Notwithstanding any other provision of law, whenever any motor vehicle which qualifies as "wreckage" or "salvage" is transferred in this State pursuant to Section 56-19-480, whether the vehicle was, immediately before such transfer, titled in this State or in another state, the vehicle shall be designated as "wreckage" or "salvage", as may be applicable, to the extent necessary to inform the transferee of the exact condition of the vehicle. No wrecked or salvaged out-of-state vehicle or South Carolina registered vehicle shall be registered under the laws of this State without such designation, and this designation must be applied to all subsequent transfers of the vehicle.
The provisions of this section apply to transfers of vehicles in all of the circumstances described in Section 56-19-480, whether the vehicle is "totaled", declared a total loss, "junked", or "salvaged".
Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the owner of a vehicle whose total cost of repair, including all labor and parts, is estimated to be seventy-five percent or more of the fair market value of the vehicle must provide the Department of Motor Vehicles an affidavit from a person who reconstructs or rebuilds a vehicle indicating the cost of repair along with other data the department may prescribe to obtain a certificate of title. 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. A certificate of title issued for a vehicle described in this paragraph must be annotated to indicate the motor vehicle is designated "wreckage" or "salvage" as applicable to the extent necessary to inform the transferee of the exact condition of the vehicle. A wrecked or salvaged out-of-state vehicle or South Carolina registered vehicle may not be registered in this State without this designation, and this designation must be applied to subsequent transfer of the vehicle.
HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 101, Section 1; 2003 Act No. 52, Section 3.