Texas VIN check

The Texas titles that flag a damaged car

Titles are issued through county tax offices for the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV). Subchapter E of Transportation Code chapter 501 sets out two classes of wreck:

When water alone caused the loss, TxDMV adds a Flood Damage remark to the salvage or nonrepairable title, and it is carried forward onto the rebuilt title. Section 501.09113 also carries over notations from other states, such as rebuilt, flood damage, fire damage or salvage.

No state inspection for a rebuilt car

To retitle a repaired salvage car, the owner files the title application (Form 130-U), the salvage title and a Rebuilt Vehicle Statement (Form VTR-61), and pays a $65 rebuilt salvage fee. The VTR-61 describes the work. If major component parts were used, page 2 lists each one with its identification number or the VIN of the donor car, and the rebuilder certifies the parts were obtained legally.

Texas ended the safety inspection for non-commercial vehicles on January 1, 2025 (House Bill 3297). Today a rebuilt car only goes to an inspection station if it is registered in one of the 17 emissions counties, among them Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Travis and El Paso, and that test checks emissions, not crash repairs. A car last titled in another state has its VIN certified through that emissions test or by the owner’s own statement on the application.

Hurricane flood cars

Texas floods from Gulf hurricanes and river storms. After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, TxDMV estimated that about 500,000 cars and trucks were damaged, and months later it was still warning buyers about them. The Flood Damage remark only appears when someone applies for a salvage title. TxDMV itself points out that an owner without comprehensive coverage may sell a flooded car without saying it was submerged, and that some sellers retitle flooded cars through other states to shed the brand.

So a clean Texas title is a starting point, not proof. A history report shows title brands and insurance total losses from every state, plus any salvage auction sale. See our flood damage check for the physical signs.

Buying from a Texas dealer

• A dealer offering a rebuilt car must display a notice that it was repaired, rebuilt or reconstructed after being titled as a salvage motor vehicle (43 TAC § 215.160).
• A dealer that rebuilds a salvage car has to get a Rebuilt Salvage title in its own name before retailing it. It can’t just pass on the salvage title.
• A lemon-law buyback comes with a disclosure statement that stays with the car through the first retail sale (Occupations Code § 2301.610). The manufacturer must fix the defect and give a new 12-month, 12,000-mile warranty.

Checklist for a Texas purchase

1. Look on the title for Rebuilt Salvage, Flood Damage or an ISSUED BY state note.
2. Ask for the VTR-61 with page 2. A blank parts list or “Repairs unknown” means you know nothing about the rebuild.
3. Check the title history for an insurance company as a past owner and for several states in a short time.
4. Pull up the carpet and spare tire cover, and look for silt, rust on seat bolts and faded seat belts.
5. Have your own mechanic inspect the car. If a dealer won’t allow it, TxDMV suggests walking away.