Georgia Vehicle History — Salvage Titles and REBUILT Inspections (Reports from $4.99)

Georgia titles are issued by the Department of Revenue, not a DMV. Any insurer-paid total loss that has not been repaired is salvage regardless of how much damage there was, and a rebuilt car must be inspected before it is painted.

🇺🇸
US-GA
Georgia

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

Why Georgia is different

In Georgia the Motor Vehicle Division of the Department of Revenue handles titles; some applications can also be filed at a county tag office. The department’s salvage page sets out four ways a car becomes salvage: restoring it would require replacing two or more component parts; an insurer paid a total-loss claim and the car was not repaired, whatever the amount of damage; it is an import damaged in shipment and disclaimed by the manufacturer; or another state branded it Total Loss, Salvage, Fire, Flood or Water. Salvage vehicles cannot legally be driven on Georgia roads.

Rebuilding is governed by O.C.G.A. §40-3-37. Anyone buying a salvage car to restore it must be a licensed rebuilder, and the inspection happens once the car is restored but before it is painted, so the inspector can see the repair. The application includes photographs of the car in its wrecked state, receipts for parts and, for used parts, the donor vehicle’s VIN. A department inspector or an approved private inspector does the check, and the new title carries the legend REBUILT along with the rebuilder’s name.

For buyers, Georgia’s approach has two sides. The two-component and paid-total-loss tests reach cars that a percentage rule might miss, and out-of-state Flood or Water brands bring a car into the salvage process here. But a car damaged without an insurance claim depends on someone counting replaced components honestly. If §40-3-37 inspectors find damage too severe for safe restoration, the salvage certificate is revoked and the car may only be used for parts or scrap.

Title rules in Georgia at a glance

Title agency
Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division (Salvage Unit for salvage and rebuilt files).
Salvage trigger
Two or more component parts needed, any unrepaired insurer-paid total loss, a disclaimed shipping-damaged import, or an out-of-state salvage-type brand.
Title brands
Salvage; REBUILT legend with the rebuilder’s name; out-of-state Total Loss, Salvage, Fire, Flood and Water brands lead to salvage treatment.
Rebuilt inspection
State or approved private inspector, after restoration but before painting (O.C.G.A. §40-3-37); photos of wrecked condition and parts receipts required.
Older-vehicle exemption
Motorcycles over 25 years old are exempt from Georgia’s salvage laws.

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Title brands in Georgia

Salvage
Applies after any unrepaired insurer-paid total loss, when restoration needs two or more component parts, or to a shipping-damaged import disclaimed by its maker. A salvage car may not be driven on Georgia roads.
REBUILT
Printed as the title legend, with the rebuilder’s name, once a restored salvage car passes inspection (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 560-10-30-.18).
Out-of-state Total Loss, Salvage, Fire, Flood or Water
A car branded with any of these elsewhere is treated as salvage in Georgia and must go through the rebuilt inspection before it can get a Georgia rebuilt title.
Nonrebuildable (scrap or parts only)
Under §40-3-37, a salvage car whose damage makes safe restoration impossible has its salvage certificate revoked; it may be used only for scrap or parts and receives no title.

Red flags specific to Georgia

⚠ Freshly painted rebuilt car with no inspection record
Georgia requires the rebuilt inspection before painting so the repair can be seen. Ask for the inspection paperwork and the before-repair photos the application needed.
⚠ Out-of-state rebuilt title
A car arriving with another state’s rebuilt title must still pass a Georgia inspection. If a seller has a Georgia title without REBUILT on a car rebuilt elsewhere, check the full title history.
⚠ Damage repaired without an insurance claim
Without a paid total loss, Georgia’s salvage test depends on whether two or more component parts had to be replaced. Check the history report and any auction records for prior damage.
⚠ Older motorcycle
The department notes that motorcycles over 25 years old are exempt from Georgia’s salvage laws, so a vintage bike’s title tells you nothing about crash history.

Frequently asked questions

The Georgia Department of Revenue, through its Motor Vehicle Division; some applications can be filed at a county tag office. Salvage and state-inspector rebuilt applications go to the division’s Salvage Unit.

According to the Department of Revenue, when restoring it would require replacing two or more component parts, when an insurer has paid a total-loss claim and it has not been repaired, when it is a shipping-damaged import disclaimed by the manufacturer, or when another state branded it Total Loss, Salvage, Fire, Flood or Water.

The Department of Revenue’s definition does not rely on a percentage. A paid total-loss claim on an unrepaired car makes it salvage regardless of the extent of damage.

Under O.C.G.A. §40-3-37, the restored car is inspected before it is painted, with photographs of its wrecked condition and parts receipts. The department charges $18 for the title after a private inspection, or $118 including a state inspection. The title then reads REBUILT with the rebuilder’s name.

No. The Department of Revenue states that salvage vehicles cannot be operated legally on public roads in Georgia. For a state inspection the car must be towed, not driven, to the site.

If an inspection under §40-3-37 finds that safe restoration is impossible, the salvage certificate is revoked and the vehicle may only be used for scrap or parts; no title is issued.

Sources

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

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