Total loss threshold by state

How to read the table

Almost every "total loss threshold" you see quoted online is a salvage-title rule. It tells the motor vehicle department when a damaged car's title has to be branded. It does not tell your insurer when to declare your car a total loss, and it never sets the size of your check. In most states that decision is the insurer's own judgment, and the number that drives it is the actual cash value the insurer computes.

Three things to check in every row. What it governs: the title brand, the insurer's decision, or both. What it is measured against: retail value, fair market value, replacement cost, and actual cash value are different numbers, so the same percentage means different dollars. The limits: many rules reach only newer cars, or only vehicles above a dollar floor, or only claims with no insurer involved.

"Formula" means the state compares repair cost (sometimes plus salvage value) with the car's value instead of using a percentage. "None" means no statute sets a number; the insurer's decision or a payment itself creates the salvage status.

The table: all 50 states and the District of Columbia

Every row was read from the state's own statute or rule in October 2026 and the quoted words were checked by script against the official text. Click a citation to read the source. Where a state's official code blocks automated reading, the row is marked mirror and names the site the text was read on.

The states where the number binds the insurer

These are the exceptions, and they are what people usually assume every threshold is. In five of them the law speaks to the insurer's own total-loss decision (Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Washington). In the other three it governs how a total loss must be valued or handled once the insurer has declared one (Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania). Everywhere else the statute speaks only to the title.

• Connecticut. Conn. Gen. Stat. 38a-353(a) binds the payout: once the insurer declares a constructive total loss, it must use at least the average of the retail values from the NADA guide (or another approved public source) and one other approved source. For that section a constructive total loss means repair or salvage costs, or both, that equal or exceed the total value at the time of loss; the section does not say when an insurer must declare one.
• Maryland. COMAR 31.15.12.02B(9): repair cost at or above actual cash value, or at or above a percentage of it established by the insurer; the insurer may add estimated hidden-damage repairs and anticipated rental to the repair side.
• Massachusetts. 211 CMR 133.05: whenever appraised repair cost plus probable salvage may reasonably be expected to exceed actual cash value, the insurer must determine actual cash value from listed factors and a licensed appraiser must complete a total loss report on a form filed with the Division of Insurance. The rule states no percentage.
• North Carolina. 11 NCAC 04 .0418(c): at or above 75 percent of pre-accident actual cash value the insurer shall designate a total loss and pay the pre-accident value.
• Oklahoma. 36 O.S. 1250.8(M): repair costs plus salvage value meeting or exceeding the actual cash value prior to the loss.
• Pennsylvania. 31 Pa. Code 62.3(e) makes the appraised value of the loss the replacement value when the cost of repairing exceeds the vehicle's appraised value less salvage value (or it can't be restored to predamaged condition), and 62.1 says an appraisal includes estimates made by the insurer. 75 Pa.C.S. 1161(b) also bars an insurer from paying replacement value to an owner who keeps the vehicle until the owner shows the certificate of salvage has been issued.
• Rhode Island. R.I. Gen. Laws 27-9.1-4(a)(29) lists as an unfair claims practice (if committed in violation of 27-9.1-3) designating a vehicle a total loss when the cost to rebuild is less than 75% to 80% of fair market value; the consumer may designate a total loss when the 75% threshold is met but below 80%; nothing in it requires a total loss above 80%; and the insurer may agree to a total loss below 80% at the owner's written request. Fair market value here means retail value from a nationally recognized compilation.
• Washington. WAC 284-30-320(18): parts and labor plus salvage value meeting or exceeding, or likely to, the actual cash value.

The misreads that cost people money

• Retail is not actual cash value. Alabama, Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, Wyoming, and North Carolina's title rule all measure against a retail or guidebook value. Your settlement is built on actual cash value, a different and usually lower number. A 75 percent threshold against retail can be met before a 75 percent threshold against actual cash value would be.
• Georgia has no 75 percent. The figure is repeated everywhere and is not in current Georgia law. A car is salvage when it needs two or more major component parts replaced or when an insurer has paid a total loss claim.
• Illinois's 70 percent is for self-insured fleets. For an insured car, the insurer paying a total loss claim is what makes the vehicle salvage.
• Florida's 80 percent is for uninsured vehicles. For an insured car, the statute's definition turns on the insurer paying to replace it. The regulator does describe 80 percent as the practical line, but that is guidance.
• Oklahoma's number changes on November 1, 2026. Senate Bill 1920 raises every 60 percent in the title law to 70 percent. Either way it is a title rule; the claims statute uses a formula with no percentage.
• Several rules reach only newer cars. Wisconsin (under 7 years), Missouri (within 6 years of the model year), Kansas (late model, 6 preceding years), Michigan (late-model vehicles), Nebraska (late model), New Hampshire (model year plus 4 years), Indiana (last 7 model years), Oklahoma (last 10 model years), New York (8 model years), Rhode Island (7 years), and Arkansas (7 model years) all limit the percentage test by age. An older car can be totaled without ever touching the rule.
• Maryland lets the insurer pick its own percentage. The claim rule says the total loss line is a percentage of actual cash value "established by the insurer." The 75 percent people cite is the title rule.

