This page provides information about damaged vehicles. If you are looking for information on what to do if you’ve been in an accident, refer to our accident information. 
 
Use the links below to go directly to any section:

If your vehicle is insured and declared a total loss by an insurer who covers the loss, you must surrender the title to the insurer or to DMV within 30 days of the declaration of loss.
 
If the vehicle’s loss is not covered by insurance, the owner must surrender the title to DMV within 30 days of the date the vehicle became totaled. The owner may apply for a salvage title or, if the vehicle is repaired or rebuilt, the owner may apply for a title showing "Totaled," and one of the following brands: "Assembled," "Reconstructed," or "Replica."  
 
If your vehicle has been rebuilt, follow the Reconstructed Vehicle Procedures.
 
If the vehicle is wrecked, dismantled, disassembled, or substantially altered and the parts (engine, drive train, or transmission) are transferred separately, the salvage title remains with the frame or unibody if it is still subject to salvage title requirements or is sold to someone in Oregon or another jurisdiction.
 
The Oregon Insurance Division has prepared a Vehicle Total Loss Tip Sheet with information that you may find helpful.

Out-of-State Totaled Vehicles
If you have a vehicle from out of state that has been totaled and not rebuilt, you may apply for an Oregon salvage title. Follow the Salvage Title instructions.
 
If you have a vehicle from out of state that has been rebuilt, you may apply for a branded title, which will indicate there was previous damage. Follow procedures for Titling an Out-of-State Vehicle if You Have the Title. If an out-of-state vehicle had certain kinds of damage, DMV will not issue a title (for more information, see information on junked vehicles, below).

A title branded (labeled) with "reconstructed" may be issued to an Oregon-titled vehicle that:

To apply for a reconstructed title, see the Reconstructed Vehicle Procedures.

A "junked" vehicle is described on the existing title or ownership document as destroyed, dismantled, hulk, junk, non-repairable, non-rebuildable, parts only, scrap, wreck, etc. Junked vehicles are vehicles that have been determined by another state to be non-repairable. 

Can "junked" vehicles be titled?

A "junked" vehicle cannot be titled in Oregon. 
 
This law helps prevent the illegal activity of "title washing," moving vehicles from state to state in an effort to change or delete information on the title that indicates the extent to which a vehicle has been damaged or totaled.
 
If you wish to re-title the vehicle, you must work with the state that issued the junk certificate, junk title or similar ownership document.

Additional information that may be relevant includes: