301.227. Salvage certificate of title mandatory or optional, when--issuance, fee--junking certificate issued or rescinded, when. - Missouri Statutes

Salvage certificate of title mandatory or optional, when--issuance,fee--junking certificate issued or rescinded, when.

301.227. 1. Whenever a vehicle is sold for salvage, dismantling orrebuilding, the purchaser shall forward to the director of revenue withinten days the certificate of ownership or salvage certificate of title andthe proper application and fee of eight dollars and fifty cents, and thedirector shall issue a negotiable salvage certificate of title to thepurchaser of the salvaged vehicle. On vehicles purchased during a yearthat is no more than six years after the manufacturer's model yeardesignation for such vehicle, it shall be mandatory that the purchaserapply for a salvage title. On vehicles purchased during a year that ismore than six years after the manufacturer's model year designation forsuch vehicle, then application for a salvage title shall be optional on thepart of the purchaser. Whenever a vehicle is sold for destruction and asalvage certificate of title, junking certificate, or certificate ofownership exists, the seller, if licensed under sections 301.217 to301.221, shall forward the certificate to the director of revenue withinten days, with the notation of the date sold for destruction and the nameof the purchaser clearly shown on the face of the certificate.

2. Whenever a vehicle is classified as "junk", as defined in section301.010, the purchaser may forward to the director of revenue the salvagecertificate of title or certificate of ownership and the director shallissue a negotiable junking certificate to the purchaser of the vehicle.The director may also issue a junking certificate to a possessor of avehicle manufactured twenty-six years or more prior to the current modelyear who has a bill of sale for said vehicle but does not possess acertificate of ownership, provided no claim of theft has been made on thevehicle and the highway patrol has by letter stated the vehicle is notlisted as stolen after checking the registration number through itsnationwide computer system. Such certificate may be granted within thirtydays of the submission of a request.

3. Upon receipt of a properly completed application for a junkingcertificate, the director of revenue shall issue to the applicant a junkingcertificate which shall authorize the holder to possess, transport, or, byassignment, transfer ownership in such parts, scrap or junk, and acertificate of title shall not again be issued for such vehicle; exceptthat, the initial purchaser shall, within ninety days, be allowed torescind his application for a junking certificate by surrendering thejunking certificate and apply for a salvage certificate of title in hisname. The seller of a vehicle for which a junking certificate has beenapplied for or issued shall disclose such fact in writing to anyprospective buyers before sale of such vehicle; otherwise the sale shall bevoidable at the option of the buyer.

4. No scrap metal operator shall acquire or purchase a motor vehicleor parts thereof without, at the time of such acquisition, receiving theoriginal certificate of title or salvage certificate of title or junkingcertificate from the seller of the vehicle or parts, unless the seller is alicensee under sections 301.219 to 301.221.

5. All titles and certificates required to be received by scrap metaloperators from nonlicensees shall be forwarded by the operator to thedirector of revenue within ten days of the receipt of the vehicle or parts.

6. The scrap metal operator shall keep a record, for three years, ofthe seller's name and address, the salvage business license number of thelicensee, date of purchase, and any vehicle or parts identification numbersopen for inspection as provided in section 301.225.

7. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a motorvehicle dealer as defined in section 301.550 and licensed under theprovisions of sections 301.550 to 301.572* may negotiate one reassignmentof a salvage certificate of title on the back thereof.

8. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 1 of this section, aninsurance company which settles a claim for a stolen vehicle may apply forand shall be issued a negotiable salvage certificate of title without thepayment of any fee upon proper application within thirty days aftersettlement of the claim for such stolen vehicle. However, if the insurancecompany upon recovery of a stolen vehicle determines that the stolenvehicle has not sustained damage to the extent that the vehicle would haveotherwise been declared a salvage vehicle pursuant to subdivision (51) ofsection 301.010, then the insurance company may have the vehicle inspectedby the Missouri state highway patrol, or other law enforcement agencyauthorized by the director of revenue, in accordance with the inspectionprovisions of subsection 9 of section 301.190. Upon receipt of titleapplication, applicable fee, the completed inspection, and the return ofany previously issued negotiable salvage certificate, the director shallissue an original title with no salvage or prior salvage designation. Uponthe issuance of an original title the director shall remove any indicationof the negotiable salvage title previously issued to the insurance companyfrom the department's electronic records.

(L. 1979 H.B. 78 § 9, A.L. 1983 H.B. 149, et al., A.L. 1984 S.B. 648 Revision, H.B. 1045, A.L. 1986 H.B. 1367 & 1573, A.L. 1988 H.B. 1581, A.L. 1990 H.B. 1279, A.L. 2004 S.B. 1233, et al., A.L. 2007 S.B. 82)

*Section 301.572 was repealed in 1997 by H.B. 207.