What this means for your claim

Whether your car is totaled and what you are paid both run through one number: the actual cash value in the insurer's valuation report. A low valuation totals the car sooner and shrinks the check at the same time. The threshold rarely changes either outcome, because in most states it only decides what the title says afterward.

So the useful question is not "what is my state's threshold" but "is the valuation right." Comparable vehicles that are not comparable, condition deductions applied to every comparable, and negotiation discounts taken off advertised prices are the usual problems, and they show up in the report itself. The free gap-check reads your valuation PDF and shows where it is off, before you pay anything.

How this table was built

Each row rests on the state's own statute or administrative rule, fetched in October 2026 from the legislature's or agency's site and quoted word for word (a script checks every quotation against the fetched text). Where the official code is published only through a commercial host that blocks automated reading, the row says so and names the mirror used. Nineteen states also have full pages on this site, linked from the state name, which carry the surrounding claims rules.

Laws change. Oklahoma's changes on November 1, 2026, Rhode Island's insurer-side band took effect in July 2025, Kentucky named its valuation guides in February 2026, and Iowa's rose from 50 to 70 percent in 2021. If you find a row that no longer matches the statute, write to support@gettruetotal.com with the section and we will fix it.

State-by-state notes

Alabama. Alabama's 75 percent is real and it is a salvage-title rule: Ala. Code 32-8-87(d)(1) opens 'for the purposes of this section', and the section is the title-branding law. It is measured against fair retail value, not actual cash value, and it takes both a payment and damage at or above the line. Nothing in it tells an insurer when to declare a total loss or what to pay. Ala. Code 32-8-87(d)(1)

Alaska. Alaska's vehicle statutes (AS Title 28) set no total-loss or salvage threshold; the rule is a DMV regulation. When an insurer takes title after paying a claim for an actual total loss (wrecked, dismantled, or destroyed) or a constructive total loss (repair cost exceeds the vehicle's worth or insured value), it must mark the title "junk" and surrender it, and the DMV may brand a junk or wrecked vehicle's title as salvage. Nothing in it tells the insurer when to total a car or what to pay. 2 AAC 92.170(a), (c) 2 AAC 92.190 3 AAC 26.080(a)(1), (g)

Arizona. Arizona sets no percentage. A.R.S. 28-2091 makes a vehicle a salvage vehicle when the owner, leasing company, financial institution, or insurance company considers it uneconomical to repair. That governs the title brand after the decision; the decision is the insurer's own judgment. A.A.C. R20-6-801(H) governs how the settlement is built, taxes and fees included. A.R.S. 28-2091 (definition of salvage vehicle)

Arkansas. Arkansas's 70 percent lives in the Department of Finance and Administration's titling rules, 27 CAR 14-101(14), not the insurance code. It is measured against average retail value from an approved pricing guide, its only consequence is the word SALVAGE on the title, and the rule's own definition of motor vehicle leaves out vehicles more than seven model years old before the occurrence, motorcycles, and heavy trucks. 27 CAR 14-101(14) 27 CAR 14-101(5)(B)

California. California sets no percentage. Vehicle Code 544 makes a car a total loss salvage vehicle when the owner or the insurer considers it uneconomical to repair. That governs the title brand; the totaling decision is the insurer's judgment. What California regulates closely is the settlement math, under 10 CCR 2695.8(b). Cal. Veh. Code 544(a)

Colorado. Colorado uses no percentage for the insurer's decision. The 100 percent people quote is the salvage-title statute, CRS 42-6-102(17), and even there the word is 'exceeds': a car is salvage when the insurer declares it a total loss or repair cost exceeds its retail fair market value, with hail damage and theft excluded. The claim decision is the insurer's judgment under Regulation 5-2-15. CRS 42-6-102(17)(a)(I)

