Reference

Title brands and NMVTIS

Title history is the record a VIN decoder cannot give you. This is what it contains, who keeps it, and how a buyer gets it.

By Pixoware. Published 26 October 2026, updated 28 October 2026.

First, what this site does not have

RunThatVIN has no title data. We do not have title brands, title history, accident or damage records, theft records, odometer readings, liens or ownership history, and nothing on the site should be read as saying a vehicle is clean on any of those points. This guide explains what those records are and where they actually come from, so you know what to ask for and what a report can and cannot tell you.

What a title brand is

A certificate of title is the state document that records who owns a vehicle. A brand is a label the state titling agency adds to that title to record something about the vehicle's past, usually that it was badly damaged, declared a total loss, or bought back by the manufacturer. NMVTIS describes brands as labels applied by state titling agencies and gives “junk,” “salvage” and “flood” as examples. NMVTIS keeps a history of the brands any state has applied to a vehicle, so a brand recorded in one state can still be seen after the vehicle is titled in another.

Brand names and the rules for applying them are set by each state, so the same history can carry different words in different places. The California DMV publishes a list of common title brands used by most states, which gives a sense of the range:

Common title brands, grouped (from the California DMV's list)
Group	Brands on the list
Damage and total loss	Salvage, Totaled, Damaged, Water damage, Junk, Scrap vehicle, Dismantled
Returned to the road	Rebuilt, Reconditioned, Revived salvage, Revived junk, Remanufactured
Manufacturer buyback	Lemon law buyback, Warranty returned
Prior use or origin	Prior police, Prior taxi, Gray market, Replica

The grouping is ours; the brand names are California's list. Your state's motor vehicle agency publishes its own definitions, and they are the ones that apply to a title issued there.

Junk and salvage in federal law

Federal law defines the two brands that matter most to NMVTIS. Under 49 U.S.C. 30501, a junk automobile is one that “is incapable of operating on public streets, roads, and highways” and “has no value except as a source of parts or scrap.” A salvage automobile is one damaged by collision, fire, flood, accident, trespass or another event to the point that its fair salvage value plus the cost of repairing it for legal road use would be more than its fair market value just before the damage. States still apply their own thresholds when branding a title.

Why a brand matters

A brand is a warning, not a verdict. A rebuilt vehicle may have been repaired properly, and the California DMV notes that revived salvage vehicles may also have been repaired badly, be unsafe, or contain stolen parts. The money matters too: NMVTIS points out that a buyer who does not know about a brand “may pay more than a vehicle’s true value.” California's DMV adds that although sellers must disclose a salvage history, that is hard to enforce, especially for vehicles from out of state. How paperwork gets laundered is covered in VIN cloning and fraud.

What NMVTIS is

The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System is a federal database of title and brand information. It was created under the Anti Car Theft Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-519), which directed the Attorney General to establish it. In 1996 the act was reauthorized and amended, moving responsibility for NMVTIS from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Justice. Today NMVTIS is a Justice Department program run through the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the system itself is operated by AAMVA, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

Its purpose, in the Bureau of Justice Assistance's words, is to prevent theft and fraud by providing an electronic means of verifying and exchanging title, brand, theft and other data among state titling agencies. Data comes from:

state motor vehicle titling agencies;
insurance carriers and operators of junk yards and salvage yards, which federal law requires to file monthly reports with the system;
automobile recyclers.

What an NMVTIS report contains

The consumer report is deliberately short. NMVTIS describes it as “intentionally concise” and lists five things it covers:

the current state of title and the last title date;
brand history, meaning brands any state has applied to the vehicle;
the odometer reading recorded with the title;
total loss history;
salvage history.

What it does not contain

NMVTIS's own disclaimer is candid about the limits. It does not contain detailed repair history. It does not contain information on all motor vehicles in the United States. Some states are not yet providing their data, others update less often, and significant past damage may not appear if it was never reported. NMVTIS also notes that private history providers offer things it is not intended to include, such as repair histories, recall information and maintenance data. And it is explicit that “A vehicle history report is NOT a substitute for an independent vehicle inspection.”

How to get a report

Consumers do not query NMVTIS directly. Reports are sold by approved data providers listed on the Justice Department's site at vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov. The site lists them alphabetically “with no preference indicated of one provider over another,” and each has agreed to provide reports consistent with federal requirements. Expect to pay for a report. We do not recommend any particular provider.

Some states build NMVTIS into dealer sales. California, for example, requires licensed dealers to obtain an NMVTIS report from an approved provider before offering a used vehicle for sale. Rules elsewhere differ.

The free check: NICB VINCheck

The National Insurance Crime Bureau runs VINCheck, a free lookup that reports whether a VIN has been reported stolen and not recovered, or reported as a salvage or flood-damaged vehicle by participating NICB member insurers. It is limited to five searches per IP address per day, and NICB says plainly that it “is not a comprehensive vehicle history report.” A hit is significant; a clean result only means none of the participating insurers reported one.

Putting it together

Read the title itself. A brand is printed on it, and a seller who will not show you the title is telling you something.
Run the VIN through NICB VINCheck for theft and insurer-reported salvage.
Buy an NMVTIS report from an approved provider for brand, title and odometer history across states.
Decode the VIN here to confirm what the manufacturer built, and check NHTSA's VIN lookup for open recalls.
Have the vehicle inspected independently. None of the databases above can see the car.

The used car checklist puts these steps in order with the rest of a purchase.

Quick answers

What is a title brand?

A label the state titling agency adds to a vehicle's title to record something about its past, usually that it was badly damaged, declared a total loss, or bought back by the manufacturer. Junk, salvage and flood are examples, and brand names and the rules for applying them are set by each state.

What does an NMVTIS report show?

Five things: the current state of title and the last title date, brand history, the odometer reading recorded with the title, total loss history and salvage history. It does not contain detailed repair history or information on all motor vehicles in the United States.

How do I get an NMVTIS report?

Buy one from an approved data provider. Consumers do not query NMVTIS directly, the approved providers are listed on the Justice Department's site at vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov, and you should expect to pay for a report.

Does RunThatVIN show title brands or accident history?

No. RunThatVIN has no title data: no title brands, title history, accident or damage records, theft records, odometer readings, liens or ownership history. Nothing on the site should be read as saying a vehicle is clean on any of those points.

Sources

What to verify by VIN before you buy →