Florida rebuilt inspection: how a Salvage Rebuildable vehicle gets a Rebuilt title

In Florida, a vehicle with a Salvage Rebuildable or Rebuildable Flood title can be titled again after a rebuilt inspection by FLHSMV or a private facility it authorizes. The inspection checks the identity of the vehicle and of every major part that was repaired or replaced. A pass puts a Rebuilt decal on the driver's door jamb and leads to a title stamped as rebuilt.

These notes sum up FLHSMV's published rules as of October 2026. They aren't legal advice, so check with FLHSMV before you buy, repair or register a vehicle.

Check the title first

A Florida Salvage Rebuildable or Rebuildable Flood title, or another state's salvage title, can go through this. A Certificate of Destruction or an older Salvage Unrebuildable title can't: those vehicles are parts or scrap only. The Florida salvage title rules guide explains each word.

From Salvage Rebuildable to Rebuilt

1. Photograph the wreck before you repair it. FLHSMV wants photos of the whole vehicle in its wrecked condition, from at least two angles, in focus, showing all the damage. The examiner may also ask for the insurance adjuster's report or the repair estimate.
2. Keep the original receipt for every major part. Each bill of sale or receipt needs the seller's name, address and signature (a business receipt needs no signature) and the part's identification number, and it should describe the part. Parts with their own serial numbers, such as engines and transmissions, should show that number too, and an engine receipt must give the engine's year. Receipts must be in your name and show the part was paid for.
3. Know which parts count. For a car, the major component parts are the fenders, hood and bumpers, the cowl or firewall, the rear quarter panels, trunk lid, doors, decklid and floor pan, the engine, frame, transmission, catalytic converter and airbags. Electric, hybrid and plug-in vehicles add the traction motor, electronic transmission, charge port, DC power converter, onboard charger, power electronics controller, thermal system and traction battery pack. A truck adds its bed.
4. Finish the rebuild first. The vehicle has to be in its rebuilt state before you apply.
5. Fill in the forms. Form HSMV 82040 MV, the Application for Certificate of Motor Vehicle Title, and Form HSMV 84490, the Statement of Builder, which you and the examiner complete. A vehicle last titled in another state also needs a VIN verification, on Form HSMV 82042 or in section 8 of the HSMV 82040 MV.
6. Book the inspection. Make an appointment with the FLHSMV regional office or the Private Rebuilt Vehicle Inspection Program facility that serves your county. Florida law set up that program in Bay, Broward, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Leon, Manatee, Marion, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach and Volusia counties. Bring the originals, one set of photocopies and a 5 x 7 or 8 x 10 inch envelope.
7. Pay and pass. Pay the inspection fee FLHSMV sets (procedure TL-37 lists it), and a further fee for each repeat inspection after a fail. A pass gets the red and white Rebuilt decal fixed in the driver's door jamb. If your application is rejected, the office or facility holds your papers until the reason is fixed.
8. Take the sealed envelope to the tax collector. The examiner returns your forms and receipt copies, stamped, in a sealed envelope. Take it unopened to the tax collector's office or license plate agent, pay the title fees and any sales tax owed on the vehicle and its parts, and buy a plate or file a non-use affidavit.

A 10-day temporary plate may be issued when a vehicle needs its inspection before it can be titled.

What the title says afterwards

Florida stamps the new title to say the vehicle has been rebuilt and may have previously been declared a total loss because of damage. A flood vehicle keeps its flood brand too. Florida carries these brands onto every later title and registration for the life of the vehicle, and anyone who sells it has to tell the buyer in writing that it's rebuilt or a flood vehicle, before the sale.

What the inspection doesn't tell a buyer

Florida law describes the rebuilt inspection as a physical examination to establish the identity of the vehicle and of every major part that was repaired or replaced, and FLHSMV says it checks the major parts to make sure they weren't stolen. That's what the receipts, photos and VIN checks are for. Neither describes it as a review of how well the work was done.

Buying a Florida Rebuilt vehicle? Ask for copies of the HSMV 84490 and the parts receipts, check the decal is in the driver's door jamb (a vehicle that came in on another state's rebuilt title won't have one), and pay an independent mechanic or body shop to look it over. Rebuilt listings on DNF show the brand as the seller reports it, with the damage, the condition and a Score. If you plan to rebuild and resell, read the Florida guide to buying without a dealer license first.

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