A. Each salvage vehicle that has been rebuilt for use on the highways shall be submitted for a state safety inspection in accordance with § 46.2-1157. The inspection shall be conducted by an inspector wholly unaffiliated with the person requesting the inspection of the vehicle.

Terms Used In Virginia Code 46.2-1605

  • Antique motor vehicle: means every motor vehicle, as defined in this section, which was actually manufactured or designated by the manufacturer as a model manufactured in a calendar year not less than 25 years prior to January 1 of each calendar year and is owned solely as a collector's item. See Virginia Code 46.2-100
  • Nonrepairable certificate: means a document of ownership issued by the Department for any nonrepairable vehicle upon surrender or cancellation of the vehicle's title and registration or salvage certificate. See Virginia Code 46.2-1600
  • Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
  • Rebuilder: means any person who acquires and repairs, for use on the public highways, two or more salvage vehicles within a 12-month period. See Virginia Code 46.2-1600
  • Rebuilt vehicle: means (i) any salvage vehicle that has been repaired for use on the public highways or (ii) any late model vehicle that has been repaired and the estimated cost of repair exceeded 75 percent of its actual cash value, excluding the cost to repair damage to the engine, transmission, or drive axle assembly. See Virginia Code 46.2-1600
  • Salvage dealer: means any person who acquires any vehicle for the purpose of reselling any parts thereof or who acquires and sells any salvage vehicle as a unit except as permitted by subdivision B 2 of § 46. See Virginia Code 46.2-1600
  • Salvage vehicle: means (i) any late model vehicle that has been (a) acquired by an insurance company as a part of the claims process other than a stolen vehicle or (b) damaged as a result of collision, fire, flood, accident, trespass, or any other occurrence to such an extent that its estimated cost of repair, excluding charges for towing, storage, and temporary replacement/rental vehicle or payment for diminished value compensation, would exceed its actual cash value less its current salvage value; (ii) any recovered stolen vehicle acquired by an insurance company as a part of the claims process, whose estimated cost of repair exceeds 75 percent of its actual cash value; or (iii) any other vehicle that is determined to be a salvage vehicle by its owner or an insurance company by applying for a salvage certificate for the vehicle, provided that such vehicle is not a nonrepairable vehicle. See Virginia Code 46.2-1600
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
  • Vehicle: means every device in, on or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn on a highway, except personal delivery devices and devices moved by human power or used exclusively on stationary rails or tracks. See Virginia Code 46.2-100

B. 1. Upon passage of a state safety inspection, each rebuilt vehicle shall be examined by the Department prior to the issuance of a title for the vehicle. The examination by the Department shall include a review of video or photographic images of the vehicle prior to being rebuilt, if available; all documentation for the parts and labor used for the repair of the salvage vehicle; and verification of the vehicle’s identification number, confidential number, odometer reading, and engine, transmission, or electronic modules, if applicable. This inspection shall serve as an antitheft and antifraud measure and shall not certify the safety or roadworthiness of the vehicle. The Commissioner shall ensure that, in scheduling and performing examinations of salvage vehicles under this section, single vehicles owned by private owner-operators are afforded no lower priority than examinations of vehicles owned by motor vehicle dealers, salvage pools, licensed auto recyclers, or vehicle removal operators. The Commissioner may charge a fee of $125 per vehicle, for the examination of rebuilt vehicles.

2. The examination described in subdivision 1 shall not be required for a rebuilt vehicle if (i) the person rebuilding the vehicle has been licensed under this chapter for at least 10 years and has not incurred any penalties pursuant to the provisions of this chapter; (ii) the rebuilt vehicle is at least 10 years old but does not qualify as an antique motor vehicle; and (iii) the resale value of the rebuilt vehicle is less than $10,000. Any rebuilder who sells a rebuilt vehicle without an examination, as authorized by this subdivision, shall be required to maintain all required records for rebuilt vehicles described in subdivision 1 for inspection upon request of the Department or any law-enforcement official.

C. Any salvage vehicle whose vehicle identification number or confidential number has been altered, is missing, or appears to have been tampered with may be impounded by the Department until completion of an investigation by the Department. The vehicle may not be moved, sold, or tampered with until the completion of this investigation. Upon completion of an investigation by the Department, if the vehicle identification number is found to be missing or altered, a new vehicle identification number may be issued by the Department. If the vehicle is found to be a stolen vehicle and its owner can be determined, the vehicle shall be returned to him. If the owner cannot be determined or located and the person seeking to title the vehicle has been convicted of a violation of § 46.2-1074 or 46.2-1075, the vehicle shall be deemed forfeited to the Commonwealth and said forfeiture shall proceed in accordance with Chapter 22.1 of Title 19.2.

D. If the Department’s examination of a rebuilt salvage vehicle indicates no irregularities, a title and registration may be issued for the vehicle upon application therefor to the Department by the owner of the salvage vehicle. The title issued by the Department and any subsequent title thereafter issued for the rebuilt vehicle shall be permanently branded to indicate that it is a rebuilt vehicle. All rebuilt vehicles shall be subject to all safety equipment requirements provided by law. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no title or registration shall be issued by the Department for any rebuilt vehicle that has not first passed a safety inspection or for any vehicle for which a nonrepairable certificate has ever been issued.

E. If the Department’s examination of a rebuilt salvage vehicle reveals irregularities in the required documentation or obvious defects, the Department shall identify to the owner the irregularities and defects that must be corrected before the Department’s examination can be completed.

F. Notwithstanding § 46.2-1550, a licensed salvage dealer or rebuilder who is also licensed as a motor vehicle dealer pursuant to Chapter 15 (§ 46.2-1500 et seq.) may use dealer’s license plates for the sole purpose of transporting a rebuilt salvage vehicle to and from an official safety inspection station. Such dealer’s license plates may not be used on any vehicle not owned by the licensed salvage dealer or rebuilder. For all other rebuilt salvage vehicles, when necessary and upon application, the Department shall issue temporary trip permits in accordance with § 46.2-651 for this purpose.

1979, c. 401, § 46.1-550.10; 1986, c. 161; 1989, c. 727; 1992, c. 148; 1994, c. 73; 1996, cc. 21, 843; 2003, c. 304; 2006, c. 615; 2011, c. 824; 2012, cc. 283, 756; 2015, cc. 33, 177; 2017, c. 277; 2020, c. 867.

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