Code 92.170; Alaska DMV, Salvage Vehicle Titles |
| Arizona | Arizona does not set a percentage threshold: a "salvage vehicle" is one that has been stolen, wrecked, destroyed, flood or water damaged or otherwise damaged to the extent the owner, leasing company, financial institution or insurer considers it uneconomical to repair. When an insurer acquires a vehicle in a total loss settlement, it must apply for a salvage, stolen-vehicle or nonrepairable certificate of title within 30 days after the title is assigned to it. An owner who keeps a salvage or nonrepairable vehicle must obtain the branded title before receiving the total loss settlement. A nonrepairable title cancels the vehicle's registration. Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 28-2091 |
| Arkansas | A "salvage vehicle" in Arkansas is a vehicle that is water-damaged (water over the doorsill, into the passenger compartment and damaging the powertrain, main computer or electrical systems) or that sustains any other damage equal to or exceeding 70% of its average retail value, as determined under Office of Motor Vehicle rules. A seller (dealer or private owner) of a vehicle with a branded title must disclose the brand and the damage on file before the sale using a buyer's notification form signed by the buyer; if the seller fails to get the signature, the buyer may void the sale within 60 days. Ark. Code Ann. §§ 27-14-2301, 27-14-2303 |
| California | If the owner receives an insurance settlement, the insurer must obtain the Salvage (or Non-Repairable Vehicle) Certificate within 10 days of the settlement; an owner who does not receive a settlement is responsible for getting it. A Non-Repairable Vehicle Certificate applies to a vehicle declared only a source of parts or scrap, completely stripped, or a completely burned shell, and such a vehicle can never be titled or registered again. A salvage vehicle can be re-registered as a revived salvage vehicle under separate DMV procedures. California DMV, Total Loss Salvage & Non-Repairable Vehicles (Cal. Veh. Code §§ 431, 11515, 11515.2) |
| Colorado | Colorado has no fixed percentage: a "salvage vehicle" is a flood-damaged vehicle, a vehicle branded salvage by another state, or a vehicle damaged by collision, fire, flood, accident or similar occurrence (excluding hail damage or theft) to the extent the insurer (or someone acting for the owner) determines it to be a total loss, or the cost to repair it for legal road use exceeds its retail fair market value just before the damage. Insurers must use a fair and consistent method with a credible valuation source to determine a total loss, may not shop among valuation sources only to find the lowest amount, and must pay title fees, sales tax and other transfer or registration fees associated with a total loss. Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 42-6-102(17), 10-4-639 |
| Connecticut | Connecticut defines a "constructive total loss" as a vehicle whose cost to repair or salvage (or both) equals or exceeds its total value at the time of loss. When an insurer declares a vehicle a constructive total loss, it must value it using at least the average of the retail values from the NADA used car guide (or another approved public source) and one other approved industry source. By the time it pays, the insurer must give the claimant a detailed copy of its valuation, any non-public valuation report used, and a written notice that the claimant may dispute the amount by contacting the Insurance Department's Consumer Affairs Division. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 38a-353 |
| Delaware | When an insurer pays a total loss settlement and the owner keeps the vehicle, the owner must obtain a salvage certificate from the DMV (in person or by mail). The vehicle cannot be driven until it is reconstructed, inspected by the Delaware State Police Auto Theft Unit, passes Delaware safety inspection, and is retitled. Delaware DMV, Procedures for Owner Retained Salvage Vehicles |
| District of Columbia | D.C. does not set a fixed percentage on the DMV page reviewed: a salvage title means a car has been damaged near or in excess of its value. When an insurer settles a total loss and keeps the vehicle, it must apply for a salvage or non-repairable title within 30 calendar days of settlement; if it does not keep the vehicle, it must notify the owner or lessor of the duty to apply. Owners must apply within 30 calendar days of the damage and before repairs. A salvage vehicle that passes DC DMV emissions, safety and Metropolitan Police anti-theft inspections is titled "Rebuilt Salvage" and can then be registered; non-repairable vehicles are branded "Non-Repairable." DC DMV, Salvage Vehicle Title/Registration |
