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NMVTIS and Title Washing: Why Your Junk Car Is Reported
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The Short Answer
NMVTIS, the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, is a federal database of vehicle title, brand and junk/salvage records. Federal rules require junk and salvage yards that handle five or more vehicles a year to report each one every month. When you sell a junk car to a licensed buyer, that report marks the vehicle’s VIN (vehicle identification number) as junked, which prevents the car from being quietly retitled and resold as a clean vehicle. That practice is called title washing.
For you as the seller, the report is protection. It creates a federal record that the vehicle left the road under your sale.
How Large NMVTIS Is
The NMVTIS 2024 Annual Report, prepared by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) for the U.S. Department of Justice, reports over 2 billion total records as of 2024. They include 680 million title records, 219 million brand records and 256 million junk, salvage and insurance records. A brand, in title terms, is a permanent label such as salvage, junk or flood that follows a vehicle’s history.
In fiscal year 2024, NMVTIS received 16.9 million junk, salvage and insurance records, down 4% from 17.7 million in fiscal year 2023. Consumers ran 26 million vehicle history report transactions against the system in the same year.
Who Must Report, and What They Report
Federal rule 28 CFR 25.56 requires junk yards and salvage yards to report the VIN, the date the vehicle was obtained, the person or business it came from, and its disposition, such as crushed, sold or intended for export. The Department of Justice’s Law Enforcement and Vehicle Title Investigator Guide summarizes the obligation: entities handling five or more junk or salvage automobiles a year must report each one obtained in the prior month, and failure to report is punishable by a federal civil penalty of $1,000 per violation.
Florida adds its own requirement. Section 319.30 of the Florida Statutes requires licensed salvage dealers to notify NMVTIS before destroying a vehicle, as our Florida no-title guide explains.
What Title Washing Is
Title washing is the practice of removing a brand, such as salvage or flood, from a vehicle’s title, usually by moving the vehicle through a state with weaker records so that a new, clean title is issued. A washed vehicle can then be sold to an unsuspecting buyer at a price that hides its history. The NMVTIS Benefits brochure estimates potential annual savings of $4 billion to $11.3 billion from reducing vehicle theft, brand washing and odometer fraud.
A junk car sold to an unlicensed buyer is a prime candidate for this kind of abuse, because no report ties the VIN to its junked status. Selling to a reporting buyer closes that gap.
How This Protects You
When a licensed buyer reports your vehicle, the federal record shows that it was junked and when. If someone later tries to register the car, or if it turns up abandoned, the record supports your position that it left your ownership. Combine the NMVTIS report with the steps in our guide on plates and insurance after the sale for complete protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is NMVTIS?
The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System is a federal database operated by AAMVA for the U.S. Department of Justice. It holds title, brand and junk/salvage records from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Does every junk car buyer have to report to NMVTIS?
Junk and salvage yards that handle five or more junk or salvage vehicles a year must report monthly under 28 CFR 25.56. Very small operators below that threshold are exempt.
Can I check whether a car has been reported as junk?
Yes. Approved NMVTIS data providers sell vehicle history reports to consumers; the Department of Justice lists them at vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov.
What is the penalty for not reporting?
The federal guide lists a civil penalty of $1,000 per violation.
Related Guides
- What Happens to Your Car After It Is Junked
- Selling a Flood-Damaged Car in Florida or New Jersey
- What to Do With Your Plates and Insurance After Selling a Junk Car
See every topic on our Junk Car Selling Guides page, or find your town on Areas We Serve.
Sources
- AAMVA for U.S. DOJ, NMVTIS 2024 Annual Report (published 2025)
- U.S. DOJ/BJA, NMVTIS Law Enforcement and Vehicle Title Investigator Guide
- AAMVA/DOJ, NMVTIS Benefits brochure (Rev. 12/2019)
- 28 CFR 25.56, Junk Yard and Salvage Yard Reporting
About the Data on This Page
NMVTIS record counts come from the fiscal year 2024 annual report, published in August 2025. The $1,000 penalty is the statutory base amount; we have not verified the current inflation-adjusted figure. The title-washing savings estimate comes from a 2019 brochure. Information here is a plain-language summary for consumers, not legal advice. Last reviewed November 2026.