Connecticut. Connecticut sets no percentage for the salvage brand: an insurer that takes possession of a Connecticut-titled vehicle that has been declared a total loss and offers it for sale in the state must stamp the title SALVAGE, and a "salvage vehicle" is one an insurer declared a total loss that was then reconstructed. Separately, the insurance code defines a constructive total loss as repair or salvage costs (or both) that equal or exceed the vehicle's total value at the time of loss, and once an insurer declares one it must use at least the average of two approved retail value sources to set the settlement. Neither provision says when an insurer must declare a total loss. Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-16c(a)(1)(A), (B) Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-16c(f) Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-103a(a)(5) Conn. Gen. Stat. 38a-353(a)

Delaware. Delaware has no percentage or formula. When a Delaware-titled vehicle is transferred as salvage because of a total loss insurance settlement, the insurer must send the title to the DMV within 30 days for a salvage certificate, and if the owner keeps the car, the insurer must either do the same or have the owner get a salvage certificate before it pays. The insurer's total-loss settlement is the trigger; the statute does not say when a car must be totaled. 21 Del. C. 2512(a), (b) Delaware DMV, Procedures for Owner Retained Salvage Vehicles

District of Columbia. The District's 75% is a title rule: a Salvage Vehicle is one whose total estimated or actual cost of parts and labor to rebuild exceeds 75% of its pre-damage retail value from an approved compilation, or one the owner voluntarily designates. An insurer that acquires a Salvage Vehicle in a damage settlement must apply for the salvage title within 30 days, and one that settles without taking the vehicle must notify the owner and the DMV. The code text does not make an insurer's total loss declaration a separate trigger and does not govern what the insurer pays. D.C. Code 50-1331.01(12) ("Salvage Vehicle" defined) D.C. Code 50-1331.02(a), (d) (duty to apply for salvage title) D.C. Code 50-1331.04(d) (Department may reissue a salvage title)

Florida. Florida's 80 percent is narrower than most sites say. In section 319.30(3)(a), an insured car is a total loss when the insurer pays to replace it or pays out on a theft; the 80 percent test applies to an uninsured vehicle, measured against the cost of replacing it with one of like kind and quality. Both are title definitions. Florida's insurance regulator does tell consumers that repairs at or above 80 percent of value bring a replacement settlement, so the number matters in practice, but it is not a statute binding the insurer. Fla. Stat. 319.30(3)(a)1.

Georgia. Georgia has no threshold, despite the 75 percent repeated across the internet. Under O.C.G.A. 40-3-2 a car becomes a salvage motor vehicle when restoring it would take replacing two or more major component parts, or when an insurer has paid a total loss claim and the vehicle has not been repaired, regardless of the extent of the damage. The insurer's decision creates the salvage status; no law tells the insurer where to draw the line. O.C.G.A. 40-3-2(11)(A)-(B) (text read on FindLaw; the official code blocks automated access)

Hawaii. Hawaii's salvage certificate has no percentage: it is required when a vehicle is sold as salvage or goes to an insurer after a total loss insurance settlement, and a rebuilt car's later titles must say Rebuilt Vehicle. The definition of "rebuilt vehicle" counts a car as a total loss only if it has material damage (including flood damage) to its electronics, frame, unitized structure, or suspension and the projected repair cost exceeds its market value at the time of the incident. None of this sets when an insurer must total a car or what it pays. HRS 286-48(a), (e) HRS 286-2 ("Rebuilt vehicle") HRS 431:10C-309 HRS 431:10C-311(a)(1)

Idaho. Idaho sets no percentage. A salvage vehicle is one already declared salvage, or one the owner or insurer determines is uneconomical to repair because the cost of parts and labor minus the salvage value makes it so, and any vehicle an insurer has paid out as a total loss counts as salvage. Anyone acquiring a salvage vehicle must get a salvage certificate of title; the statute leaves the totaling decision to the owner or insurer. Idaho Code 49-123(2)(o) Idaho Code 49-524(1), (5), (9) Idaho Code 49-525(1)