| Florida | A vehicle is a "total loss" when an insurer pays the owner to replace it with one of like kind and quality (or pays a theft claim), or, for an uninsured vehicle, when repair costs are 80% or more of the replacement cost. If the insurer and owner agree to repair instead, it is not a total loss, but if actual repair costs exceed 100% of replacement cost the owner must ask FLHSMV within 72 hours to brand the title "Total Loss Vehicle." A total-loss vehicle gets a salvage certificate of title or a certificate of destruction; for a late-model vehicle worth at least $7,500, estimated repair costs of 90% or more of retail value mean it is declared unrebuildable and gets a certificate of destruction. Fla. Stat. § 319.30(3) |
| Georgia | Georgia defines a "salvage motor vehicle" as one damaged so that restoring it would require replacing two or more major component parts, or one for which an insurer has paid a total loss claim and that has not been repaired (regardless of the extent of damage) — but not a vehicle with only cosmetic damage from causes other than fire or flood, or a recovered stolen vehicle that is undamaged or not damaged to that extent. A vehicle restored by replacing two or more major component parts is a "rebuilt motor vehicle." O.C.G.A. § 40-3-2(10), (11) |
| Idaho | Idaho does not use a fixed percentage: a "salvage vehicle" is one that has salvage documentation, or that is damaged to the extent the owner or insurer determines the cost of parts and labor minus salvage value makes it uneconomical to repair, or for which an insurer has paid a total-loss settlement. A "total loss" occurs when an insurer or anyone else pays the owner because the vehicle is deemed uneconomical to repair. A salvage certificate is issued for any salvage vehicle (and for theft-settled vehicles acquired by an insurer) and replaces the title as the ownership document; an insurer or salvage pool that acquires a total-loss vehicle must apply for the salvage certificate before resale. A repaired salvage vehicle becomes a "rebuilt salvage" vehicle. ITD, Salvage Vehicles (citing Idaho Code §§ 49-123, 49-524) |
| Illinois | When an insurer pays a total loss claim, the insurer is deemed the owner and the vehicle is salvage; the insurer must send the title, application and fee to the Secretary of State within 20 days and a salvage certificate is issued in its name. The owner may keep the vehicle by agreement with the insurer only if it has hail damage that does not affect operational safety or is 9 model years old or older. Insurers paying a theft total loss need not apply for a salvage certificate unless the vehicle is recovered with damage that would have made it a total loss. 625 ILCS 5/3-117.1(b) |
| Iowa | In Iowa a "wrecked or salvage vehicle" is a damaged vehicle whose cost of repair exceeds 70% of its fair market value before the damage. A vehicle that an insurer takes ownership of through a settlement for damage or unrecovered theft is treated as wrecked or salvage, and the insurer must get a salvage certificate of title (marked "SALVAGE") within 30 days; rebuilders and dealers acquiring such a vehicle (worth $500 or more before damage) must also apply within 30 days, for a $20 fee. After repairs, the owner may get a regular title by surrendering the salvage title with a salvage theft examination certificate, and every later title and registration will show the vehicle was previously titled as salvage. Sellers must also disclose damage on the title when repair costs exceeded 70% of fair market value (with exceptions, such as vehicles more than seven model years old). Iowa Code § 321.52; Iowa DOT, How to Sell a Vehicle |
| Kansas | To get a salvage title, the owner completes the Salvage, Non-Highway or Non-Repairable Affidavit (Form TR-13) and submits it with the current title and an insurer letter showing the vehicle was salvaged; a salvage vehicle cannot be driven with plates (a one-day inspection permit is available). After repairs, the vehicle must pass a Kansas Highway Patrol inspection (MVE-1) to receive a rebuilt salvage decal and title. The salvage brand stays on all later Kansas titles. Vehicles designated nonrepairable cannot be titled or registered in Kansas. Kansas Department of Revenue, Frequently Asked Questions - Titling a Vehicle |
| Louisiana | A vehicle is a "total loss" when it has damage equal to 75% or more of its market value, based on the most current National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) guide. A salvage title is the certificate issued by the Office of Motor Vehicles to show that an insurance settlement declared the vehicle a total loss. Vehicles with cosmetic hail damage of 75% or more are not treated as salvage but receive a branded title showing hail damage. La. R.S. 32:702(13)-(14) |
| Maine | Maine law does not set a fixed percentage; the Bureau of Insurance says it is the insurer's option to declare a total loss when repair costs approach or exceed the vehicle's actual cash value, and that most companies do so when the initial estimate reaches about 75% of actual cash value. After a total loss, the insurer must apply for a salvage title (29-A M.R.S. §667); once repaired, the vehicle gets a branded title. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles describes a salvage title as one for a vehicle damaged so that its salvage value plus repair cost exceeds its pre-damage fair market value; a salvage title application (MVT-102) costs $33. Maine Bureau of Insurance, Auto Claims FAQs; Maine BMV, Types of Title Certificates |
| Maryland | A vehicle is "salvage" if collision, fire, flood or other damage makes the cost to repair it for highway use exceed 75% of its fair market value before the damage, or if an insurer acquires it in a claim settlement. An insurer that acquires a vehicle through a claim settlement must apply for a salvage certificate within 10 days after settlement. An owner may choose to keep the damaged vehicle and receive a salvage title. Md. Code, Transp. §11-152; §13-506; MIA Consumer Guide to Auto Insurance |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts does not use a fixed percentage. A "total loss salvage motor vehicle" is one that was stolen and not recovered, or damaged to the point that the owner (or the insurer, if insured) considers it uneconomical to repair. An insurer that acquires such a vehicle must surrender the title and apply for a salvage title within ten days; if the owner keeps the vehicle after a total loss settlement, the owner must surrender the title and apply for a salvage title within ten days. A salvage vehicle cannot be titled or registered for road use until the reconstruction requirements are met. M.G.L. c. 90D, §§1, 20 |
| Michigan | When an insurer acquires a vehicle in a claim settlement, or the owner keeps it, the insurer must handle branding by repair cost: if the estimated repair cost (parts and labor) is at least 75% but less than 91% of the vehicle's pre-damage actual cash value, a salvage certificate of title is required; at 91% or more, a scrap certificate of title is required. The insurer may not sell the vehicle without first receiving a salvage or scrap title. MCL 257.217c |
| Minnesota | A "salvage vehicle" is one for which an insurer declared or paid a total loss, or one whose repair cost exceeds 80% of its value immediately before the damage. When a Minnesota insurer acquires a vehicle by paying damages, it must immediately obtain a title branded "salvage" for a late-model vehicle (model year within the last five years) or high-value vehicle (actual cash value over $9,000 before damage), or "prior salvage" for other vehicles, and notify the department within ten days. Minn. Stat. §168A.151, subd. 1; §168A.01, subds. 6a, 8a, 17b |
| Mississippi | A salvage vehicle is a motor vehicle that an insurance company obtains from the owner by paying a total loss claim from collision, fire, flood, accident, hail, trespass, unrecovered theft or another occurrence. Vehicles 10 years old or older worth $1,500 or less, and vehicles needing repair or replacement of five or fewer minor component parts, are not salvage vehicles. A vehicle with a salvage title cannot be driven on Mississippi roads, cannot get a license tag, and cannot be sold by a licensed dealer until retitled as "Rebuilt." Mississippi Department of Revenue, Salvage Vehicles |
| Missouri | A "salvage vehicle" includes one damaged within six years after its model year so that the cost of repairs to rebuild it for road use exceeds 80% of its fair market value just before the damage (excluding air bags, tires, sound systems, hail damage and sales tax on parts), and any vehicle declared salvage by an insurance company as a result of settling a claim. RSMo §301.010(55) |
| Montana | Most auto policies pay the actual cash value (market value immediately before the accident) for a totaled vehicle, typically determined by a market survey of comparable vehicles, and the insurer must give you copies of the information it uses. When an insurer acquires a vehicle less than 15 years old that has been determined to be a salvage vehicle, it must apply for a salvage certificate, which the Motor Vehicle Division issues within 5 working days. CSI Auto Insurance FAQs; MCA 61-3-211 |
| Nebraska | When an insurer pays a total loss settlement on a damaged vehicle that meets Nebraska's statutory definition of salvage, the insurer (if it takes the vehicle) or the owner (if the owner keeps it) must obtain a salvage branded certificate of title. Anyone who acquires a salvage vehicle without a salvage branded title must surrender the title to the county treasurer and apply for one within thirty days after acquiring it, or before reselling it or its major parts, whichever is earlier. Nebraska DMV, Salvage Titles; Neb. Rev. Stat. §60-175 |
| Nevada | A "total loss vehicle" is one damaged so that the cost of repair is 65% or more of its fair market value immediately before the damage (not counting painting, replacing electronic components to manufacturer specifications, or towing). Some older vehicles needing only certain minor parts are excluded. A "salvage vehicle" is any vehicle that has ever been declared a total loss, flood-damaged or nonrepairable, or had "salvage" placed on its title. NRS 487.790; NRS 487.770 |
