Handling Damage Brands and Rebuilt Vehicle Approval in Wyoming

Determine whether damage requires a salvage title

The Wyoming salvage vehicle page and sections 31-2-106 through 31-2-111 define the relevant title categories. A vehicle generally meets the salvage definition when an insurer declares it a total loss or, without an insurer settling the claim, the qualifying repair cost exceeds seventy-five percent of actual retail cash value. The statutory calculation considers parts and customary labor, so an owner's plan to perform unpaid work does not necessarily make the legal damage threshold disappear.

Ask the insurer and the county clerk who will apply for the appropriate title when the claim is settled. If the owner retains a vehicle requiring a brand, the statute requires the proper branded title before commercial repairs or a transfer of ownership. A settlement check and continued possession do not leave the former unbranded title suitable for an ordinary sale. Preserve the damage estimate, valuation, claim documents, and ownership records so the classification can be reviewed on the actual facts.

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Apply exceptions without erasing an existing history

Wyoming's statute provides exceptions to the new damage-title requirement for vehicles with more than eight years of service and the specified commercial vehicles. The agency page also addresses trailers. These exceptions should be applied to the actual vehicle category rather than generalized to every work truck or older project. Have the clerk assess an uncertain case, particularly when a vehicle has already been branded in another jurisdiction or appears in the national title-history system.

An existing salvage, rebuilt, junk, flood, parts-only, or similar history is carried forward as required regardless of the vehicle's age. The state title overview expressly warns that Wyoming uses National Motor Vehicle Title Information System information even when the current paper title looks unbranded. The NMVTIS consumer resource explains access to reported history. A clean-looking certificate, an out-of-state sale, or the passage of another model year should not be treated as removal of a prior brand.

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Keep flood damage distinct from the salvage percentage test

The statute defines a flood vehicle using the specified water entry above the door sill into the passenger or trunk compartment when the damage does not otherwise require salvage treatment. The seller must give the required written disclosure, and the next title application must disclose the flood status for branding. A relatively low repair estimate therefore does not necessarily mean a vehicle has no reportable damage history. Inspect the records and ask about water exposure before deciding how to describe the vehicle.

A lessee must notify the lessor of the relevant salvage or flood event within the statutory thirty-day period. Coordinate with the owner and insurer instead of arranging an unsupported title change in the lessee's name. For an insurance claim dispute, the Wyoming Department of Insurance consumer resources provide a separate assistance route. The county clerk's title work does not determine every coverage or valuation disagreement between the owner and insurer.

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Check whether the full rebuilt process is required

The current statute recognizes limited cases that do not require the complete rebuilt procedure before registration. These include salvage resulting from hail or theft with only cosmetic damage and vehicles already titled rebuilt or reconstructed elsewhere when that brand is carried forward to Wyoming. The cosmetic-damage route can require a statement from a properly licensed Wyoming vehicle dealer or licensed insurance adjuster. Submit the actual evidence and have the clerk confirm which exception applies.

WYDOT's general salvage webpage describes out-of-state salvage vehicles broadly, so read it together with sections 31-2-107(n) and 31-2-108(c). The exception changes the rebuilding steps, not the requirement to obtain the proper Wyoming branded title. A seller's statement that damage was minor is not automatically the required licensed professional's documentation. Do not assume a theft recovery is cosmetic-only without examining its condition and the evidence supporting that classification.

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Obtain the Wyoming salvage title before the decal application

For a vehicle that needs the full process, WYDOT instructs the owner to obtain a Wyoming salvage title in the owner's name through the county clerk. Then complete the MV-600 rebuilt decal application. The applicant's name must match the salvage title. Identify the damage before repair and the person or business that rebuilt the vehicle, and include the required affirmation concerning the information and use of lawful parts. Keep component receipts and repair documentation available if questions arise.

Submit the completed application, a copy of the Wyoming salvage title, and a photograph of the repaired vehicle as the agency directs. The rebuilt salvage decal itself has no fee. That does not mean every associated title, inspection, tax, or registration step is free. The county title fee information lists the ordinary certificate charge, and the statute provides the applicable inspection charge. Ask for the complete transaction calculation when budgeting a project with several stages.

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Affix the decal and obtain the required inspection

The owner applies the decal to the driver's door jamb on an automobile. For a motorcycle, it goes opposite the VIN on the fork crown without obscuring the identifying number. Wyoming law enforcement then verifies the VIN and that the decal has been properly affixed. Follow the department's issued paperwork rather than placing the decal in a convenient but incorrect location. Preserve access to the identifying numbers and do not cover them during repair or refinishing.