Illinois. For an ordinary insurance claim Illinois sets no percentage: when the insurer pays a total loss claim the vehicle is salvage, with exceptions letting the owner keep a hail-damaged car or a car nine model years old or older. The 70 percent quoted everywhere is misattributed; in 625 ILCS 5/3-117.1(b)(1.1) it applies to a self-insured company's vehicle. The settlement itself is regulated under 50 Ill. Adm. Code Part 919. 625 ILCS 5/3-117.1(b)(1) 625 ILCS 5/3-117.1(b)(1.1)

Indiana. Indiana's 70 percent is not the general rule. When an insurer settles, the salvage-title trigger is the insurer's own determination that repair is economically impractical plus an agreed settlement with the insured or claimant; the 70 percent test (repair cost over 70 percent of fair market value, meaning average trade-in value) applies only when the owner is a business that insures its own vehicles or bought the vehicle after it was damaged. Flood-damaged vehicles also need a salvage title, and only vehicles from the last seven model years are covered. IC 9-22-3-3(a) IC 9-22-3-2 IC 9-13-2-160(1) IC 9-22-3-4.1(a), (c)(1)

Iowa. In Iowa a "wrecked or salvage vehicle" is a damaged vehicle whose repair cost exceeds 70 percent of its fair market value before the damage, and dealers and rebuilders who acquire one must get a salvage title. Any vehicle that passes to the insurer in a damage or unrecovered-theft settlement is deemed a wrecked or salvage vehicle whatever the percentage, and the insurer must get the salvage title within 30 days. The rule covers only vehicles worth $500 or more before the damage, and it does not tell the insurer when to total a car or what to pay. Iowa Code 321.52(4)(e) Iowa Code 321.52(4)(b) Iowa Code 321.52(4)(c) 761 IAC 405.2 Iowa Code 321.52(4)(e), Iowa Code 2021 edition (superseded; shows the former fifty percent)

Kansas. Kansas's 75 percent sits in the vehicle code's definition of a salvage vehicle, K.S.A. 8-197(b)(2)(B). It reaches only late model vehicles (the model year of the wreck or the six preceding years), it is measured against retail fair market value, it excludes merely cosmetic windstorm or hail damage, and a separate clause makes a vehicle salvage when the insurer determines it a total loss and takes title. It governs the title brand. K.S.A. 8-197(b)(2)(B)-(C)

Kentucky. Kentucky requires a salvage title when the estimated or actual cost of parts and labor to restore the vehicle, not counting airbag reinstallation, exceeds 75 percent of its retail value from an approved guide (Kelley Blue Book or J.D. Power). When the owner keeps the car, an insurer may not pay a claim with damage at or above 75 percent of value until the owner has surrendered the title or applied for a salvage title, and hail-only damage over 75 percent on a drivable car the owner keeps gets a "Hail Damage" brand instead. The 75 percent sets the brand and holds up payment; it does not decide whether the insurer totals the car or how much it pays. KRS 186A.520(1)(a)1 KRS 186A.530(3), (7)(b) KRS 186A.555(1), (5) (version effective until Jan. 1, 2027) KRS 186A.295(1)(a), (1)(c)1, (3) KRS 304.20-110(2) 806 KAR 20:030, Section 1

Louisiana. Louisiana's 75 percent is in the certificate-of-title chapter, La. R.S. 32:702(14), which opens 'As used in this Chapter'. It is measured against NADA Handbook market value, a named book, not actual cash value, cosmetic hail damage is carved out, and under R.S. 32:707(I)(1)(a) the salvage title follows the insurance settlement rather than driving it. La. R.S. 32:702(14) La. R.S. 32:707(I)(1)(a)

Maine. Maine sets no percentage. A salvage vehicle is one an insurer or owner declares a total loss, or one transferred to a recycler or salvage dealer, and an insurer that declares one must surrender the title and apply for a certificate of salvage within 30 days of settling the claim. The statute leaves the total-loss call to the insurer or owner; it does not say when a car must be totaled or what the insurer pays. Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 29-A, sec. 602(13) (definition of salvage vehicle) Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 29-A, sec. 602(19) (definition of total loss) Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 29-A, sec. 667(1)(A) (insurer surrenders title, applies for certificate of salvage) Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 29-A, sec. 652(13) (no title or salvage certificate for vehicles over 25 years old) Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 24-A, sec. 2910-B (comparable vehicles used to value a damaged vehicle)

