Information

• Title documents vary somewhat according to which state issued the title. Standard information includes the name and address of the legal owner, the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), a description of the vehicle and the odometer reading on the date title was last transferred. Special notifications are listed if applicable, such as "salvage" or "rebuilt."
  
  

Duplicate Titles

• If the owner's title certificate is lost, damaged or destroyed, a duplicate title certificate can be issued. As long as the owner can produce proper identification, a duplicate title certificate can be issued by downloading a duplicate title form from the department of motor vehicles of the state that issued the title, filling it out, and paying a small processing fee.
  
  

Bonded Titles

• If the title to a vehicle is lost and the purchaser does not know the identity of the record owner or the state that issued the title, a bonded title will have to be issued. The purchaser should located the VIN, which is engraved somewhere on the inner or outer surface of the vehicle, and run an online VIN check (see Resources). The VIN report will list the name of the record owner and the state that issued the title. If no owner is listed, or if the owner is deceased or cannot be located, the purchaser should have the vehicle inspected, present the state department of motor vehicles will evidence of ownership (such as a bill of sale), purchase a surety bond on the vehicle, and apply for a bonded title. If no competing claimant to ownership appears within a certain statutory period, the bond will be released and a normal title will be issued.
  
  

Salvage Titles

• If a vehicle has been declared a total loss by an insurance company, a title certificate will be issued with a "salvage" notation affixed to it. A salvage title vehicle cannot be insured or operated on public roads or waterways. It can either be sold for its salvage value or for parts, or repaired and issued a rebuilt title.
  
  

Rebuilt Titles

• If a salvage title vehicle is repaired and meets applicable safety standards, the owner can apply to have a new title certificate issued with the salvage notation replaced by a "rebuilt" notation. A rebuilt title will allow the vehicle to be insured and operated in public. Nevertheless, a rebuilt notation appearing on the title can have a negative effect on the market value of the vehicle.