Alabama Vehicle History — Salvage, Rebuilt and Flood Vehicle Disclosures (Reports from $4.99)

Alabama law spells out the exact sentence a seller must give you in writing when a title says salvage, rebuilt or flood vehicle. A paid total loss of 75% or more of retail value makes a car salvage, and a rebuilt car carries a decal as well as a branded title.

🇺🇸
US-AL
Alabama

Official vehicle-registry authority: Alabama Department of Revenue — Motor Vehicle Division

Why Alabama is different

Section 32-8-87 of the Code of Alabama, administered by the Department of Revenue’s Motor Vehicle Division, holds nearly all of the state’s salvage rules. A total loss occurs when an insurer or anyone else pays for damage equal to or greater than 75 percent of the car’s fair retail value before the damage, taken from a recognised retail-value guide. A vehicle whose frame or engine is removed and not replaced is also salvage. The owner must apply for a salvage certificate within 72 hours of the loss, and the insurer forwards the title.

To come back, a salvage car from model year 1975 or later that was restored in Alabama needs an inspection application. It includes the salvage certificate, notarized bills of sale for major component parts listing donor VINs, proof that the applicant is a licensed rebuilder (or owned the car before it was salvaged) and a signed affirmation of the work. Department agents or law enforcement officers check identification numbers and look for stolen parts. The statute says that check does not attest to roadworthiness. The new title contains the word "rebuilt" and a decal goes on the car.

Alabama’s buyer protection is written disclosure. A seller of a car titled salvage or rebuilt must give the buyer, in at least 10-point type, the sentence "This vehicle’s title contains the designation salvage or rebuilt." A car an insurer paid out as a total loss partly because of water is a flood vehicle on every later title, with its own required sentence. Another state’s junk, parts-only or nonrebuildable car cannot be titled here, and no title may be issued if the frame or most major components came from a junk vehicle.

Title rules in Alabama at a glance

Title agency
Alabama Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division.
Salvage trigger
Paid total loss of 75% or more of fair retail value, or frame or engine removed and not replaced (§32-8-87).
Title brands
Salvage certificate of title, rebuilt, flood vehicle; out-of-state junk or parts-only vehicles cannot be titled.
Rebuilt inspection
Department agents or law enforcement officers; $75 inspection plus $15 title fee; checks identity and stolen parts, not roadworthiness.
Older-vehicle exemption
No Alabama title for motor vehicles more than 35 model years old (§32-8-31).
Seller disclosure
Written, at least 10-point type, for salvage, rebuilt and flood vehicle titles (§32-8-87(p), (q)).
Flood vehicles
Insurer-paid total loss due in part to water; "flood vehicle" stays on every later title.

Check a VIN for Alabama

Full NMVTIS + Copart / IAAI / Manheim auction report

Try: 3PCAJ5M10LF102244

Tip: VIN is 17 characters (letters + numbers).
Secure payment Crypto Powered by Stripe

One report, one price: $21.69

The complete report: VINinfohub ONE

Every record we find for a VIN in one report: timeline, title and damage checks, odometer, owners and auction photos, with a PDF and an AI assistant.

  • Duplicate entries combined into one timeline
  • Serious problems such as salvage, flood or total loss always shown
  • Offered only when records are found for the VIN
See what's inside VINinfohub ONE

Title brands in Alabama

Salvage certificate of title
Issued when an insurer settles a total loss of 75% or more of fair retail value, or when the frame or engine is removed and not replaced. A salvage or junk car may not be driven on Alabama roads.
Rebuilt
A salvage car restored in Alabama to its pre-loss operating condition gets a title containing the word "rebuilt" and a rebuilt decal, plate or emblem attached to the vehicle.
Flood vehicle
Required on the title — and every later title — when an insurer paid a total loss due in part to water damage (§32-8-87(q)).
Junk vehicle
A car another state titled with a junk, parts car, parts only or nonrebuildable notation is a junk vehicle in Alabama and cannot be titled here.

Red flags specific to Alabama

⚠ No written disclosure sheet
Alabama requires a written notice in at least 10-point type for salvage, rebuilt and flood vehicle titles, given at or before the sale. A seller who skips it on a branded car is not following §32-8-87.
⚠ Vehicle more than 35 model years old
Under §32-8-31 Alabama issues no certificate of title for motor vehicles more than 35 model years old, so there is no title brand to read. Rely on the car’s history and a careful inspection.
⚠ Gulf Coast car with no flood designation
Mobile and Baldwin counties face hurricane and storm-surge flooding. A flood designation only follows an insurer-paid total loss, so an uninsured flood car can carry a clean title — check for water damage yourself.
⚠ Missing rebuilt decal
Rebuilt vehicles inspected in Alabama get a decal, plate or emblem, and removing or tampering with it is a Class A misdemeanor. A rebuilt title with no decal on the car calls for questions.

Frequently asked questions

Under Code of Alabama §32-8-87(d), a total loss occurs when an insurer or other person pays for damage equal to or greater than 75 percent of the vehicle’s fair retail value before the damage, as listed in a recognised retail-value guide. Minor theft or vandalism damage does not count.

Section 32-8-87(p) requires a written disclosure, at or before the sale, in no smaller than 10-point type, stating: "This vehicle’s title contains the designation salvage or rebuilt."

When an insurance company has paid a total loss due, in part, to water damage. The designation goes on that title and every later title, and sellers must disclose it in writing in at least 10-point type.

Qualified agents or law enforcement officers of the Department of Revenue, under the department’s office of investigations and inspections. The fee is $75 for the inspection plus a $15 title fee, and the inspection does not attest to roadworthiness or safety.

No. Section 32-8-87(j)(3) treats a vehicle titled elsewhere with a junk, parts car, parts only or nonrebuildable notation as a junk vehicle that shall not be titled in Alabama.

No. Under §32-8-31(13), no certificate of title is issued for a motor vehicle more than 35 model years old, so there is no Alabama title brand to check on such a car.

To apply for a rebuilt inspection you generally need to be a licensed motor vehicle rebuilder. An owner who held the car before it was salvaged and took the salvage title from their insurer may use prior registration instead.

Sources

Legal facts on this page were checked against these official sources in November 2026.

Other regions of USA

Mississippi Tennessee Georgia Florida

Check a VIN for Alabama now

Full report in 30 seconds. NMVTIS + auction records + complete odometer chain.

Check VIN Now
Trademark notice: VINInfoHub is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by CARFAX, AutoCheck, Experian, Copart, IAAI, or Manheim. Trademarks belong to their respective owners.