Kansas Vehicle History — Salvage and Rebuilt Salvage Titles (Reports from $4.99)

In Kansas, a late-model car is salvage at 75% repair cost, but cosmetic hail and windstorm damage does not count. A rebuilt car gets a Kansas Highway Patrol check and a notice on the left door frame, the first thing to look for on a used car.

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US-KS
Kansas

Official vehicle-registry authority: Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles

Why Kansas is different

K.S.A. 8-197 sets two tests. A late-model vehicle, meaning one from the year of the damage or any of the six preceding model years, is salvage when the cost of repair is 75% or more of its fair market value. That only applies if the damage was more than exterior cosmetic damage from windstorm or hail. Any vehicle an insurer declares a total loss and takes title to is salvage regardless of age. Older vehicles count as salvage only when they cannot be registered without substantial repairs.

K.S.A. 8-198 requires the owner to apply for a salvage title before transferring the vehicle, and in any case within 60 days of it becoming salvage. Insurers have 60 days after receiving the title. When the car is rebuilt, the buyer must obtain a rebuilt salvage title. That cannot be issued until the Kansas Highway Patrol has checked the vehicle under K.S.A. 8-116a, a check aimed at stolen parts and the correct identification number. The patrol also attaches a notice to the left door frame stating the VIN and that the vehicle is a rebuilt salvage vehicle.

For a buyer, the door-frame notice and the title should agree. A car presented as clean but carrying the notice, or a rebuilt salvage title on a car without it, needs explaining. Because hail-only cosmetic damage is outside the salvage test, a Kansas car can carry large hail repairs on a regular title. Compare the title with a vehicle history report and any Copart or IAAI condition photos before you pay.

Title rules in Kansas at a glance

Title agency
Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles; applications through county treasurers.
Salvage trigger
Late-model vehicle with repair cost of 75% or more of fair market value, excluding cosmetic windstorm or hail damage; or insurer total loss with title taken.
Title brands
Salvage title, rebuilt salvage title; nonrepairable vehicle certificate for certain unclaimed salvage-pool vehicles.
Rebuilt inspection
Kansas Highway Patrol check under K.S.A. 8-116a (stolen parts, VIN) plus a rebuilt-salvage notice on the left door frame.
Older-vehicle exemption
75% test applies only to the damage year and six preceding model years; older vehicles are salvage only if unregistrable or insurer-totaled.

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Title brands in Kansas

Salvage title
A certificate of title issued by the Division of Vehicles designating a motor vehicle or travel trailer as a salvage vehicle. K.S.A. 8-198 requires it to state this clearly on its face.
Rebuilt salvage title
Issued for a vehicle previously designated salvage that has been rebuilt or restored, after a Highway Patrol check and attachment of the door-frame notice.
Rebuilt salvage door-frame notice
Affixed by the Kansas Highway Patrol to the left door frame during the rebuilt-salvage inspection, showing the VIN and that the vehicle is a rebuilt salvage vehicle (K.S.A. 8-198(f)(3)(B)).
Nonrepairable vehicle certificate
An ownership document K.S.A. 8-198(i) allows the division to issue, instead of a salvage title, to salvage pools and salvage dealers for certain unclaimed insurance-claim vehicles.

Red flags specific to Kansas

⚠ Hail and windstorm repairs on a clean title
Exterior cosmetic damage from windstorm or hail is excluded from the 75% test in K.S.A. 8-197. A car with extensive hail repairs can lawfully stay on a regular title, so inspect paint, panels and glass closely.
⚠ Older cars outside the 75% rule
The percentage test applies only to late-model vehicles. An older car that was badly damaged but repaired by its owner may never have needed a salvage title unless an insurer took title as a total loss.
⚠ Missing or removed door-frame notice
Every rebuilt salvage vehicle inspected for a Kansas rebuilt salvage title gets a patrol notice on the left door frame. If the history shows a salvage title but the notice is gone, ask why before buying.
⚠ Out-of-state cars need a VIN check
Anyone applying for an original Kansas title on a vehicle titled in another jurisdiction must have it checked by the Kansas Highway Patrol or its designee (K.S.A. 8-116a(b)). A seller near the Missouri or Oklahoma line who resists this step is a warning sign.

Frequently asked questions

Under K.S.A. 8-197, a late-model vehicle is salvage when the total cost of repair is 75% or more of its fair market value before the damage, unless the damage was only exterior cosmetic damage from windstorm or hail. A vehicle an insurer declares a total loss and takes title to is also salvage. Late model means the model year of the damage or any of the six preceding years.

Not when it is merely exterior cosmetic damage from windstorm or hail; K.S.A. 8-197 excludes it from the late-model repair-cost test. A vehicle an insurer declares a total loss and takes title to is still salvage.

The rebuilt vehicle must be checked by the Kansas Highway Patrol under K.S.A. 8-116a, which looks for stolen parts and verifies the identification number. The patrol attaches the rebuilt-salvage notice to the left door frame, with a $5 fee on top of the inspection charge, and the rebuilt salvage title is then issued.

It is the notice required by K.S.A. 8-198(f)(3)(B). The Kansas Highway Patrol affixes it to the left door frame during the rebuilt-salvage inspection, and it states the vehicle identification number and that the vehicle is a rebuilt salvage vehicle.

The application must be made before the vehicle is transferred and never more than 60 days after it is determined to be salvage. An insurer that takes ownership in a damage settlement has 60 days after the title is assigned and delivered to it. Failure to apply is a class C nonperson misdemeanor.

Yes. K.S.A. 8-116a(b) requires a Kansas Highway Patrol VIN check, or one by its designee, before an original Kansas title is issued for a used vehicle titled in another jurisdiction. The check confirms that the VIN on the foreign title is genuine and matches the vehicle.

Sources

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

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