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South Carolina: total loss threshold and rebuilt title rules
What South Carolina’s own pages print, word for word. Kind of rule, by our sorting: Percentage.
This is a reference to quoted official text, not legal, tax, insurance or professional advice. Rules change; confirm with the agency before acting.
Total Loss Threshold is an independent reference. It is not a government site and is not affiliated with any state agency, legislature or insurance company.
When is a vehicle salvage or a total loss in South Carolina, in the state’s words?
“For purposes of this section, a "salvage vehicle", and a "vehicle declared to be a total loss" are all synonyms and are defined to be any motor vehicle which is damaged to the extent that the cost of repairing the motor vehicle, including both parts and reasonable market charges for labor, equal or exceed seventy-five percent of the fair market value of the motor vehicle.”
“The provisions contained in this section do not apply to a motor vehicle that has a fair market value of two thousand dollars or less, or an antique motor vehicle as defined by Section 56-3-2210.”
Citation as the page prints it: SECTION 56-19-480. Transfer and surrender of certificates, license plates, registration cards and manufacturers' serial plates of vehicles sold as salvage, abandoned, scrapped, or destroyed.
(South Carolina Code of Laws Title 56, chapter 19 (Section 56-19-480), read November 11, 2026)
The statute and the Department of Motor Vehicles page word the threshold differently: equal or exceed
in one, exceed 75 percent
in the other. Both are quoted, and the tool follows the statute sentence.
The fee sentence comes from the form. We found no inspection fee sentence.
Compare your figures with South Carolina’s quoted rule
The tool shows the sentence the state prints and does the arithmetic that sentence describes on the figures you type. Nothing is sent anywhere and nothing is saved.
How do you get a rebuilt title in South Carolina, in the state’s words?
“If a salvage, salvage flood, or salvage fire vehicle is rebuilt, a regular certificate of title may not again be issued except upon submission of an application stating that the vehicle has been rebuilt and containing the information ordinarily required by the department for the issuance of a certificate of title as well as any information the department may require about the identity of the vehicle, the source and cost of any parts used in, and the extent of any repairs or other work done to the vehicle.”
“A vehicle that has a salvage title is transferred to a new owner who has repaired the vehicle and completed the proper documents before titling in his/her name.”
What fee does South Carolina print?
“Title Fee of $15.00”
Read each fee sentence for what it covers: an inspection, a title, or something else.
Which form does South Carolina name?
“Application for Salvage/Branded Certificate of Title (SCDMV Form 400-S)”
What do the pages print about the title afterwards?
“If requirements are met, this brand may be changed to Salvage Rebuilt.”
“Once a salvage brand is added to a vehicle’s title, it can never be removed, though the type of salvage brand may change.”
What else do the pages say?
“A salvage brand is used when a vehicle is declared a total loss by an insurance company, has repairs that exceed 75 percent of the value of the vehicle before the damage occurred, or has damage to the body, unibody, or frame to the extent that it is unsafe to operate.”
Where are South Carolina’s official pages?
- South Carolina Code of Laws Title 56, chapter 19 (Section 56-19-480)
- SCDMV, Title Brands
- SCDMV Form 400-S, Application for Salvage/Branded Certificate of Title
- SCDMV, Total Loss Claim
Every quote above was matched word for word against its page on November 11, 2026. If one has changed, tell us.