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A rebuilt title in Kansas costs $20, and you’ll have to get the car inspected and file paperwork to get it.
- To start the process of getting your rebuilt title, complete Form TR-13 to get a salvage title.
- After the car is repaired, you’ll need a One Day Inspection Permit for the Kansas Highway Patrol to inspect the car.
- Go to the county treasurer’s office with your approval, proof of insurance, and $20.
- Some insurance companies will refuse to insure used cars with a salvage title history.
- To start the process of getting your rebuilt title, complete Form TR-13 to get a salvage title.
- After the car is repaired, you’ll need a One Day Inspection Permit for the Kansas Highway Patrol to inspect the car.
- Go to the county treasurer’s office with your approval, proof of insurance, and $20.
- Some insurance companies will refuse to insure used cars with a salvage title history.
What is a rebuilt title?
A car’s
certificate of title
is a legal document that legally affirms who is the vehicle owner. However, a motor vehicle’s title carries other information as well:- Any applicable lien information
- VIN number
- License plate number
- Make, model, and year
- Owner’s name and address
- Seller information and odometer reading from when the title was last transferred
Some titles may be given brands by local governing bodies which describe the history of the vehicle. If the car doesn’t have any
title brands
, its title is considered clean. But a rebuilt title—referred to as a rebuilt salvage title in Kansas—will have a rebuilt brand.Salvage titles: These are given to motor vehicles that are deemed to be a total wreck after an accident or breakdown. If an insurance company writes off your vehicle, it will usually be sent to a salvage yard where it can be parted out before what remains is crushed into a sad cube.
Rebuilt titles
: If a salvage car is rebuilt, it will get a title with a rebuilt brand attached to it, and it says that the car has been repaired from salvage status back into a safely functioning vehicle.Does my car need a rebuilt title?
If you want to sell or drive a car with a salvage title, you need to get a rebuilt salvage title.
Any car that has been previously considered a total loss will have a salvage title brand. A car with a salvage title brand cannot legally be driven—it must earn a rebuilt title first.
Pro: A rebuilt title allows you to legally sell or drive the car once it’s been fixed up.
Con: Some insurance companies will refuse to insure a car with a salvage title history, even if it has a rebuilt title.
Unfortunately, selling or insuring a car with a rebuilt title will not always be easy, since it will always still have a salvage title history. In fact, some companies won’t insure such vehicles at all. That being said, you can often find great deals on perfectly functional cars that have rebuilt titles.
Note that some vehicles will be given a nonrepairable vehicle certificate, meaning that they can never be titled or registered in Kansas again. In this case, the car is considered a nonhighway vehicle under the K.S.A. 8 (Kansas Statutes Annotated).
How to get a salvage title in Kansas
Before you can rebuild the car and get a rebuilt title, you have to start with a salvage title. Your vehicle is eligible for a salvage certificate from the Kansas Department of Revenue (DOR) if it meets any of the following criteria:
- It is a late model vehicle (model year is within 6 years of wreckage) requiring repairs that equal 75% or more of its fair market value.
- It is not a late model vehicle, but requires significant repair before it can be deemed as road worthy.
- It has been written off as a total loss by your car insurance company.
Apply for the salvage title
Bring this form to your
local county treasurer’s motor vehicle office
, along with the following documentation:- Current title
- Registration receipt (if there is a lien on the vehicle and the lienholder has the title)
- Letter from your auto insurance company confirming that the vehicle was totaled/salvaged
- Payment for $10 salvage title fee
Get a One Day Inspection Permit
After the vehicle is repaired, you’ll need to have it inspected at a Kansas Highway Patrol inspection station. In order to do this, you have to take your car to the station—but wait! You’re still not legally allowed to drive the vehicle yet.
This allows you to legally drive your car from its current location to the inspection station and then to the county treasurer’s division of vehicles office for vehicle registration. If you’re already at the county treasurer’s office getting your salvage title, you can get your inspection permit at the same time.
Get your vehicle inspected
Now you’re ready to take your vehicle to a Kansas Highway Patrol inspection station. The inspecting officer will perform a
vehicle identification number (VIN) inspection
and ensure that it is in an acceptable state of repair to be considered roadworthy.Once your vehicle has passed inspection, you’ll be granted an MVE-1 Motor Vehicle Inspection Form and a rebuilt salvage decal affixed to the car. With this form, you can take the vehicle to the county treasurer’s motor vehicle office to apply for your rebuilt salvage title.
Obtain your rebuilt salvage title
Set aside a full day for the process of applying for a rebuilt title in Kansas. Once the car has been repaired, make sure the vehicle is in good enough condition to pass inspection.
Next, drive back over to the county treasurer’s motor vehicle office with the following documents to apply for your rebuilt salvage title:
- Pink copy of the MVE-1
- Salvage title application receipt
- Payment for $10 fee
Wait to receive your rebuilt Kansas title
Timeline: Between 10 and 40 days
It’s possible that the Department of Revenue will request further information regarding the vehicle, which may extend the process.
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Is a rebuilt title bad in Kansas?
Short answer: no, a rebuilt title isn’t bad. A rebuilt title simply exists to inform potential buyers and insurers of a used vehicle's history. Any time a VIN inspection is performed on the vehicle, its brand history will show up. However, if you’re considering a rebuilt salvage vehicle, it’s a good idea to have it inspected by a trusted mechanic before purchasing it, in case it still has any hidden mechanical issues.
How much does it cost to get a rebuilt title in Kansas?
In Kansas, a rebuilt title is $20. The fee for a salvage title is $10, then you’ll have to pay another $10 to the DMV for a rebuilt salvage title.
By Cameron Thiessen
Expert Insurance Writer
Reviewed by Amy Bobinger.
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