Maryland. Maryland sets no number for the insurer: COMAR 31.15.12.02B(9) defines a total loss as repair cost at or above actual cash value or at or above a percentage of it 'established by the insurer'. The 75 percent belongs to the title: Transportation 11-152(a)(1) brands a vehicle salvage when the cost to repair it exceeds 75 percent of its fair market value, with towing, storage, rental, and cosmetic repair left out of the repair cost, and 13-506(c)(5) says the calculation may not affect the right to decide not to repair. Md. Code, Transp. 11-152(a)(1) Md. Code, Transp. 13-506(c)(4)-(5) COMAR 31.15.12.02B(9)(a)

Massachusetts. Massachusetts sets no percentage. For the title, a total loss salvage motor vehicle is one the insurer, or an uninsured owner, considers uneconomical to repair; an insurer that acquires one must surrender the title and apply for a salvage title within ten days, and passenger vehicles ten or more years old are exempt. A Division of Insurance regulation adds a total loss formula trigger: when appraised repair cost plus probable salvage may reasonably be expected to exceed actual cash value, the insurer must determine actual cash value and an appraiser must complete a total loss report, though the text does not order the insurer to total the car. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90D, sec. 1 (definition of total loss salvage motor vehicle) Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90D, sec. 20(a) (insurer surrenders title, applies for salvage title) Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90D, sec. 20(b) (owner-retained total loss) Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90D, sec. 20B(6) (no salvage title for passenger vehicles ten or more years old) 211 CMR 133.05(1) (Division of Insurance; actual cash value determination) 211 CMR 133.05(2) (Division of Insurance; total loss report) (the 211 CMR 133.05 text was read on Cornell's LII; mass.gov blocks automated access)

Michigan. Michigan's numbers are title rules in MCL 257.217c: when an insurer acquires a late model vehicle by paying a claim, an estimated repair cost of 75 percent up to 91 percent of the predamaged actual cash value means a salvage title, and 91 percent or more means a scrap title. No Michigan law forces an insurer to declare a total loss at 75 percent or any other number. MCL 257.217c(2)(a)(ii)

Minnesota. Minnesota's 80 percent is a title rule in chapter 168A. Minn. Stat. 168A.01, subd. 17b(a) makes a vehicle salvage when an insurer has declared a total loss or paid a total loss claim (no percentage), or when repair cost exceeds 80 percent of the vehicle's value immediately before the damage. The 168A.151 version of the 80 percent applies to a self-insured owner; where a licensed insurer pays, subd. 1(a) triggers the brand on the insurer acquiring the vehicle, with no percentage at all. Minn. Stat. 168A.01, subd. 17b(a) Minn. Stat. 168A.151, subd. 1(a) Minn. Stat. 168A.151, subd. 1(f)

Mississippi. Mississippi has no percentage anywhere. The Department of Revenue's title rule, 35 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. VII, Subpt. 6, Ch. 5, sec. 104, defines a salvage vehicle as one an insurer obtains from the owner by paying a total loss claim, and it leaves out vehicles ten years or older worth $1,500 or less and vehicles needing five or fewer minor component parts. The rule follows the insurer's decision rather than driving it. 35 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. VII, Subpt. 6, Ch. 5, sec. 104

Missouri. Missouri's 80 percent is a title rule in RSMo 301.010(55), and it reaches only vehicles damaged within six years after their model year. Beyond that, a vehicle is salvage when its owner, a lienholder, or an insurer settling a claim declares it so. It does not tell an insurer when to total a car or what to pay. RSMo 301.010(55)(a)-(c)

Montana. Montana sets no percentage. A salvage vehicle is one the owner, an insurer, or someone acting for the owner determines is uneconomical to repair given the cost of parts and labor, and an insurer that acquires ownership of one less than 15 years old must apply for a salvage certificate. The title law does not say when an insurer must total a car; a separate insurance statute requires total-loss reimbursement at actual replacement value rather than 'book' value. Mont. Code Ann. 61-3-210(8) (definition of salvage vehicle) Mont. Code Ann. 61-3-211(1) (insurer applies for salvage certificate; vehicles under 15 years old) Mont. Code Ann. 61-3-211(4) (owner-retained salvage vehicle) Mont. Code Ann. 33-23-202 (total-loss reimbursement at actual replacement value)

