CODE OF VIRGINIA

VEHICLES REBUILT FOR HIGHWAY USE; EXAMINATIONS; BRANDING OF TITLES (§
46.2-1605)

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.

B. 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.

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
(§ 19.2-386.1 et seq.) 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. 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. When necessary and upon application, the Department shall issue temporary
trip permits in accordance with § 46.2-651 for the purpose of transporting the
rebuilt salvage vehicle to and from an official Virginia safety inspection
station.

HISTORY: 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.