In North Carolina, if a vehicle is damaged, and the cost of rebuilding the vehicle would be 75% or more of the fair market value for the vehicle, it can be declared a total loss by the insurance company. This means it will need to have a salvage title, which you can get through the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles.
You will need to have the original title certificate, the bill of sale for the vehicle, and the title fees to get the salvage title. If the vehicle that’s being salvaged is six years old or less, you need to have the License & Theft Bureau conduct an antitheft inspection before you can get the title.
Repairing the Vehicle
Just because the vehicle now has the salvage title doesn’t mean it has to go to the scrap heap though. It is possible to get a rebuilt title for the vehicle so you can get it back on the road.
After you complete the repairs for the vehicle, you will need to have another anti-theft inspection. This is to ensure that the vehicle, and none of the parts used in the reconstruction of the vehicle, have been stolen.
If the vehicle is able to pass the inspection, you will have the title mailed to you, and you will be able to get the North Carolina Vehicle Safety Inspection. All vehicles that are less than 35 years old, including rebuilt vehicles, need to go through a safety inspection each year in most counties in North Carolina. This will determine whether the vehicle is safe enough to be on the roads.
Some of the elements inspected include the directional signals, brakes, steering, wipers, and headlights. They will also perform an emissions inspection for vehicles. The only exception to the emissions inspections are those vehicles that are less than three years old and that have fewer than 70,000 miles, models from 1995 or older, diesel vehicles, and vehicles that are licensed under the former rate.
The current fee for the emissions inspection is $30, and the safety inspection fee is $13.60. These may change, so you will want to check the latest fees.
What Counties Require Safety and Emissions Inspections?
The following 48 counties are currently required to have the aforementioned inspections.
- Alamance
- Brunswick
- Buncombe
- Burke
- Cabarrus
- Caldwell
- Carteret
- Catawba
- Chatham
- Cleveland
- Craven
- Cumberland
- Davidson
- Durham
- Edgecombe
- Forsyth
- Franklin
- Gaston
- Granville
- Guilford
- Harnett
- Haywood
- Henderson
- Iredell
- Johnston
- Lee
- Lenoir
- Lincoln
- Mecklenburg
- Moore
- Nash
- New Hanover
- Onslow
- Orange
- Pitt
- Randolph
- Robeson
- Rockingham
- Rowan
- Rutherford
- Stanly
- Stokes
- Surry
- Wake
- Wayne
- Wilkes
- Wilson
- Union
You can visit the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles website to find the latest fees, and to find out where the inspection sites are located in your area.
Find information on Rebuilt Title Laws for Other US States. Explore our Vehicle Auctions and Buying With Us.
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