Nebraska. Nebraska brands a title salvage when a late model vehicle's estimated total cost of repair meets or exceeds 75 percent of its retail value at the time of the damage; owners can also opt in to a salvage brand. An insurer that acquires a salvage vehicle through a total loss settlement must obtain and surrender the title and apply for a salvage branded title. The 75 percent rule decides the title brand; it does not tell an insurer when to total a car or what to pay. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-171(7) (salvage designation; 75 percent of retail value) Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-171(3) (late model vehicle) Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-171(6) (retail value) Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-171(1) (cost of repairs) Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-173(1) (insurer acquiring a salvage vehicle through a total loss settlement)

Nevada. Nevada's 65 percent is a title rule in the DMV's salvage chapter, NRS 487.790: a total loss vehicle is one whose cost of repair is 65 percent or more of its fair market value, with painting, manufacturer-specified electronic components, and towing left out of the repair cost. It does not tell an insurer when to total a car or what to pay. NRS 487.790(1)

New Hampshire. New Hampshire's salvage-title section defines a total loss vehicle as an unrecovered stolen vehicle or a damaged vehicle that is found physically or economically impractical to repair in an insurance claim settlement, or whose repair cost is 75 percent or more of its fair market value before the damage, if the damage happens in its model year or the 4 calendar years after (airbags, tires, and entertainment systems don't count toward repair cost). An insurer that declares a total loss must apply for a salvage certificate of title within 20 days of payment. The 75 percent figure is a definition for the title section; it does not tell an insurer when it must total a car or what to pay. N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. 261:22, VI (definition of total loss vehicle; 75 percent of fair market value) N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. 261:22, II (insurer that declares a total loss applies for salvage certificate of title) N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. 261:3, I(k) (no title required for model years before 2000)

New Jersey. New Jersey uses no percentage. N.J.A.C. 13:21-22.3 calls a vehicle economically impractical to repair when a bona fide repair estimate equals or exceeds its fair market value immediately before the damage (vehicles eight model years or newer), and sets a separate test for older vehicles. Those are title-branding rules; the decision to total a car is the insurer's. N.J.A.C. 11:3-10.4 governs the payout. N.J.A.C. 13:21-22.3 (text read on Cornell LII; the official code blocks automated access)

New Mexico. New Mexico sets no percentage. A salvage vehicle is one the owner, leasing company, lender, or insurer considers uneconomical to repair and that the owner doesn't then repair, or one an insurer pays as a total loss after the claimant agrees to the amount and is told the title must be branded; selling one without a branded title is unlawful. The Motor Vehicle Division rule adds that an insurer's declaration makes a vehicle salvage regardless of repair cost versus fair market value, and none of this sets when an insurer must total a car or what it pays. N.M. Stat. Ann. 66-1-4.16(C) (definition of salvage vehicle) N.M. Stat. Ann. 66-3-10.1(A) (salvage vehicle may not be sold without a branded title) 18.19.3.52(D) NMAC (Motor Vehicle Division rule: insurer's declaration controls) 18.19.3.52(B) NMAC (Motor Vehicle Division rule: repair costs counted; fair market value source)

New York. New York's 75 percent is a DMV title rule, 15 NYCRR 20.20: a title for a vehicle eight model years old or newer is branded when the cost to rebuild it exceeds 75 percent of its retail value at the time of loss. Nothing in Regulation 64, which governs how insurers settle auto claims, requires an insurer to total a car at any percentage. 15 NYCRR 20.20(c)(1)(ii) (text read on Cornell LII; the official code blocks automated access)

North Carolina. North Carolina is the rare state where 75 percent binds the insurer. Under 11 NCAC 04 .0418(c), when damage equals or exceeds 75 percent of the pre-accident actual cash value the insurer shall designate the vehicle a total loss and pay the pre-accident value. A separate 75 percent in G.S. 20-4.01(33)(d), measured against fair retail market value, governs the salvage title. 11 NCAC 04 .0418(c) G.S. 20-4.01(33)(d)

North Dakota. North Dakota requires the owner of a vehicle damaged in excess of 75 percent of its retail value, as determined by the NADA official used car guide, to send the title to the department within ten days for a salvage certificate of title. Glass and hail damage are left out of the calculation. The duty falls on the owner and governs the title; the statute doesn't say when an insurer must total a car or how it values the loss. N.D. Cent. Code 39-05-20.2(1) (salvage certificate of title; 75 percent of retail value) N.D. Cent. Code 39-05-20.1 (salvage certificate of title) N.D. Cent. Code 39-05-17.2(3) (damage-disclosure trigger, not the salvage threshold) N.D. Cent. Code 26.1-40-24 (notice after an insurer determines a total loss)

