Mississippi Vehicle History — Salvage, Rebuilt and Flood Damage Titles (Reports from $4.99)

Mississippi ties salvage status to an insurer’s total-loss claim and decides the Rebuilt brand by which major and minor component parts were replaced. The Department of Public Safety inspects; the Department of Revenue titles — and a flood brand, once applied, never comes off.

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US-MS
Mississippi

Official vehicle-registry authority: Mississippi Department of Revenue — Motor Vehicle Services

Why Mississippi is different

Mississippi does not use a fixed damage percentage the way many states do. The Department of Revenue defines a salvage vehicle as one an insurer obtains from the owner after paying a total-loss claim for collision, fire, flood, accident, hail, trespass, unrecovered theft or another occurrence. Two groups fall outside that definition: vehicles ten years old or older worth $1,500 or less, and vehicles whose damage needs five or fewer minor component parts. A salvage-titled car cannot be driven on Mississippi roads, cannot get a tag and cannot be sold by a licensed dealer until it is retitled Rebuilt.

To come back, the car must be fully repaired in Mississippi — Revenue notes that a vehicle repaired in another state cannot be inspected here — and presented to the Department of Public Safety’s Salvage Inspection Division with Form 78-021, the salvage title and receipts for the parts used. The rule in 35 Miss. Code R. 7-07-02-104 says this inspection checks identification numbers and signs of theft and does not attest to roadworthiness. Revenue then brands the title Rebuilt when the reconstruction crossed the major and minor component-part thresholds in its regulations.

That parts test is where a buyer needs care. Under 35 Miss. Code R. 7-07-02-103, a car whose collision repair stayed within one major and four minor parts, or five minor parts, receives a new title free of any brand. Revenue may also add Damage History, Flood Damage or Hail Damage brands, and carries forward brands from other states. With the Gulf Coast’s hurricane history, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005, compare the current title with the car’s insurance, auction and history records rather than relying on the title alone.

Title rules in Mississippi at a glance

Title agency
Mississippi Department of Revenue; rebuilt title applications go through the County Tax Collector.
Salvage trigger
Insurer obtains the vehicle after paying a total-loss claim (collision, fire, flood, hail, theft and other occurrences).
Title brands
Salvage; Rebuilt; Flood Damage; Hail Damage; Damage History; Junked vehicle.
Rebuilt inspection
Department of Public Safety Salvage Inspection Division, Form 78-021; checks identity and theft, not roadworthiness.
Older-vehicle exemption
Vehicles ten years old or older valued at $1,500 or less are outside the salvage definition.
Flood vehicles
Flood branding can never be removed and overrides all other brands (Department of Public Safety).

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Title brands in Mississippi

Salvage Certificate of Title
Issued for a vehicle an insurer obtained after paying a total-loss claim. The car cannot be operated on Mississippi roads or issued a tag while it carries this title.
Rebuilt
Applied after reconstruction in Mississippi and a Department of Public Safety inspection, when the repair involved the component parts set out in the Department of Revenue’s regulations — for example two or more major parts, or the cowl or firewall.
Flood Damage
A brand Revenue may place on a title. The Department of Public Safety states that flood branding can never be removed and overrides all other brands.
Hail Damage / Damage History
Additional brands Revenue may apply where appropriate under 35 Miss. Code R. 7-07-02-103. Hail titles are applied for by the insurer, and the buyer then retitles after inspection.
Junked vehicle
A vehicle that has been scrapped, dismantled or destroyed and whose Mississippi title has been surrendered. Revenue will not title or register Junk, Non-Rebuildable, Certificate of Destruction or Parts Only vehicles.

Red flags specific to Mississippi

⚠ Collision repair just under the parts threshold
Revenue’s rule gives a brand-free title when the repair stayed within one major and four minor parts, or five minor parts. A car can therefore have a real insurance total loss in its past and still hold an unbranded Mississippi title.
⚠ Old, low-value total losses
A vehicle ten years old or older and worth $1,500 or less is outside Mississippi’s salvage definition. An inexpensive older car may have been written off without ever getting a salvage title.
⚠ Salvage car repaired in another state
Revenue says a vehicle repaired in another state cannot be inspected in Mississippi. A seller offering a Mississippi salvage car "already fixed out of state" faces an extra hurdle before it can be retitled here.
⚠ Gulf Coast storm exposure
Coastal counties have a long hurricane record, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Look for a Flood Damage brand, a flood-related insurance claim or an auction sale after a storm, and inspect for water damage in person.

Frequently asked questions

The Department of Revenue defines it as a motor vehicle an insurance company obtains from the owner after paying a total-loss claim for collision, fire, flood, accident, hail, trespass, unrecovered theft or another occurrence. Vehicles ten years old or older worth $1,500 or less, and damage needing five or fewer minor parts, are excluded.

No. Revenue says a salvage-titled vehicle cannot be operated on Mississippi roads, cannot be issued a license tag and cannot be sold by a licensed dealer until it is retitled as Rebuilt.

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety’s Salvage Inspection Division, by appointment at a regional office. The owner submits Form 78-021 with the salvage title and parts receipts, and the inspection happens only after the vehicle is fully restored.

No. Under 35 Miss. Code R. 7-07-02-104, the inspection checks identification numbers, vehicle information and signs of theft, and it expressly does not attest to the roadworthiness or safety condition of the vehicle.

No. The Department of Public Safety states that flood branding can never be removed and that it overrides all other brands on the title.

Revenue says that if the owner keeps the vehicle and the insurer does not obtain a salvage title, the owner may rebuild it and have it inspected in their own name, then take the insurer’s letter and inspection forms to the County Tax Collector to apply for a Rebuilt title.

Revenue will not issue a title or registration for Junk Vehicle, Non-Rebuildable Vehicle, Certificate of Destruction or Parts Only Title brand types.

Sources

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

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