Michigan Vehicle History — Salvage, Scrap, Rebuilt Salvage & Flood Titles (Reports from $4.99)

Michigan sorts badly damaged late-model vehicles into salvage or scrap by repair cost, and only a certified officer can clear a salvage car for a "rebuilt salvage" title. See how the rules work, then look up the VIN’s history and auction records.

🇺🇸
US-MI
Michigan

Official vehicle-registry authority: Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State)

Why Michigan is different

Michigan’s Secretary of State applies a sliding scale under MCL 257.217c. For a late-model vehicle, an insurer, dealer or other owner whose repair estimate reaches 75% but stays under 91% of the predamaged actual cash value must obtain a salvage certificate of title; at 91% or more it becomes a scrap certificate. "Late model" in MCL 257.24b means a vehicle of 8,000 pounds or less from the current model year or the five before it (fifteen model years for heavier vehicles).

A scrap certificate is the end of the road: the vehicle may be transported but not driven, a regular title may not be issued again, and it may not be rebuilt while keeping its original VIN. A salvage vehicle can return to the road, but only after a specially trained officer certified by the Secretary of State checks the vehicle and parts identification numbers, proof of ownership for the repair parts and equipment standards, and a separate licensed mechanic certifies the repairs. The new title then carries the legend "rebuilt salvage".

The gaps sit at the edges of the scale. Older vehicles fall outside the late-model rules, so an insurer selling an older wreck simply assigns the existing title to the buyer. Damage estimated below 75% leaves no brand either. Michigan does carry other states’ brands forward — flood, rebuilt, salvage and scrap — but only when the incoming title shows them, so compare CARFAX or AutoCheck history and any Copart or IAAI sale photos against the Michigan title before you buy.

Title rules in Michigan at a glance

Title agency
Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State).
Salvage trigger
Late-model vehicle with repair estimate ≥ 75% and < 91% of predamaged actual cash value; ≥ 91% requires a scrap title (MCL 257.217c).
Title brands
Salvage, scrap, rebuilt salvage, rebuilt and flood certificates of title (MCL 257.222).
Rebuilt inspection
Secretary of State-certified officer checks VINs, parts ownership and equipment; licensed mechanic certifies repairs; fee set locally, max $100.
Older-vehicle exemption
Salvage/scrap duties cover late-model vehicles: current plus 5 prior model years (15 for vehicles over 8,000 lb).
Flood vehicles
Water entered the passenger compartment or trunk over the sill, or insurer acquired it in a water damage settlement (MCL 257.17c).

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Title brands in Michigan

Salvage
Required for a late-model vehicle when the estimated cost of repair is at least 75% but less than 91% of its predamaged actual cash value. It allows possession and transport, not driving on a highway, and lists major component parts that were not salvageable.
Scrap
Required for a late-model vehicle when the repair estimate is 91% or more of predamaged actual cash value. The title states the vehicle is for parts or scrap metal only and no certificate of title may be issued for it again.
Rebuilt salvage
The legend on the title issued after a salvage vehicle passes inspection by a Secretary of State-certified officer. Michigan law says no title may be issued for a former salvage vehicle without it.
Flood
Michigan issues a flood certificate of title and records on the title whether the vehicle is or was a flood vehicle. MCL 257.17c defines a flood vehicle as one where water entered the passenger compartment or trunk over the sill, or one an insurer acquired in settling a water damage claim.

Red flags specific to Michigan

⚠ Older cars skip the salvage scale
The 75%/91% duties in MCL 257.217c apply to late-model vehicles. When an insurer acquires an older vehicle through an accident claim, the statute has it surrender a properly assigned title to the buyer, so a heavily damaged older car can change hands without a salvage brand.
⚠ Damage just under 75%
A late-model car estimated at, for example, 70% of its predamaged value falls below the 75% floor in MCL 257.217c, so no salvage title is required. History and auction records are the only way to see that kind of loss.
⚠ Scrap cars leaving the state
Michigan suspends for 30 days the license of a dealer who removes a scrap vehicle from the state for rebuilding or resale to anyone other than a scrap processor. Treat any car with a Michigan scrap record that later shows a clean out-of-state title as a serious warning sign.
⚠ Great Lakes and river flooding
A car that sat in floodwater with water over the doorsill is a flood vehicle under Michigan law. If a seller cannot explain water lines, corrosion or a replaced interior, check the history for insurance and auction records first.

Frequently asked questions

For a late-model vehicle, MCL 257.217c requires a salvage certificate of title when the estimated cost of repair, parts and labor included, is at least 75% but less than 91% of the vehicle’s predamaged actual cash value. At 91% or more, a scrap certificate of title is required instead.

Under MCL 257.24b, a vehicle weighing 8,000 pounds or less that was manufactured in the current model year or the five model years before it. For vehicles over 8,000 pounds the window is the current model year plus the fifteen before it.

No. MCL 257.217c says a certificate of title must not again be issued for a vehicle with a scrap certificate of title, and a person may not rebuild or repair a scrap vehicle and let it keep its original vehicle identification number.

An officer specially trained and certified by the Secretary of State — a Department of State employee, an on-duty or off-duty police officer, or a former police officer appointed as a limited enforcement officer. A separate licensed mechanic certifies that the repairs were done in a workmanlike manner. The local police agency’s inspection fee may not exceed $100.

Yes. MCL 257.222 directs the Secretary of State to issue a flood, rebuilt, rebuilt salvage, salvage or scrap certificate of title for a vehicle brought in from another state that already has such a title from that state.

Yes. MCL 257.222 requires paper certificates of title for salvage, rebuilt, scrap and flood vehicles to be a different color from the certificate used for other vehicles.

No. A history report or auction record adds context about accidents, sales and photos, but the Michigan certificate of title is the ownership document, and no report can prove a vehicle has a clean history.

Sources

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

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