Junk, salvage and rebuilt: Illinois title brands explained

What is a junk title in Illinois?

In Illinois, a "junk title" usually means a junking certificate. The person holding a junk vehicle surrenders its title to the Secretary of State and gets a junking certificate, which lets them keep, move or transfer the vehicle. Once that certificate is issued, the car can never get a regular certificate of title again (625 ILCS 5/3-117.1).

A “branded” title is any title that records something more than ownership: that the car was wrecked, flooded, junked or rebuilt. The brand stays with the car, so it matters when you sell. Illinois uses three main documents, set out in the Illinois Vehicle Code.

The three brands at a glance

FLOOD is a fourth word that can appear on a salvage certificate or a regular title. More on that below.

Junking certificate

Under 625 ILCS 5/3-117.1(a), a person who has a junk vehicle must, within 15 days, surrender the certificate of title (or salvage certificate) to the Secretary of State and apply for a junking certificate. The certificate lets the holder keep the vehicle, transport it, or transfer it by endorsement. And the key line: a certificate of title is never issued for that vehicle again.

There’s one exception for owners. If no lienholder is on the title, or the owner has a lien release, the owner doesn’t have to surrender the title itself when applying. Licensed businesses can also move a junk vehicle between each other with a uniform invoice before the junking certificate arrives.

What this means for you as a seller: a car that already has a junking certificate can still be sold for scrap, but it can’t come back as a road car. It also can’t be driven to us; Illinois bars driving any salvage or junk vehicle on its roads (625 ILCS 5/3-117.1(e)), so it has to be towed. Our tow is free.

Salvage certificate

A salvage certificate usually follows a total loss, such as a crash where the airbags deployed and the repair outran the car’s value. When an insurance company pays a total-loss claim, the insurer is treated as the owner and must send the title to the Secretary of State within 20 days, and the salvage certificate is issued in the insurer’s name.

Two exceptions let the owner keep the car by agreement with the insurer: a car with only hail damage that doesn’t affect safety, and any car 9 model years old or older. If you kept your car after a payout under one of those exceptions, check what your paperwork says before you sell. The insurer rule applies to leased cars as well, and the leasing company owns the car in any case, which is why a lessee can’t sell a totaled lease car for scrap. Junking a leased car explains what happens instead.

Other routes to salvage exist too, for repossessed cars, fleet vehicles and self-insured companies, generally tied to damage worth more than 50 or 70 percent of the car’s value.

REBUILT

When a car with a salvage certificate is repaired and gets a new title, that title carries the notation “REBUILT” (625 ILCS 5/3-118.1). There’s one narrow exception: a theft-recovery car with no structural damage can get a title without the REBUILT notation, through the insurer or certain licensed dealers. Newer rebuilt cars need an inspection first. Our rebuilt title guide covers the process and what the brand does to value.

FLOOD

A car that sat in water above the door sill, with water in the cabin or trunk, is a “flood vehicle” under Illinois law. If repairs would cost more than half its value, it becomes salvage with “flood” on the certificate; if less, it gets a regular title that still says “flood.” Either way the word follows the car onto every later title. If your car stalled in deep water, read our hydrolocked engine guide too.

Selling a car with a branded title to us

We buy cars with junk, salvage, rebuilt and flood brands. The brand lowers what a car is worth on the road but matters less for a junk sale, where the value is mostly metal and parts. What matters most is that you have the document, signed over at pickup. If you’ve lost it, our guide to selling without a title explains what can still work in Illinois and Indiana.

Whether the car is in Lockport or anywhere else we cover, and whatever the title says, send the details for a free offer and tell us what’s printed on the title. More title and paperwork guides are in the guide index.

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