New Hampshire Vehicle History — Look for the Door-Post Salvage Decal (Reports from $4.99)

A rebuilt total loss in New Hampshire gets a "rebuilt vehicle" title and a "salvage vehicle" decal on the left front door post. Cars from model year 1999 and older have no title at all, so for them a history check is the only record you can read.

🇺🇸
US-NH
New Hampshire

Official vehicle-registry authority: New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

Why New Hampshire is different

New Hampshire’s salvage rules are in RSA 261:22. When an insurer declares a titled vehicle a total loss, it must apply for a salvage certificate of title within 20 days of the total loss payment. The statute counts as a total loss an unrecovered stolen vehicle, or a damaged vehicle that is physically or economically impractical to repair in an insurance settlement. A car also counts if repairs cost 75 percent or more of its pre-damage fair market value, but that test applies only to damage in the model year or the four calendar years after it. The salvage certificate carries a legend that the vehicle was declared a total loss.

A salvage vehicle cannot be titled or registered again until it passes a salvage inspection by the DMV. The Title Bureau books these by appointment. The inspector verifies the VIN, the bills of sale or titles for the major parts used in the rebuild, and that the damage on the insurance adjuster’s report was repaired. A passed car gets a permanent "salvage vehicle" decal on the rear of the left front door post and a verification report (DSMV 547). Every later title reads "Rebuilt Vehicle". A separate safety inspection follows within ten days of registration. Removing the decal is a misdemeanor.

The biggest gap is age. Under RSA 261:3 a motor vehicle with a model year before 2000 needs no title, except heavy trucks and truck-tractors over 18,000 pounds. The salvage-title duty in RSA 261:22 applies only to vehicles that are not exempt, so an older car can be totaled and sold on with only a bill of sale and an old registration. For those cars, check the VIN with a CARFAX or AutoCheck report and look for Copart or IAAI total-loss auction records before you pay.

Title rules in New Hampshire at a glance

Title agency
New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles (Department of Safety); title applications go through town or city clerks, dealers or lenders.
Salvage trigger
Insurer declares a non-exempt vehicle a total loss; salvage title applied for within 20 days. 75% repair-cost test covers damage in model year plus four years (RSA 261:22).
Title brands
Salvage certificate of title; "Rebuilt Vehicle" on later titles and registrations; "Recovered Theft" for intact recovered thefts.
Rebuilt inspection
DMV salvage inspection by appointment: VIN, major-part paperwork and repairs checked; door-post "salvage vehicle" decal and DSMV 547 issued.
Older-vehicle exemption
No title for model year before 2000, except heavy trucks and truck-tractors over 18,000 lb (RSA 261:3, I(k)).
Seller disclosure
Written salvage disclosure with reasons before sale; buyer may rescind within 3 business days if missing (RSA 261:22, IV-a and V).

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Title brands in New Hampshire

Salvage certificate of title
Issued after an insurer declares a non-exempt vehicle a total loss. It proves ownership and carries a legend that the vehicle was declared a total loss, but the car cannot be registered on it.
Rebuilt Vehicle
The legend on any new title and registration issued after a salvage vehicle is rebuilt and passes the DMV salvage inspection. The DMV says all later titles for that vehicle carry it.
Salvage vehicle decal
Not a title brand but a physical mark. The DMV fixes it permanently to the rear of the left front door post after the salvage inspection, and removing it is a misdemeanor under RSA 261:22, V.
Recovered Theft
Used when a vehicle totaled for theft is recovered intact with no damage, as stated on insurance company letterhead, and passes a salvage inspection. The New Hampshire title is then marked "Recovered Theft".

Red flags specific to New Hampshire

⚠ Pre-2000 cars sold without a title
New Hampshire does not title most model-year 1999 and older vehicles, and the salvage-title rule skips exempt vehicles. An older car can be totaled and resold with only a bill of sale and a registration, so there is no brand to warn you.
⚠ Missing or removed door-post decal
A rebuilt New Hampshire car should have the salvage vehicle decal on the left front door post. If the title or registration says rebuilt but the decal is gone, someone may have removed it, which is a misdemeanor.
⚠ No written salvage disclosure
Before selling a vehicle whose title must be marked salvage or rebuilt, the seller must tell you in writing that it is a salvage vehicle and why. If you get no disclosure, act fast. You can cancel within 3 business days of receiving the title or registration that shows the brand.
⚠ Older totals outside the 75% test
The 75 percent repair-cost test covers only damage in the model year and the four calendar years after it. For older vehicles the total-loss status depends on the insurer’s settlement, so check for an insurance total-loss sale at auction.

Frequently asked questions

When an insurer declares a non-exempt vehicle a total loss, it must apply for a salvage certificate of title within 20 days of the total loss payment (RSA 261:22, II). A total loss is an unrecovered stolen vehicle, a vehicle impractical to repair in an insurance settlement, or one whose repairs cost 75 percent or more of its pre-damage value when the damage happens in the model year or the next four calendar years.

Not usually. RSA 261:3 says no title is needed for a motor vehicle with a model year before 2000, except heavy trucks and truck-tractors over 18,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. The DMV says owners of vehicles more than 25 years old may ask for a title. An exempt car is sold with a bill of sale and a current or expired New Hampshire registration or a title.

The owner books a salvage inspection with the DMV Title Bureau. The inspector checks the VIN, the paperwork for major replacement parts and the repair of the damage on the adjuster’s report. After it passes, the car gets a salvage vehicle decal and a DSMV 547 report. The owner then registers it and applies for a new title at the town or city clerk’s office, and a safety inspection follows within ten days.

Any new title and registration issued for a rebuilt vehicle carry the legend "rebuilt vehicle" under RSA 261:22, IV. The DMV says all later titles for that vehicle carry it too.

Under RSA 261:22, IV-a, the seller must tell you in writing that the vehicle is a salvage vehicle and the reasons for that status before the sale. Failing to do so is an unfair or deceptive act under RSA 358-A:2. If the disclosure is missing or the decal was removed, a good-faith buyer may cancel the purchase within 3 business days of receiving the title or registration that shows the brand.

New Hampshire's DMV, like other state title agencies, reports title brands to the federal National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), and insurers and salvage yards report total losses and vehicles they take in. RSA 261:22 also requires facilities that crush, shred, bale or shear a vehicle in New Hampshire to report it to NMVTIS within 30 days. Consumers can buy NMVTIS reports through vehiclehistory.gov.

A CARFAX or AutoCheck report can show title, insurance and service events from New Hampshire and other states, which matters most for untitled pre-2000 cars. An insurance-auction listing on Copart or IAAI, where one exists, shows the car's damage in photos before it was rebuilt and given a New Hampshire salvage decal. History data is never complete, so no report can certify a clean past.

Sources

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

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