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186A.520 Salvage titles -- Conditions for issuance -- Operation of vehicle with
salvage title.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Except as provided in KRS 186A.555, a salvage title shall be obtained by the
owner of a motor vehicle that meets the following definition of a salvage
vehicle:
(a) A vehicle which has been wrecked, destroyed, or damaged, to the extent
that the total estimated or actual cost of parts and labor to rebuild or
reconstruct the vehicle to its preaccident condition and for legal operation
on the roads or highways, not including the cost of parts and labor to
reinstall a deployed airbag system, exceeds seventy-five percent (75%) of
the retail value of the vehicle, as set forth in a current edition of the
National Automobile Dealer's Association price guide.
(b) The value of repair parts for purposes of this definition shall be
determined by using the current published retail cost of the parts equal in
kind and quality to the parts to be replaced or the actual retail cost of the
repair parts used in repair.
(c) The labor costs of repairs for purposes of this section shall be computed
by using the hourly labor rate and time allocations which are reasonable
and customary in the automobile repair industry in the community where
the repairs are performed.
(d) Airbag reinstallation costs which are excluded from the seventy-five
percent (75%) computation as set forth in paragraph (a) of this subsection
shall be included by an insurer in the computation of the total physical
damage estimate according to the terms and conditions of individual
policies, provided that the total costs payable by an insurer do not exceed
the total retail value of the vehicle.
The owner or an authorized agent of a motor vehicle that meets the definition
of a salvage vehicle as set forth in subsection (1) of this section shall, within
fifteen (15) days from the receipt of all necessary paperwork required by this
chapter, submit an application to the county clerk, on a form prescribed by the
Department of Vehicle Regulation, for a salvage title, accompanied by a
properly endorsed certificate of title and any lien satisfactions, if any appear, as
may be required.
The county clerk shall retain a copy of each salvage title application received
and shall forward the original and its supporting documents to the Department
of Vehicle Regulation in a manner similar to that for handling of an application
for a title.
The Department of Vehicle Regulation shall process the salvage title
application in a manner similar to that used in processing a title application and
the salvage title shall be delivered in a like manner of a title. Salvage titles shall
be construed as proof of ownership of a vehicle in a state as to be unusable
upon the highways of the Commonwealth. A vehicle shall not be issued a
registration for highway use as long as a salvage title is in force.
The only time a vehicle with a salvage title may be operated upon the
highways of the Commonwealth is when it is in route to or from an inspection
by the certified inspector prior to obtaining a certificate of title after having been
rebuilt as per KRS 186.115.
Effective:October 1, 2009
History: Amended 2009 Ky. Acts ch. 54, sec. 1, effective October 1, 2009. -Amended 2003 Ky. Acts ch. 97, sec. 3, effective June 24, 2003. -- Amended
2000 Ky. Acts ch. 230, sec. 2, effective July 14, 2000. -- Amended 1994 Ky.
Acts ch. 243, sec. 3, effective July 15, 1994; renumbered by the Reviser of
Statutes, effective July 15, 1994. -- Created 1982 Ky. Acts ch. 164, sec. 64,
effective July 15, 1982.
Formerly codified as KRS 186A.335.
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