# NMVTIS junk and salvage reporting: who reports, what and when > Federal law requires junk yards, salvage yards, auto recyclers and insurers to report the junk and salvage vehicles they acquire to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), at least monthly. Yards report the VIN, the date they got the vehicle, who they got it from, and whether it was crushed, sold or exported. The rules are in 28 CFR Part 25. The statute sets a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation, which the Justice Department has adjusted for inflation to $2,111. Reviewed 2026-10-12 by the Junk Cars Nation editorial team. Canonical: https://junkcarsnation.com/guides/nmvtis-junk-and-salvage-reporting/ ## The rule in one paragraph NMVTIS is a federal database, run under the U.S. Department of Justice, that pulls together title, brand, odometer, and junk and salvage information from states, insurers and the vehicle-recycling industry. Under the Anti-Car Theft Act and the rules in 28 CFR Part 25, Subpart B, every business operating a junk yard or salvage yard in the U.S. must send NMVTIS a monthly inventory of the junk and salvage automobiles it obtained in the prior month. Insurers must send a monthly report on vehicles they've taken as total losses.[^cfr25][^nmvtis-auto] ## Why it exists The point is to stop stolen cars and dangerous wrecks from being passed off as clean vehicles. NMVTIS explains that thieves use VINs from destroyed vehicles because they know the true VIN will never appear on the road again. Mandatory reporting makes it much easier to catch attempts to reuse those VINs in "cloning" operations.[^nmvtis-auto] The federal rule says the system exists to keep stolen vehicles out of interstate commerce, protect states and buyers from fraud, and protect consumers from unsafe vehicles.[^cfr25] ## Who must report The rule covers anyone "engaged in the business" of acquiring or owning junk or salvage automobiles for resale (whole or as parts), rebuilding, restoration or crushing.[^cfr25] NMVTIS lists who that includes:[^nmvtis-who] - auto recyclers, junk yards and salvage yards - scrap vehicle shredders and scrap metal processors - "pull-apart" or "pick-apart" yards - salvage pools, salvage auctions and other auctions - other businesses and individuals that handle salvage vehicles, including vehicles declared a total loss - insurance carriers, including some self-insured entities - state titling agencies, which report title data separately ## What yards must report For each junk or salvage automobile obtained, the monthly report includes:[^cfr25] 1. the reporting business's name, address and contact information 2. the VIN 3. the date the vehicle was obtained 4. the name of the person or business it was obtained from 5. whether it was crushed or disposed of, sold, or used for another purpose, who it went to, and whether it's intended for export NMVTIS notes that the seller's name (item 4) is available only to law enforcement and appropriate government agencies.[^nmvtis-auto] **Follow-up reports.** A yard that doesn't yet know a vehicle's final fate when it first reports may have to file an update once it does, or if the outcome differs from what it reported.[^cfr25] NMVTIS says this supplemental report may be due at the time of disposition or within 30 days of it.[^nmvtis-auto] **Insurers** report total-loss vehicles from the current model year or the four prior model years, plus any vehicle they've determined or designated a total loss. They include the VIN, the date of the junk or salvage designation, who they got the vehicle from, and the owner at the time of the report.[^cfr25] ## Definitions that decide what's reportable - **Junk automobile:** can't be operated on public roads and has no value except as a source of parts or scrap.[^cfr25] - **Salvage automobile:** damaged by collision, fire, flood, accident, trespass or another event so badly that its fair salvage value plus the cost of repairs for legal road use would exceed its fair market value just before the damage. It also includes any vehicle a state or insurer has declared a total loss.[^cfr25] The Justice Department notes that state definitions of "junk" and "salvage" differ. The federal requirements don't change state law, and state law doesn't override the federal definitions.[^nmvtis-auto] ## Exemptions - **Fewer than five vehicles a year.** Individuals and businesses that handle fewer than five salvage, junk or total-loss vehicles a year aren't required to report under the salvage-yard rules.[^cfr25] - **The state already reports for you.** Yards don't have to file if they report the same information to their state and the state passes it to NMVTIS. The yard remains responsible for making sure the state actually does.[^nmvtis-auto] - **Not junk or salvage after appraisal.** A vehicle doesn't have to be reported if a good-faith physical and value appraisal by qualified, independent appraisal staff finds it isn't salvage or junk.[^cfr25] - **Scrap processors and shredders** don't have to report vehicles whose VINs generally can't be identified, if the supplier already reported them. If the supplier's compliance can't be confirmed, they must report based on a visual inspection, or on the title documents if the VIN can't be read.