Total Loss Salvage & Non-Repairable Vehicles

If your vehicle has been wrecked or damaged and insurance declares your vehicle a total loss salvage, DMV can issue a Salvage Certificate.

What is a Non-Repairable Vehicle?

A Total Loss/Non-Repairable Vehicle meets one of the following criteria:

• The vehicle has been declared by the owner solely as a source of parts or scrap metal.
• The vehicle has been completely stripped (surgical strip).
• The vehicle is a completely burned shell with no usable or repairable parts.

Once this certificate is issued, the vehicle cannot be titled or re-registered for use as a Junk/Revived Salvage. California Vehicle Code (CVC) §431

To get a Non-Repairable Vehicle Certificate, you will need:

• A completed Application for Salvage Certificate or Non-repairable Vehicle Certificate (REG 488C) form.
• Proof of ownership, such as the Certificate of Title from California or another state.
  • If you do not have a California Certificate of Title, you must complete and sign a notarized Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227) form.
  • If you do not have an out-of-state title, you must obtain a replacement title from the state that originally issued the vehicle’s title.

  Frequently Asked Questions

  Who is responsible for getting a Non-Repairable Vehicle Certificate, the owner or the insurance company? plus minus

  Both a vehicle owner (who is self-insured) and an insurance company can legally apply for a Salvage Certificate or a Non-Repairable Vehicle Certificate, depending on the circumstances.

  If you receive a settlement from your insurance company, then the insurance company is responsible for getting the certificate within 10 days from the date of the settlement. CVC §§11515 11515.2

  If you have a total loss salvage vehicle, and you do not receive an insurance settlement, then you (as the vehicle owner) are responsible for getting the certificate.

  I lost my Salvage or Non-repairable Vehicle Certificate. How do I get another one? plus minus

  If a Salvage Certificate was issued to you, but it was lost, stolen, or destroyed, you can apply for a duplicate certificate.

  To apply for a duplicate Salvage or Non-repairable Vehicle Certificate, you need:

  • A completed Application for Salvage Certificate or Nonrepairable Vehicle Certificate (REG 488C) form.
  • A Statement of Facts (REG 256) form that describes the vehicle and indicates that the original Salvage or Non-repairable Vehicle Certificate was lost, stolen, or destroyed.
  • Applicable fees.

  Need something else?

  Registration Fees

  Review registration fees for salvage, non-repairable, or junk vehicles.

  Insurance Information

  Find out insurance requirements for all vehicles operated or parked on California roads.

  Salvage/Junk and Revived Junk Vehicles

  Looking to rebuild your junk vehicle? Find out how to register the revived junk vehicle here.

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