Ohio. Ohio has no threshold. Under ORC 4505.11(C)(1) a vehicle becomes a salvage-title vehicle when the insurer declares it economically impractical to repair and pays the claim. The 75 percent figures quoted online describe insurer habits, not Ohio law. OAC 3901-1-54(H) governs how the settlement is calculated. ORC 4505.11(C)(1)

Oklahoma. Oklahoma has a title percentage and an insurer-side formula. The salvage-title test in 47 O.S. 1111(C)(1) is 60 percent of fair market value through October 31, 2026 and 70 percent from November 1, 2026 (Senate Bill 1920), for vehicles within the last ten model years. The claims statute, 36 O.S. 1250.8(M), defines a total loss as repair cost plus salvage value meeting or exceeding the actual cash value, with no percentage. 47 O.S. 1111(C)(1), as it reads through October 31, 2026 Senate Bill 1920 (2026), section 2 36 O.S. 1250.8(M)

Oregon. Oregon's 80 percent figure applies only to damage not covered by an insurer: such a vehicle is totaled when the estimated repair cost is at least 80 percent of its retail market value before the damage. When an insurer covers the loss, the vehicle is totaled if the insurer declares it a total loss or takes possession of or title to it, with no percentage. The definition drives the title-surrender and salvage-title rules in ORS 819.012 to 819.016; it does not tell an insurer when to total a car or what to pay. Or. Rev. Stat. 801.527 (definition of totaled vehicle) Or. Rev. Stat. 819.014(1)(a) (insurer that declares a totaled vehicle handles the title) Or. Rev. Stat. 819.016(1) (when salvage title required) Or. Rev. Stat. 742.554 (disclosures when an insurer declares a total loss)

Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania's title law has no percentage: a salvage vehicle is one that is inoperable or cannot pass equipment and inspection standards to the extent the cost of repairs would exceed the value of the repaired vehicle, and whoever owns or holds it, insurers included, must apply for a certificate of salvage (transfers to salvage dealers and scrap processors follow their own sections). A separate Insurance Department regulation on damage appraisals, which covers estimates made by insurers, uses a total loss formula: the loss is valued at replacement value when the repair cost exceeds the vehicle's appraised value less salvage value, or the car can't be repaired to its predamaged condition. Neither text states a percentage. 75 Pa.C.S. 102 (definition of "salvage vehicle") 75 Pa.C.S. 1161(a), (b) (certificate of salvage required) 31 Pa. Code 62.1 (definition of "appraisal") and 62.3(e) (Insurance Department appraisal standards)

Rhode Island. Rhode Island has three pieces. An insurer that takes possession of a vehicle declared a total loss must get a salvage certificate of title within 10 days, with no percentage attached; a separate section headed "Salvage by non-insurer" requires the owner to get one when repairs exceed 75% of fair market value (retail value) and the vehicle is less than seven years past its manufacture date. On the insurer side, the unfair claims practices law (amended effective July 5, 2025) lists as an unfair practice designating a vehicle a total loss when the cost to rebuild is less than 75% to 80% of fair market value, lets the consumer designate a total loss once 75% is met but below 80%, and says nothing in it requires a total loss above 80%. R.I. Gen. Laws 31-46-1(a) (duty of insurance company) R.I. Gen. Laws 31-46-3 (salvage by non-insurer) R.I. Gen. Laws 27-9.1-4(a)(29) (unfair claims practices; as amended effective July 5, 2025)

South Carolina. South Carolina's 75% is a title rule. Section 56-19-480(G) treats a "salvage vehicle" and a "vehicle declared to be a total loss" as the same thing: repair cost, parts and labor, that equals or exceeds 75% of fair market value, with vehicles worth $2,000 or less and antiques left out. The "Salvage" brand definition also covers a vehicle an insurer declared a total loss and one with body, unibody, or frame damage that makes it unsafe, so the brand can rest on the insurer's call as well as on the 75% test. None of these sections says when an insurer must total a car or what it pays. S.C. Code Ann. 56-1-10(30) ("Salvage" title brand) S.C. Code Ann. 56-19-480(B), (G) S.C. Code Ann. 56-19-485(B)