| New Hampshire | An insurer that declares a vehicle a total loss must apply for a salvage certificate of title within 20 days of the total loss payment, with the title, ownership and lien documents, and a $10 fee. RSA 261:22, II |
| New Mexico | A "salvage vehicle" is one damaged (excluding hail damage, under department rules) to the point that the owner, leasing company, lender or insurer considers it uneconomical to repair and that is not then repaired by the owner, or one deemed uneconomical to repair for which an insurer made a total loss payment, whether or not it is later repaired. Salvage and nonrepairable vehicles may not be sold without a branded title, and nonrepairable vehicles may be sold only to licensed wreckers and may not be rebuilt for road use. NMSA 1978, §66-1-4.16 (definition) and §66-3-10.1 |
| New York | When an insurance company acquires a vehicle in settlement of a damage or theft claim, it must file a statement of the acquisition with the DMV, along with the title properly transferred to the company and any lien releases. N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law §429(1)(a) |
| North Carolina | In North Carolina a "salvage motor vehicle" includes one damaged by collision or other occurrence so that the cost of repairs to make it roadworthy would exceed 75% of its fair retail market value (parts and labor, using the NADA Pricing Guide or another approved publication), whether or not an insurer has declared it a total loss. A salvage vehicle that is rebuilt for title and registration is a "salvage rebuilt vehicle"; flood and reconstructed vehicles are separately defined. If an insurer totals your car, you can keep the salvage; the insurer then subtracts the salvage value from the actual cash value and, on request, must give you the name and address of a salvage dealer who will buy it for that amount. Salvage titles are blue and are not issued as instant titles. G.S. 20-4.01(33); NC Department of Insurance, FAQs About Auto Insurance; NCDMV, Vehicle Titles |
| North Dakota | The owner of a vehicle damaged in excess of 75% of its retail value (as determined by the NADA official used car guide, excluding glass and hail damage) must send the title to the Department of Transportation within 10 days, and the department issues a salvage certificate of title. A rebuilt salvage vehicle can get a regular title marked "previously salvaged." N.D. Cent. Code § 39-05-20.2 |
| Ohio | When an insurer declares a vehicle economically impractical to repair and pays the owner for it, the insurer must apply to a county clerk of courts for a salvage certificate of title within 30 business days (or may apply without the endorsed title if it cannot get it in that time). Ohio Rev. Code § 4505.11(C) |
| Oklahoma | If an insurer pays a claim and the cost to repair the vehicle for safe highway operation exceeds 60% of its fair market value, the title holder must return the title to Service Oklahoma or a licensed operator within 30 days of receiving payment, and a salvage title is issued (stamped "Flood Damaged" or "Recovered Theft" where applicable). A salvage vehicle restored to operating condition needs a rebuilt title after a visual and VIN inspection. 47 Okla. Stat. § 1111 |
| Oregon | A "totaled vehicle" is one an insurer declares a total loss (or takes possession of or title to), an uninsured stolen vehicle not recovered within 30 days, or uninsured damage with estimated repair costs of at least 80% of pre-damage retail market value. The registered owner must surrender the title to DMV or the insurer within 30 days of the insurer's declaration (or otherwise notify DMV/surrender within 30 days). The salvage title fee is $27. Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 801.527, 819.012; Oregon DMV, Titling and Registering Your Vehicle |
| Pennsylvania | The Insurance Department describes a vehicle as a total loss when the cost to return it to its pre-damage condition is more than the vehicle's value, or when it is damaged too severely to repair. Different methods can be used to calculate replacement value. Pennsylvania Insurance Department, Auto Insurance Guide |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island classifies salvage vehicles as Classification A (extensive damage, good for parts only) or Classification B (considerable damage but repairable); insurers evaluate and classify salvage, subject to Division of Motor Vehicles review. When an insurer sells a salvage vehicle, it must apply for a salvage certificate of title (DMV fee $50 charged to the insurer). R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 31-46-1.1, 31-46-2 |
| South Carolina | A vehicle is a salvage vehicle (a "vehicle declared to be a total loss") when the cost to repair it, including parts and reasonable labor, equals or exceeds 75% of its fair market value (not applying to vehicles worth $2,000 or less or antique vehicles). When an insurer acquires a vehicle in settlement of a claim, or leaves it with the claimant after declaring it a total loss, the insurer must deliver the title to the Department of Motor Vehicles. S.C. Code § 56-19-480 |