[^cfr25] ## How reporting works Yards report through third-party data consolidators approved by the Justice Department, not directly to the government. Reports can go in as often as a business likes, but no less than monthly. The Justice Department encourages reporting as soon as possible.[^nmvtis-auto] The NMVTIS site lists approved consolidators, including AAMVA's Single VIN Reporting Service.[^nmvtis-auto] Anyone can check when a business last reported through the NMVTIS reporting-status search.[^nmvtis-who] ## Penalties The statute sets a **civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation**. The Attorney General imposes it and may reduce it based on the size of the business and the seriousness of the violation.[^usc30505] Federal civil penalties are adjusted for inflation: for penalties assessed after July 3, 2025, the NMVTIS maximum is **$2,111 per violation**.[^cfr85] Reports are permanent. To prevent fraud, NMVTIS won't let anyone delete an earlier junk or salvage report. If a legitimate vehicle is wrongly reported and then destroyed, the owner is encouraged to get an inspection in their state of title to verify its identity through hidden VINs.[^cfr25] ## State law can add to it: examples **Florida** builds NMVTIS into state law. When a vehicle goes to a salvage motor vehicle dealer, the buyer must notify NMVTIS and get a properly endorsed title, salvage title or certificate of destruction. Knowingly skipping either step is a third-degree felony.[^fl-30] See [Florida junk car laws](/junk-car-laws/florida/). **Texas** points buyers to NMVTIS reports, which show whether a vehicle was ever in the hands of a junk or salvage yard or declared a total loss by an insurer.[^tx-check] See [Texas junk car laws](/junk-car-laws/texas/). Other states' dismantler and salvage reporting rules are on our [junk car laws](/junk-car-laws/) pages. ## What this means if you're selling a junk car - **A legitimate yard will ask for your name, the VIN and ownership papers**, because it has to report them. A buyer who doesn't care about paperwork is a warning sign. See [junk car scams](/guides/junk-car-scams/). - **Once reported, the car is permanently on record** as junk or salvage. That makes it much harder for a junked car to quietly come back as a clean one, though not every state and business reports yet.[^nmvtis-consumers] - **Selling without a title** is still possible in some states, but the yard's reporting duty doesn't go away. See [sell a car without a title](/guides/sell-car-without-title/). [^cfr25]: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, "28 CFR Part 25, Subpart B: National Motor Vehicle Title Information System" (§§ 25.51–25.57), https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B [^nmvtis-auto]: U.S. Department of Justice, NMVTIS, "NMVTIS Reporting Entities: For Auto Recyclers, Salvage Yards, and Junk Yards", https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_auto [^nmvtis-who]: U.S. Department of Justice, NMVTIS, "Who Reports to NMVTIS?", https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis/nmvtis_who_report [^usc30505]: 49 U.S.C. § 30505, "Civil penalty", U.S. Government Publishing Office, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title49/html/USCODE-2023-title49-subtitleVI-partA-chap305-sec30505.htm [^cfr85]: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, "28 CFR 85.5: Adjustments to penalties for violations occurring after November 2, 2015" (Table 1, 49 U.S.C. 30505(a)), https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-85/section-85.5 [^nmvtis-consumers]: U.S. Department of Justice, NMVTIS, "For Consumers", https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_consumers [^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 [^tx-check]: Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, "Title Check - Look before you buy", https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/title-check-look-before-you-buy ## Questions people ask **How often do junk yards have to report to NMVTIS?** At least monthly. Each report covers the junk and salvage vehicles obtained in the prior month. Yards may report more often, and the Justice Department encourages reporting as soon as possible. **Is there a small-business exemption?** Yes. Individuals and businesses that handle fewer than five salvage, junk or total-loss vehicles a year aren't required to report under the salvage-yard rules. **What is the penalty for not reporting to NMVTIS?** 49 U.S.C. 30505 sets a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for each violation, imposed by the Attorney General. After inflation adjustments, the maximum for penalties assessed after July 3, 2025 is $2,111 per violation. **How do yards actually submit reports?** Through third-party data consolidators approved by the Justice Department. The NMVTIS site lists them, and they include AAMVA's Single VIN Reporting Service. **Does my car show up in NMVTIS if I sell it to a junkyard?** It should. The yard must report the VIN and what happened to the car. That record is how buyers and states can later see the car was junked, and it can't be deleted.