Ohio’s Inspection Law for Salvage and Self-Assembled
Vehicles
Ohio has a vehicle inspection requirement for all vehicles that
are self-assembled or salvaged. It’s important to be aware
of this law, especially if you’re obtaining a vehicle after
it has been considered a “total” loss by an insurance
company. Before owners can obtain a vehicle title, an inspection
must be completed by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The purpose of this inspection is to verify the ownership of all
the vehicle parts and to review all required documentation. It is
not intended to certify the vehicle’s safety, road worthiness
or the quality of workmanship. The cost is $50 per inspection.
Inspection process
- Obtain an inspection application at any Deputy Registrar location.
- Complete and return the inspection application, along with
the $50 payment, to any Deputy Registrar location. Acceptable
forms of payment are a certified check or money order, payable
to Treasurer, State of Ohio.
- Contact the nearest area Ohio State Highway Patrol Salvage
Inspection Location to arrange for an appointment (see
chart below). You must provide the receipt number from the $50 inspection
fee in order to make an inspection appointment.
- Provide all required documentation for the salvage inspection
at the scheduled appointment (see
documentation list below).
Documentation
Required at Vehicle Inspections
For salvage
and self-assembled vehicles |
| Item/Documentation |
Salvage
vehicle |
Self-assembled
|
Ohio salvage
title in the name of the person applying for the title.
Note: Assigned and out-of-state salvage titles cannot be
accepted. |
x |
|
Titles,
receipts and documentation for all replaced “major component
parts”* including the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
of the source vehicle.
Note: Receipts obtained from a
casual sale by an individual must be notarized. Photocopies
of receipts cannot be accepted. |
x |
x |
| Inspection
officer may require receipts or documentation of any part of
questionable origin. |
x |
x |
| A receipt
of the $50 inspection fee. |
x |
x |
| When “kits”
are used, the manufacturer’s certificate of origin must
be presented. |
|
x |
* Major component parts listed
below
Source: Ohio State Highway Patrol
Inspection procedures
- Vehicle must be completely rebuilt and ready for highway operation.
- Before either a salvage or self-assembled inspection is conducted,
all receipts and documents will be examined. Inspection will not
be conducted if any items are missing, incorrect or incomplete.
- Individual presenting the vehicle for inspection will be permitted
in the inspection area only when authorized by the inspecting
officer.
- Applicant may be instructed to remove certain vehicle body
parts before arriving for the inspection. During inspection, it
may be necessary to remove certain parts to allow examination
of Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN). Also, it may be necessary
to leave the vehicle overnight.
- Any vehicle or component part bearing a VIN or VIN derivative
determined to be stolen/missing or altered will result in the
vehicle being impounded and held as evidence and/or seized for
forfeiture.
Failure to meet all these requirements necessitates a rescheduling
of the inspection.
Check the history of a vehicle
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles offers free online vehicle title
searches through their Web site at www.dps.state.oh.us/atps. Titles
can be searched by VIN or title number for vehicles from March 1993
to present. Or, take the VIN to your county’s title bureau.
For $2 you can obtain info regarding the mileage, whether the vehicle
was a “lemon” or was crashed and written as a salvaged
vehicle. If the county doesn’t have information about a specific
vehicle, contact the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles title section
(614-752-7671).
Another option would be to contact CarFax Inc. (www.carfax.com),
a company that collects info from all 50 states. A one-time Internet
search costs $19.99, while $24.99 will buy you an unlimited search
for a 30-day period.
Source: Ohio State Highway Patrol
 |
Americans spend 4.5 billion hours a year
in traffic, burning 7 billion gallons of
gas and losing $78 billion in wasted time.
(Columbus Dispatch, 5/20/03)
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