Revived Title in California

"Revived Title" is a California equivalent to the Rebuilt Title in other states, although the meaning is approximately the same there is one big difference to consider. There a 2 types of Revived Title in CA: Revived Junk and Revived Salvage. So, Revived status can be issued not just to a rebuilt salvage but also to junk vehicles. This, at first sight discrepancy, only exists because of CA letter of the law. According to CA DMV regulations, a junk vehicle is not a scarp metal or parts only vehicle - it can be rebuilt and "revived" - registered and used on public roads. On both revived ex-salvage and ex-junk vehicle titles, the branding Salvage or Junk will remain permanently. And the 'vehicle history' box on the title will have the corresponding branding.

This is an example of how exact wording for titles and regulations differ from state to state and how the same terms have different meanings. And it illustrates why it is important to know the type of the damage rather than just the title name. As you can guess, the extent of the damage that caused totaling and resale value of of salvage and junk vehicles are different.

Specifically, a CA salvage vehicle is a vehicle damaged to an extent that the insurance company finds it not economically sound to pay for fixing it. A CA junk vehicle is the one that was dismantled because it had been wrecked, abandoned, or a low valued vehicle that was impounded and acquired from an enforcement agency and is no longer operable. Non-repairable vehicles are only those "surgically" stripped vehicles after theft recovery, burned vehicles, or those with no resale value and good only as scrap metal or for parts.

Important! In CA, neither salvage nor junk vehicles will have a title before they are restored and undergo all te required procedures. Savage vehicles will have a Salvage Certificate, junk vehicles will have a Junk Receipt from DMV or Dismantle's Bill of Sale. This is done to protect used car shoppers from unknowingly buying totaled vehicles with titles. So, whenever you hear the term California Salvage Title and the vehicle actually possesses a title, this should be a Revived Salvage title and the vehicle is operable and roadworthy while in other states a Salvage Title cannot be used on public roads and can only be towed. Even CA DMV often uses the term Salvage Title for roadworthy vehicles omitting the prefix 'revived'.

If you are buying a Revived Title car...

If you are the one who is buying a revived title car, getting a vehicle history report based on the VIN is a must for your. You need to know what happened to the vehicle and why is was totaled before you buy. Otherwise, the only way to go for your newly purchased vehicle may be to go for parts and you'll lose thousands of dollars.

Can I tell the damage type by that Certificate?

In CA certificate only states the status 'Salvage'. The document will be the same for stolen and recovered vehicles, damaged from VANDALISM or STRIPPED. The acutal damage is found in VIN history which includes salvage auction data with images and specifies the damage.

How to get a Revived Title

Titling procedure, requirements and for the revived junk and revived salvage titles in California are pretty much the same, there is only slight difference in the documents you will have to provide to the DMV office when applying for the title and registration. You can read how to get a rebuilt title in CA here.

Basically, you have to legally fix the vehicle to an operational condition, pass a number of inspections and provide all the necessary paperwork to the DMV. It is critically important to keep all the receipts if you are buying salvage parts or even an entire totaled vehicle to repair another vehicle you are planning to re-title. The major purpose of pre-registration inspection by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is to verify the VIN and make sure that the parts used in reconstructing the vehicle were legally purchased. Without these documents your title and registration applications may be rejected. In addition, if the vehicle was originally equipped with airbags, they will have to be reinstalled so that the vehicle can be legally used, registered and sold. However, the latter requirement is only good for your and justified because with a previously totaled car, a junk car in particular, the driver's and passengers' safety will always be compromised because a rebuilt title vehicle will never be the same as before it was totaled, so airbags are absolutely necessary. Brake and Lights Inspection is done at a different station authorized by the state DMV, this one deals with safety aspects a little bit more, as you may guess from the name.

Fees

Factors considered while determining the fees you pay while registering a revivied vehicle include:

The vehicle type (car, RV, bus, truck, motorcycle, etc.)
The max number of axles the vehicle is constructed for (removable axles and auxiliary lift axles count)
Date of the vehicles' entry to CA if your are buying a CA vehicle, or the date you purchased the vehicle, if you are buying from another state.
The vehicles declared value or purchase price
The unladen or declared gross vehicle weight
Your residence addredd (county, city) if you are a private buyer or the address your business is based at, if you are buying for as a company.
Unpaid toll evasion bail or parking fines
The vehicle's special license plates, if any
Smog certification.

Exta fees apply for planned on-highway use:

Vehicle license fee
Registration fee
California Highway Patrol (CHP) fee
Transportation improvement fee
District/County/ fee

For exact registration fees check the calculator for CA used vehicles at https://www.dmv.ca.gov/wasapp/FeeCalculatorWeb/usedVehicleForm.do.

Required Documents

For Revived Junk title:

Proof of ownership: a junk receipt for the vehicle issued by DMV (no titles are issued on junk vehicles in CA in order to protect buyers!)
A completed REG 343 form signed by the current vehicle owner(s) - Application for Title or Registration.
CHP 97C form (CHP Certificate of Inspection) or REG 32 form (Verification of Vehicle) issued by an authorized DMV employee or the California Highway Patrol. To make an appointment for a CHP call 1-800-835-5247).
Light and brake and adjustment certificates.
Receips for all applicable fees.

For Revived Salvage title:

**Important! ** The vehicle must be reported to the CA DMV as a total loss in order to eligible for application for a revived status! Both the owner and the insurance company can report total loss.

Proof of ownership: Vehicle/vessel Transfer and Reassignment (REG 262) form from a licensed dismantler (make sure you include the dismantler’s vehicle acquisition number) or Bill of Sale (REG 135) form.
A completed REG 343 form signed by the current vehicle owner(s) - Application for Title or Registration.
CHP 97C form (CHP Certificate of Inspection) or REG 31 form (Verification of Vehicle) issued by an authorized DMV employee or the California Highway Patrol. To make an appointment for a CHP call 1-800-835-5247).
Light and brake and adjustment certificates.
A Statement of Facts (REG 256) form if someone else has the junk receipt for your vehicle, completed by that person. Also, the person may be asked to describe the current stae of the vehicle and explain what happened to the original junk receipt.
Receips for all applicable fees.

You may be also asked to provide:

Declaration of Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)/Combined Gross Vehicle Weight CGW (REG 4008) form
Application for Salvage Certificate or Nonrepairable Vehicle Certificate (REG 488C).
provide smog certification.
surrender existing license plates.
A Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment (REG 262) form (call 1-800-777-0133 to request the form from DMV)

for pickup or truck:

Weight certificate from a California Certified Public Weighmaster

for trailer:

Permanent Trailer Identification (PTI) Certification/Application (REG 4017) form.

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