Maine Vehicle History — Read the Parts-Count Title Legends (Reports from $4.99)

Maine grades a repaired total loss by the work done to it: "Repaired", "Rebuilt" or "Rebuilt salvage". Vehicles more than 25 years old usually carry no Maine title, so check the history before you buy one.

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US-ME
Maine

Official vehicle-registry authority: Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (Secretary of State)

Why Maine is different

Maine’s title law (Title 29-A, chapter 7) treats a vehicle as salvage once an insurer or the owner declares it a total loss, once it is transferred to a recycler or salvage dealer, or once a salvage certificate has been issued (29-A M.R.S. §602(13)). The statute sets no repair-cost percentage. An insurer that settles a total-loss claim must surrender the Maine title to the Secretary of State and apply for a salvage certificate within 30 days (§667(1)(A)), and an owner who keeps the car must do the same before transferring it, unless it goes to a licensed recycler.

What happens next depends on the repair. Under §667(5) a salvage vehicle fixed without replacing component parts gets the legend "Repaired"; one with at least one but fewer than five component parts replaced gets "Rebuilt"; five or more parts, two frames joined, or a front or rear clip on a total loss means "Rebuilt salvage". Component parts are listed in §602(2): engine, transmission, frame or clip, doors, hood, roof or deck lid, quarter panels and fenders, among others. Airbags do not count toward the rebuilt tally. So a "Rebuilt" Maine title still means the car was once a salvage vehicle.

The biggest gap for buyers is age. Section 652(13) exempts vehicles more than 25 years old from the title requirement, so an older car can change hands on a registration and a bill of sale with no title legend at all. Maine also borders only one state, New Hampshire, but shares a long land border with Quebec and New Brunswick, so some used vehicles here arrive from Canada with paperwork you may not be used to. For any car, compare the VIN on the dash and door with the paperwork. Then use a CARFAX or AutoCheck report, plus Copart or IAAI auction records, to look for a total-loss sale the current paperwork does not show.

Title rules in Maine at a glance

Title agency
Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
Salvage trigger
Declared a total loss by an insurer or owner, transferred to a recycler or salvage dealer, or issued a salvage certificate (29-A M.R.S. §602(13)). No statutory percentage.
Title brands
Salvage, Repaired, Rebuilt, Rebuilt salvage (§667(5)); Lemon Law Buyback (§670).
Rebuilt inspection
VIN and component parts must be inspected and verified before titling, registration or sale (§667(4)).
Older-vehicle exemption
Vehicles more than 25 years old are exempt from the title requirement (§652(13)).
Seller disclosure
Repairer or rebuilder must disclose salvage status and repairs to the buyer in writing (§667).

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Title brands in Maine

Salvage
Used for a vehicle with no value except as parts or material, one sold only for parts, or one that arrives with a salvage legend from another jurisdiction (29-A M.R.S. §667(5)).
Repaired
A salvage vehicle that was fixed without replacing any component parts, as "repair" is defined in §602(12).
Rebuilt
A salvage vehicle with at least one but fewer than five component parts replaced. Airbags are not counted for this purpose.
Rebuilt salvage
Five or more component parts replaced, two vehicles with different frames joined, a total loss repaired with a front or rear clip, or a title from another state that already carries this legend.
Lemon Law Buyback
Under 29-A M.R.S. §670, a vehicle a manufacturer takes back under Maine’s Lemon Law is retitled with this brand, and every later Maine title must carry it.

Red flags specific to Maine

⚠ Vehicles over 25 years old have no title to read
Section 652(13) exempts these vehicles from titling. A classic or high-mileage older truck can sell on a registration alone, so there is no Maine title legend to show past salvage. Check the VIN against outside history instead.
⚠ "Rebuilt" sounds milder than it is
In Maine, "Rebuilt" is a salvage-derived legend for up to four replaced component parts, such as doors, a hood, a fender or an engine. It is not a clean title. Ask for the repair invoices and the parts sources.
⚠ Repairer disclosure goes to the first buyer
Section 667 requires the repairer or rebuilder to tell the buyer in writing that the vehicle was salvage and what repairs were made. If you are buying it second-hand, ask the seller for that written statement.
⚠ Out-of-state salvage history
The Secretary of State may refuse to title a vehicle another jurisdiction declared salvage, and out-of-state legends can carry onto a Maine title. Make sure the Maine paperwork matches the vehicle’s earlier history.

Frequently asked questions

Both apply to salvage vehicles that were put back on the road. Under 29-A M.R.S. §667(5), "Rebuilt" means at least one but fewer than five component parts were replaced. "Rebuilt salvage" means five or more were replaced, two vehicles with different frames were joined, a total loss was repaired with a front or rear clip, or the title came from another state with that legend.

Not in the title statute. Section 602(13) defines a salvage vehicle as one declared a total loss by an insurer or owner, one transferred to a recycler or salvage dealer, or one for which a salvage certificate was issued. The insurer’s or owner’s total-loss decision is the trigger.

Not always. Section 652(13) exempts vehicles more than 25 years old from the certificate-of-title requirement, unless the Secretary of State issues a warranty title. These vehicles often sell on a registration and bill of sale, so no title legend will show past damage.

Under §667(4), the vehicle’s identification number and component parts must be inspected and verified before it is titled, registered or offered for sale. The repairer must be able to produce purchase receipts and, for used parts, the VINs and titles of the vehicles the parts came from.

Section 667 requires the person who repaired or rebuilt a salvage vehicle to disclose in writing to the buyer that it was a salvage vehicle and to state the repairs made. The title legend also stays on later Maine titles.

A CARFAX or AutoCheck report can show title, insurance and service events reported from other states. For a car that passed through a Copart or IAAI auction, the sale record and photos show what the insurer sold. Because Maine exempts very old vehicles from titling, missing records are common on older cars — an empty report is not a guarantee.

Sources

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

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