The verification serves the stated identification and decal purposes; it should not be advertised to a future buyer as a comprehensive warranty of mechanical condition. Obtain appropriate repair and safety evaluation for the actual vehicle. Present the salvage title, completed verification, and the required title application documents to the clerk for the rebuilt title. Then address registration with the county treasurer, who handles plates and road registration even when a general agency description refers loosely to completing everything at the clerk's office.

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Address missing numbers or defective ownership independently

If repairs replace a VIN-bearing component or combine parts with different numbers, consult the state-assigned VIN instructions. The assignment application requires evidence for the components and the completed vehicle. A rebuilt decal and an assigned number are different documents for different issues. Neither should be used to conceal where parts came from or to make a prior damage brand disappear from the vehicle's history.

When the ownership chain is incomplete, the clerk may need a title and lien search, a proper seller assignment, or the separate bonded title process. A salvage auction receipt is not necessarily the whole title package. Review active liens and request the appropriate lien termination evidence where an interest has been satisfied. Keep the ownership remedy separate from the repair approval so completing one process is not mistaken for completion of the other.

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Treat a statutory junk title as a restricted disposal document

Section 31-2-111 creates a specific junk-title procedure for an establishment providing towing and recovery services. It requires the prescribed affidavit and evidence such as the tow record, law enforcement VIN verification, title search, notices, photograph, and an independent licensed dealer's valuation. The statute also provides the relevant reclamation periods and a separate storage-lien route for the described low-value vehicle. A private owner should not assume that every unwanted car can be processed under that commercial towing provision.

A junk title issued under that section may be used only to transfer the vehicle to a licensed storage and disposal facility. It is not an alternative rebuilt title for returning the vehicle to ordinary road service. If a document from another jurisdiction says junk, nonrepairable, scrap, or parts only, have Wyoming determine its consequences before buying parts or investing in reconstruction. The abandoned-vehicle procedure and MV-220 request address additional, distinct circumstances and do not create permission to skip the proper disposal or ownership process.

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Disclose the brand and finish the operating record

When a branded vehicle is offered for sale or trade, section 31-2-109 requires disclosure to the prospective buyer on the prescribed form. Use the branded title disclosure statement, obtain the buyer's acknowledgment before completing the sale, and retain a copy. The statute provides remedies when the required disclosure is not made. A verbal comment that the vehicle once had damage should not be substituted for the required written acknowledgment and accurate title history.

Complete applicable tax review under the county tax instructions, obtain registration for an eligible rebuilt vehicle, and arrange appropriate insurance before road use. The statute provides a remaining-registration credit in the specified case where the same owner rebuilds and registers within the prior unexpired registration year. Have the treasurer calculate that credit rather than assuming it is a cash refund. Retain the entire damage and rebuilding packet so later buyers, insurers, and county offices can understand the vehicle's documented status.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does every damaged Wyoming vehicle use the seventy-five-percent calculation?
An insurer’s total-loss declaration is an independent salvage trigger; the specified repair-cost comparison applies when an insurer is not settling the claim.

Does an older vehicle lose a previous salvage or flood brand?
The statutory age exception does not erase an existing brand, which Wyoming carries forward as required from title and national history records.

Must every cosmetic hail salvage vehicle complete the full rebuilt process?
Current law provides a limited cosmetic hail or theft exception with the required evidence, while preserving the appropriate branded Wyoming title.

Is there a charge for the rebuilt salvage decal itself?
WYDOT issues the decal without a fee, although inspection, title, tax, and registration charges can still apply to the transaction.

Does the law enforcement rebuilt inspection certify every mechanical repair?
The required inspection verifies the identifying number and proper decal placement and should not be represented as a complete mechanical warranty.

Can a towing-company junk title be used to return the vehicle to the road?
The statutory junk certificate is restricted to transferring the vehicle to a licensed storage and disposal facility, rather than serving as a rebuilt road-use title.

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More Wyoming DMV guides

The other Wyoming DMV guides, 52 of them:

The public records that sit beside this page, on SearchSystems: Wyoming recorded documents and Wyoming property records.

Property records in the largest Wyoming counties, each with the local court and office that holds the file: Laramie, Natrona, Campbell, Sweetwater, Fremont and Albany.