# Certificate of destruction and nonrepairable certificates

> A certificate of destruction (other states use names such as nonrepairable vehicle certificate, or a junk brand) replaces a car's title when the vehicle is worth only parts or scrap. Once issued, the car generally can't be titled or registered for the road again. It can still be sold, but only for dismantling or destruction, usually to a junkyard, salvage dealer or scrap processor.

Reviewed 2026-10-12 by the Junk Cars Nation editorial team. Canonical: https://junkcarsnation.com/guides/certificate-of-destruction/

## What it is

A certificate of destruction is a state ownership document for a vehicle that's been declared fit only for parts or scrap. It takes the place of the title. The car can still be bought and sold, but only so it can be dismantled or crushed. It can never be titled for road use again.

States use different names for the same idea:

| State | Document or brand | Can it be re-titled? |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | Certificate of destruction | No[^fl-30] |
| California | Nonrepairable vehicle certificate; vehicle recorded as "junk" | No[^ca-nonrep] |
| Texas | Nonrepairable title; "junk", "crushed", "dismantled" brands | No[^tx-junk] |
| New York | Out-of-state title or Salvage Certificate (MV-907A) marked "parts only", "non-rebuildable", "non-repairable", "scrapped" or "destroyed" | No[^ny-salvage] |

## When a car gets one

Usually after an insurance total loss, when the damage is so severe the vehicle's only remaining value is parts or scrap metal.

**Florida** sets it out in law. For a late-model vehicle worth at least $7,500 before the damage, the state declares the car unrebuildable and prints a certificate of destruction if repairs would cost 90% or more of its current retail value. For a vehicle worth less than $7,500, or one that isn't late-model, the owner or insurer must get a certificate of destruction if the car is so damaged its only value is parts or scrap metal. The same applies if it arrives from another state with paperwork saying it's not repairable, junked, or for parts or dismantling only.[^fl-30]

**California** defines a nonrepairable vehicle as one with no resale value except as a source of parts or scrap metal. That covers a vehicle stripped by thieves (a "surgical strip"), a completely burned car, or one the owner irreversibly declares to be only parts or scrap.[^ca-defs] The insurer or owner must apply for the certificate within 10 days of the total-loss settlement.[^ca-nonrep]

**Texas** describes a junk-branded vehicle as unsafe for U.S. roads, with no resale value except as parts or scrap, or one the owner has irreversibly designated as parts or scrap. Such a vehicle should never be titled or registered. A vehicle can also be branded "crushed", meaning its frame or chassis was destroyed so it can't be used to build a vehicle.[^tx-junk]

## What you can do with one

- **Sell it for parts or scrap.** That's the only legal path. Florida's certificate of destruction can be reassigned **a maximum of two times** before the vehicle must be dismantled or destroyed. It travels with the vehicle in place of a title.[^fl-30] California's rule is similar: a nonrepairable vehicle's ownership can be transferred only twice on the certificate, and no new certificate is issued.[^ca-nonrep]
- **Dismantle it yourself**, if your state allows and you follow its steps. In California, an owner who isn't a licensed dismantler must apply to the DMV to record the vehicle as "junk" **before** dismantling it. The owner surrenders the ownership document and license plates, and anyone who dismantles first can be charged an investigative service fee.[^ca-junk]

What you **can't** do is repair it and get it re-titled. Florida's statute says the state may not issue a certificate of title for that vehicle.[^fl-30] New York won't examine or title a rebuilt vehicle whose paperwork says "parts only", "non-rebuildable", "non-repairable", "scrapped" or "destroyed", because it treats such vehicles as not roadworthy.[^ny-salvage]

## Selling a car with a certificate of destruction

The steps look like any title sale:

1. **Sign the certificate over** in the assignment section, the same care as a title (see [how to sign over a car title](/guides/how-to-sign-over-a-car-title/)). California doesn't collect odometer information on nonrepairable vehicle certificates.[^ca-nonrep]
2. **Sell to a buyer licensed to dismantle or recycle**, such as a junkyard, salvage dealer or scrap processor. In Florida, a salvage dealer must get a properly endorsed title, salvage title or certificate of destruction from the seller, and must notify NMVTIS. Knowingly skipping either step is a third-degree felony.[^fl-30]
3. **Keep a [bill of sale](/guides/bill-of-sale-for-junk-car/)** and file your state's [release of liability](/guides/release-of-liability/) if it uses one.

Price depends on the parts and metal, not on whether the car can be fixed. [How junkyards price cars](/guides/how-junkyards-price-cars/) explains how offers are worked out.

## How it connects to NMVTIS

Insurers, junkyards and salvage yards must report junk and salvage vehicles to the federal NMVTIS database every month (for insurers, vehicles of the current model year and the four prior ones).[^cfr25] That reporting is meant to help keep a destroyed car's identity from being reused on a stolen one. Once a vehicle is reported as junk or salvage, the record can't be deleted, even by the business that reported it.[^cfr25] See [NMVTIS junk and salvage reporting](/guides/nmvtis-junk-and-salvage-reporting/).

## More state rules

These are examples. For your state's document names and steps, see [Florida](/junk-car-laws/florida/), [California](/junk-car-laws/california/), [Texas](/junk-car-laws/texas/) and [New York](/junk-car-laws/new-york/) on our [junk car laws](/junk-car-laws/) pages.

[^fl-30]: Florida Statutes, s. 319.30, "Definitions; dismantling, destruction, change of identity of motor vehicle or mobile home; salvage", http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0319/Sections/0319.30.html
[^ca-nonrep]: California DMV, Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual, "19.040 Nonrepairable Vehicle Certificate", https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/vehicle-industry-registration-procedures-manual-2/salvage-nonrepairable-junk-vehicles/nonrepairable-vehicle-certificate/
[^ca-defs]: California DMV, Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual, "19.015 Definitions", https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/vehicle-industry-registration-procedures-manual-2/salvage-nonrepairable-junk-vehicles/definitions/
[^ca-junk]: California DMV, Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual, "19.030 Junking a Vehicle—Individual", https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/vehicle-industry-registration-procedures-manual-2/salvage-nonrepairable-junk-vehicles/junking-a-vehicle-individual/
[^tx-junk]: Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, "Junk Title Brands", https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/title-check-look-before-you-buy/junk-title-brands
[^ny-salvage]: New York State DMV, "Salvage vehicles", https://dmv.ny.gov/salvage/salvage-vehicles
[^cfr25]: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, "28 CFR Part 25, Subpart B: National Motor Vehicle Title Information System" (§§ 25.55–25.57), https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B

## Questions people ask

**Can a car with a certificate of destruction ever be driven again?**

No. Florida law bars the state from issuing a title for a vehicle with a certificate of destruction, and California says a nonrepairable vehicle can't be titled or reregistered.

**Can I sell a car that has a certificate of destruction?**

Yes, but only for parts or scrap. Florida lets a certificate of destruction be reassigned at most twice before the vehicle must be dismantled or destroyed, and California allows a nonrepairable vehicle to change hands only twice on its certificate.

**Is a certificate of destruction the same as a salvage title?**

No. A salvage title usually means the car can be repaired, inspected and returned to the road as rebuilt. A certificate of destruction or nonrepairable certificate means it can't.

**Do I need one to junk my car?**

Often not. If your car has a regular title, you sign that over to the yard, and junk and salvage yards have their own NMVTIS reporting duties. These certificates mostly come up after an insurance total loss, or when the car's paperwork already says it's nonrepairable.