How to Get a Rebuilt Title in Kansas
To get a rebuilt title in Kansas, you need to take your vehicle and its current salvage title application receipt to Kansas Highway Patrol for inspection.
Written by Cameron Thiessen
Reviewed by Amy Bobinger
Table of Contents
To start the process of getting a rebuilt title in
Kansas
, you must complete a Salvage, Non-Highway or Non-Repairable Affidavit, Form TR-13 and obtain a One Day Inspection Permit. Take your repaired vehicle, its current salvage title, and the completed TR-13 to a Kansas Highway Patrol Inspection Station. Salvage titles are given to motor vehicles that are deemed to be a total wreck after an accident or breakdown. If an insurance company writes off your vehicle, it will usually be sent to a salvage yard where it can be parted out before what remains is crushed into a sad cube. But sometimes, salvage cars can be rebuilt and given a new life, allowing them to obtain a
rebuilt title
to be driven again. Compare insurance quotes from 50+ carriers with Jerry in under 45 seconds (Title in payload)
4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ driversWhat is a rebuilt title?
Let’s start by explaining what a vehicle title is. A car’s certificate of title is a legal document that legally affirms who owns a car, but it carries other information as well.
A motor vehicle’s title will include any applicable lien information, identifying information including VIN number, license plate number, make, model, and year. It will also include the owner’s name and address, as well as pertinent information such as seller information and an odometer reading from when it was last transferred.
Finally, some titles may be given brands by local governing bodies which describe the history of the vehicle. If the car doesn’t have any
title brands
, its title is considered clean. A rebuilt title—referred to as a rebuilt salvage title in Kansas—will have a rebuilt brand. Cars receive this brand when they have been repaired from salvage status back into a safely functioning vehicle.Your vehicle is eligible for a salvage certificate from the Kansas Department of Revenue (DOR) if it meets any of the following criteria:
- It is a late model vehicle (model year is within 6 years of wreckage) requiring repairs that equal 75% or more of its fair market value.
- It is not a late model vehicle, but requires significant repair before it can be deemed as road worthy.
- It has been written off as a total loss by your car insurance company.
Does my car need a rebuilt title?
Any car that has been previously considered a total loss should have a salvage title brand. Any car with a salvage title brand cannot legally be driven, so if you want to sell or drive a car with a salvage title, you need to get a rebuilt salvage title. Note that some vehicles will be given a nonrepairable vehicle certificate, meaning that it can never be titled or registered in Kansas again.
Unfortunately, selling or insuring a car with a rebuilt title will not always be easy, since it will always still have a salvage title history. In fact, some companies won’t insure such vehicles at all. That being said, you can often find great deals on perfectly functional cars that have rebuilt titles.
How to get a rebuilt title in Kansas
You should set aside a full day for the process of getting your rebuilt title in Kansas. It’s also important to make sure that the vehicle is well-repaired and drivable so that it will actually pass inspection. Here’s what you’ll need to do after you’ve made the necessary repairs to the vehicle.
Apply for the salvage title
The first step to getting a rebuilt salvage title in the state of Kansas is to first get a salvage title. You can do this by completing a
Salvage, Non-Highway or Non-Repairable Affidavit, Form TR-13
. Bring this form to your local county treasurer’s motor vehicle office
, along with the following documentation:- Current title
- Registration receipt (if there is a lien on the vehicle and the lienholder has the title)
- Letter from your auto insurance company confirming that the vehicle was totaled/salvaged.
- Payment for $10 salvage title fee
Get a One Day Inspection Permit
Once the vehicle is repaired, you’ll need to have it inspected at a Kansas Highway Patrol inspection station. In order to do this, you need to take your car to the station—but wait! You’re still not legally allowed to drive the vehicle yet.
In order to get around this, you’ll have to obtain a One Day Inspection Permit from your local county treasurer’s office. This will allow you to drive your car from its current location to the inspection station and then to the county treasurer’s division of vehicles office for vehicle registration. If you’re already at the county treasurer’s office getting your salvage title, you can get your inspection permit at the same time.
MORE:
Car inspection in Kansas
Get your vehicle inspected
Now you’re ready to take your vehicle to a Kansas Highway Patrol inspection station. The inspecting officer will perform a vehicle identification number (VIN) inspection and ensure that it is in an acceptable state of repair to be considered roadworthy.
Once your vehicle has passed inspection, you’ll be granted an MVE-1 Motor Vehicle Inspection Form and a rebuilt salvage decal affixed to the car, allowing you to obtain a new rebuilt salvage title from your county treasurer’s office. Then, you can take the vehicle to the county treasurer’s motor vehicle office to apply for your rebuilt salvage title.
Obtain your rebuilt salvage title
Now, just drive back over to the county treasurer’s motor vehicle office with the following documents to apply for your rebuilt salvage title:
- Pink copy of the MVE-1
- Proof of insurance coverage
- Salvage title application receipt
- Payment for $10 fee
Wait to receive your rebuilt Kansas title
It usually takes between 10 and 40 days to receive your rebuilt title in Kansas. It’s possible that the Department of Revenue will request further information regarding the vehicle, which may extend the process.
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Is a rebuilt title bad in Kansas?
Short answer: no, a rebuilt title isn’t bad. A rebuilt title simply exists to inform potential buyers and insurers of the vehicle's history. Any time a VIN inspection is performed on the vehicle, its brand history will show up. However, if you’re buying a rebuilt salvage vehicle, it’s a good idea to have it inspected by a trusted mechanic before purchasing it, in case it still has any hidden mechanical issues.
How much does it cost to get a rebuilt title in Kansas?
In Kansas, a rebuilt title is $20. The fee for a salvage title is $10, then you’ll have to pay another $10 for a rebuilt salvage title.
