Virginia rebuilt title inspection: safety inspection, DMV examination and the REBUILT brand

In Virginia, a salvage vehicle rebuilt for the road has to pass two checks before it can be titled again: a state safety inspection, then an examination by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). When both are done, the DMV issues a title branded "REBUILT", and the brand stays for the life of the vehicle.

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

Check the title first

This route is for a vehicle on a salvage certificate, including one with flood or fire damage. A vehicle that has ever had a Nonrepairable certificate can't take it: the Code bars a title or registration for any such vehicle, apart from the nonnegotiable titles Virginia gives some out-of-state rebuilds. A Rebuilt vehicle has already been through it.

DNF lists every vehicle with a flood or water brand, or with flood or fire damage reported by its seller, with a high-risk notice and a Score held in the Parts only band. That's our rule, not Virginia's.

From Salvage to Rebuilt

1. Finish the rebuild. The DMV's form says the vehicle must be rebuilt before you ask for the examination; painting is optional. If you replace a pickup's cab or the frame, the form says the vehicle counts as reconstructed and may need a new VIN.
2. Keep the evidence. Keep the original receipts for the parts, a photo of the vehicle before the repairs, and any old parts that carry a VIN. The form asks you to tick which parts were repaired or replaced, from the bumpers, grille, hood and radiator support to the doors, quarter panels, roof, engine, transmission, frame or unibody, airbags and dash.
3. Pass a Virginia state safety inspection after the repairs and before the examination. The inspector must be wholly unaffiliated with the person who asks for the inspection. To drive there, you can apply to the DMV for a temporary trip permit; a licensed salvage dealer or rebuilder who is also a licensed motor vehicle dealer can use dealer plates.
4. Send the request to the DMV's Vehicle Branding Work Center. With a Virginia salvage certificate already in your name: the original certificate, a Request for Examination of Rebuilt Salvage Vehicle (LES 022A), the examination fee and the title fee. If you just bought the vehicle or it has an out-of-state title: the original title, the Salvage Certificate Application (VSA 56), the LES 022A, a bill of sale, the sales and use tax and the same two fees. The DMV sets the fees, and LES 022A lists them.
5. Wait for a DMV Special Agent to call. The agent schedules the examination. Bring proof the vehicle passed the state inspection, a copy of the LES 022A, the receipts for the original parts, the photo from before the repairs and any old parts that show the VIN.
6. The examination. The Code says the DMV reviews any photos or video of the vehicle before the rebuild, all the documents for the parts and labor, and the VIN, the confidential number, the odometer reading and, where they apply, the engine, transmission or electronic modules. A VIN or confidential number that looks altered, missing or tampered with can lead to the vehicle being impounded while the DMV investigates.
7. After it passes, the agent tells the Vehicle Branding Work Center to release and mail the title with the brand. Allow 48 hours after the title arrives before you go to the DMV to register it.

If the DMV finds irregularities in the documents or obvious defects, it tells you what has to be corrected before it can finish. If the vehicle fails or you miss the appointment, you need a new LES 022A and new fees.

Doing this more than once a year needs a license: the form says you must be licensed as a rebuilder to have two or more salvage vehicles examined within 12 consecutive months. The examination isn't needed when all three of these hold: the person rebuilding the vehicle has been licensed under Virginia's salvage chapter for at least 10 years without penalties; the vehicle is at least 10 years old and doesn't qualify as an antique; and its resale value is under a limit set in the Code. That rebuilder still has to keep the records the examination would review, for the DMV or the police to see on request.

What the title says afterwards

The DMV says a salvage vehicle repaired for the road gets a title certificate branded "REBUILT", and that the brand carries forward to each title for the life of the vehicle. Selling it later means giving the buyer the signed-over title and a Rebuilt Vehicle Disclosure Statement (VSA 59), which seller and buyer both sign before the sale. All rebuilt vehicles remain subject to Virginia's safety equipment requirements.

What the examination doesn't tell a buyer

Virginia's Code is plain about this. The DMV examination is an anti-theft and anti-fraud measure, and it "shall not certify the safety or roadworthiness of the vehicle". It reviews photos, parts and labor records and identification numbers. The safety inspection before it is Virginia's regular state safety inspection.

So before you buy a Rebuilt vehicle, ask for the receipts, the before-repair photo and the inspection record, run the VIN through an NMVTIS vehicle history report, and pay an independent mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection.

Browse rebuilt vehicles in Virginia, read the Virginia salvage title rules, or see buying without a dealer license in Virginia.