Illinois VIN check

Illinois title documents and brands

Titles in Illinois come from the Secretary of State. A wrecked car that may be repaired moves on a salvage certificate; it gets a title again only when the owner surrenders that certificate with an application for a rebuilt or restored vehicle and the car passes inspection.

The Secretary of State Police inspection

A rebuilt salvage car is inspected by appointment with the Secretary of State Department of Police, at a safety lane the department names when you call. Under 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1020.80, the paperwork includes the assigned salvage certificate (or an out-of-state salvage title that can be registered here), the title application for the rebuilt car and affirmation form RT-11.13. That form lists every used essential part by the VIN of the car it came from and the seller, and every new part by invoice or bill of sale.

The application must also certify which component parts were changed and that the car complies with the Illinois Vehicle Equipment Law. An inspection can be refused or failed when:

• documents for essential parts are missing, wrong or illegible
• identification numbers are ground away, defaced, restamped or removed
• stolen essential parts are installed, in which case the car may be held for investigation
• the car is incomplete, missing essential parts, or was rebuilt using damaged parts
• the rebuilder isn’t licensed and has no letter from the Vehicle Title Division authorizing the inspection

Each inspection report is signed by the Secretary of State auto body specialist on site and approved by the investigator in charge. That makes it a close check on theft and paperwork. It isn’t a full review of how well the car was repaired, so a structural check by a body shop is still up to you.

Cars from flooded areas in other states

Under section 1010.195, a flooded area is one declared a natural disaster by state or federal officials and flooded more than a foot deep across more than a square mile. For up to 12 months after the declaration, a car last titled there is checked against the NICB database when someone applies for an Illinois title. A listed flood car gets a salvage certificate branded “flood”.

If the car isn’t listed but was last registered in a county inside the flooded area, the applicant fills in a flood disclosure statement, unless the previous state reports flood status to the national title database (NMVTIS). The answers decide whether a title or a salvage certificate is issued; with no statement, the car gets the flood salvage certificate. The screen depends on databases and on the applicant telling the truth, and it ends after a year. A history report and our flood damage guide cover the gaps.

Before you buy in Illinois

1. Ask whether the car was ever on a salvage certificate, and read the title for rebuilt or flood wording.
2. For a rebuilt car, ask for the RT-11.13 affirmation and the parts invoices used at the inspection.
3. If the car arrived from a state hit by a hurricane or river flood, ask whether a flood disclosure statement was filed.
4. Run a history report for total losses and brands from other states.
5. Have a body shop check the frame and airbags before you pay.