10/01/2025
I know several counties hate confrontation with customers. But how many let known "salvage" vehicles be tagged and titled without requiring the taxpayer go through the salvage title process with an inspection from the State and issuing a "rebuilt" title?
I had an appeal today from a county with a 2021 Honda with almost $24,000 worth of damage. The whole front end, the side panels, multiple air bags, and even engine transmission would all need to be replaced. Why it was not reported by the insurance company I do not know, but they wanted the value adjusted for TAVT.
I denied to provide a value and told the county to not process the title and instruct the taxpayer on applying for a salvage title through the State. Back when I worked for the State, I remember a father that was upset as his daughter was killed in an accident in a vehicle he purchased for her. The car had been previously wrecked causing roof damage and other structural damage. The title was clean, but the repairs were made with spot welds and inferior parts. If repaired to the manufacturer specs, his daughter would have survived. We can't catch them all, but I think we have a responsibility to act if we see this. Of course, I do know many times the State does not have your back. I caught a shop in Cobb County buying vehicles from a self-insured company out of State in salvage condition. Repairing them for sale, then selling them with clear titles to unsuspecting customers. For refusing to adjust the values and instructing the county to deny issuing clear titles without an inspection and then issuing "rebuilt" titles, I was let go from my position. I won it back through an appeal process, but as far as I know that shop continued buying wrecked vehicles, he just quit appealing the value (I never got the name of the guy or shop).
I gave the county the following from the State.
On this page find the definition of a component part and how it applies to branding a title as salvage. If a vehicle is in inoperable condition requiring the replacement of two or more components parts, the title is branded as salvage and cannot legally be driven on Georgia roads.
A major component part of a motor vehicle is any one of the following:
- Front clip assembly including fender, hood, and bumper.
- Rear clip assembly including quarter panels and floor panel assembly, and roof assembly including a soft top
- Engine and transmission
- Frame
- Complete side of a vehicle including fenders, door(s), and quarter panel