South Dakota. South Dakota sets no percentage. A salvage vehicle is any motor vehicle an insurer or self insurer determines a total loss due to theft or to damage from fire, vandalism, collision, weather, submersion in water, or flood, and a salvage title follows whether the insurer takes the vehicle or the owner keeps it. The rule does not apply to vehicles more than ten model years old or rated over 16,000 pounds, and nothing in it says when an insurer must declare a total loss. SDCL 32-3-51.19 (salvage vehicle defined) SDCL 32-3-51.20 (insurer or self insurer acquiring a salvage vehicle) SDCL 32-3-51.21 (owner to obtain salvage title when insurer declares total loss but does not take the vehicle)

Tennessee. Tennessee's 75 percent is a title-side definition inside a Motor Vehicle Commission dealer-disclosure rule, Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0960-01-.29(3)(a): salvage history means repair cost exceeding 75 percent of retail value. It is measured against retail value, not actual cash value, and nothing in it tells an insurer when to total a car or what to pay. Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0960-01-.29(3)(a)

Texas. Texas uses a formula for the title and nothing for the insurer's decision. Under Transportation Code 501.091(15), a vehicle is a salvage motor vehicle when repair cost, leaving out repainting and sales tax, exceeds its actual cash value immediately before the damage. No Texas law sets a percentage at which an insurer must total a car. Tex. Transp. Code 501.091(15)(A)

Utah. Utah has no percentage. The only figure in the salvage definition is a full 100 percent: Utah Code 41-1a-1001 makes a vehicle salvage when the cost of repairing it for safe operation exceeds its fair market value, or when an insurer or another jurisdiction has declared it salvage. That decides the title brand, not the settlement. Utah Code 41-1a-1001 (definition of salvage vehicle)

Vermont. Vermont sets no percentage. A "totaled motor vehicle" is one an insurance company has declared a total loss, a declared total loss is a "salvaged motor vehicle," and the insurer that declares it must apply for a salvage certificate of title within 15 days. Under the version now in effect, vehicles more than 15 years old are excepted, and the statute leaves the total loss call to the insurer without saying when it must make it. 23 V.S.A. 2001(13), (14), (17) (definitions) 23 V.S.A. 2091(a) (salvage certificates of title; version now in effect, plus the contingent version's opening)

Virginia. Virginia sets no percentage for the insurer's decision. Under Va. Code 46.2-1600 a late model vehicle is salvage when its estimated repair cost would exceed its actual cash value less its current salvage value, or when an insurer acquires it in the claims process; the 75 percent people quote applies to a recovered stolen vehicle. All of it governs the title brand. Va. Code 46.2-1600 (definition of salvage vehicle)

Washington. Washington uses a formula on both sides. For the insurer, WAC 284-30-320(18) defines a total loss as repair cost plus salvage value meeting or exceeding, or likely to meet or exceed, the actual cash value. For the title, RCW 46.04.514 uses the same uneconomical-to-repair idea. WAC 284-30-320(18) RCW 46.04.514

West Virginia. West Virginia's title law defines "total loss" as a vehicle with damages equivalent to 75% or more of market value from a nationally accepted used car value guide, or a flood-damaged vehicle. The salvage process also starts when an insurer otherwise designates a vehicle totaled and pays a total loss claim, and owners must follow the totaled-vehicle branding rules even with no insurance settlement. The section sets the insurer's duties at payment but does not say when it must total a vehicle or what it pays. W. Va. Code 17A-4-10(a), (b) (salvage certificates; definition of "total loss") W. Va. Code 17A-4-10(d), (l)(2), (m)

Wisconsin. Wisconsin's 70 percent is a title rule in the vehicle code, Wis. Stat. 340.01(55g): a vehicle less than seven years old is salvage when the estimated or actual repair cost, whichever is greater, exceeds 70 percent of its fair market value, with hail-damaged vehicles excluded unless repaired with replacement parts. It does not tell an insurer when to total a car. Wis. Stat. 340.01(55g)

Wyoming. Wyoming's 75% applies only when no insurance company is involved in settling the claim: then a vehicle is salvage if the cost of parts and labor to rebuild it exceeds 75% of its actual retail cash value from an approved appraisal guide. When an insurer is involved, the vehicle is salvage if the insurer declared it a total loss, with no percentage. The title section doesn't apply to vehicles with more than eight years of service (a vehicle already branded elsewhere keeps its brand), and the statute doesn't say when an insurer must declare a total loss. Wyo. Stat. 31-2-106(a)(v) ("salvage vehicle" defined) Wyo. Stat. 31-2-107(a), (d), (e) (titles for damaged vehicles)