| South Dakota | A salvage vehicle is one an insurer or self-insurer declares a total loss due to theft or damage from fire, vandalism, collision, weather or flood (does not apply to vehicles more than ten model years old or over 16,000 pounds GVWR). If the insurer declares a total loss but does not take ownership, the owner must get a salvage title before selling or transferring the vehicle; selling without one is a Class 1 misdemeanor. S.D. Codified Laws §§ 32-3-51.19, 32-3-51.21 |
| Tennessee | If an insurer deems a vehicle a total loss, the original title and registration are void. Owners of vehicles less than 10 years old can apply by mail to the Department of Revenue for a Salvage Certificate (the vehicle cannot be driven on Tennessee roads), and owners of non-repairable vehicles can apply for a Non-repairable Certificate (the vehicle can never be titled or registered in Tennessee). A rebuilt salvage vehicle must pass an anti-theft inspection before it can be titled with the brand "Rebuilt Vehicle Anti-Theft Inspected." Tennessee Department of Revenue, Salvage, Non-repairable, and Rebuilt Vehicles |
| Texas | A salvage motor vehicle is one with damage to or missing major component parts where repair costs (excluding repainting and sales tax) exceed its actual cash value immediately before the damage. A nonrepairable vehicle is one whose only remaining value is as parts or scrap; it cannot be retitled or registered. An insurer that pays a claim and cannot get the title may obtain a salvage or nonrepairable title from TxDMV no earlier than 30 days after paying the claim. Tex. Transp. Code §§ 501.091, 501.0925; Texas Department of Insurance, Auto insurance guide |
| Utah | A salvage vehicle is one damaged by collision, flood or other occurrence so that the cost to repair it for safe operation exceeds its fair market value, or one declared a salvage vehicle by an insurer or another jurisdiction. A salvage certificate is not valid for registration; the vehicle must be inspected before a new title is issued. Utah Code § 41-1a-1001 |
| Vermont | An insurance company that declares a motor vehicle a total loss, or anyone who acquires a vehicle as salvage or scraps it, must apply to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles for a salvage certificate of title within 15 days. 23 V.S.A. § 2091 |
| Virginia | A salvage vehicle includes any late model vehicle acquired by an insurer in the claims process (other than a stolen vehicle), or damaged so that its estimated repair cost (excluding towing, storage, rental and diminished value) exceeds its actual cash value minus its salvage value; a recovered stolen vehicle acquired by an insurer is salvage if repair costs exceed 75% of its actual cash value. A nonrepairable vehicle has no value except as parts and scrap. Va. Code § 46.2-1600 |
| Washington | A total loss is when a car isn't repairable or repairs cost more than it's worth. The insurer owes actual cash value plus taxes, license fees and transfer fees, valued under state total loss rules (replacement with a comparable local car or the cash value of comparable cars). Insurers must report total-loss vehicles to the Department of Licensing within 15 days after settling the claim; owners must report a destroyed vehicle within 15 days. For vehicles six years or older, the report must state whether the pre-loss value was at least the market value threshold ($6,790 or higher as set by rule). Office of the Insurance Commissioner, What happens after your car gets totaled; Rev. Code Wash. § 46.12.600 |
| West Virginia | A "total loss" is a vehicle with damage equal to 75% or more of its market value (per a nationally accepted used car value guide), or a flood-damaged vehicle. When paying a total loss claim, the insurer must require the owner to surrender the title (the owner may choose to keep the vehicle), determine whether the vehicle is repairable, cosmetically damaged or nonrepairable, and within 10 days of payment send the title and claim settlement to the Division of Motor Vehicles for a salvage certificate. W. Va. Code § 17A-4-10 |
| Wisconsin | When an insurer pays a claim (including the deductible) that exceeds 70% of a Wisconsin-titled vehicle's fair market value and ownership is not transferred to the insurer, the insurer must notify the Department of Transportation in writing within 30 days that the vehicle meets the definition of a salvage vehicle. Wis. Stat. § 342.065 |
| Wyoming | When an insurer declares a vehicle a total loss, or (without an insurer) it suffers damage over 75% of its actual retail cash value per a recognized appraisal guide, the owner or the insurer that takes ownership must send the endorsed title to the county clerk with an application for a title branded "salvage." Wyoming will also brand a title based on information in the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), even if the current title shows no brand. Wyo. Stat. § 31-2-107(a); WYDOT, Titles, Plates and Registration |
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.