How to Fill Out the Michigan TR-13A Salvage Vehicle Inspection Form

The Michigan TR-13A salvage vehicle inspection form is the application you complete, attach receipts to, and present to a certified law enforcement inspector before the Secretary of State will convert a salvage title into a rebuilt salvage title. You can download it from the Michigan Secretary of State website or pick one up at any branch office. Completing it correctly, with the right supporting paperwork, is the only path to legally driving a salvage-titled vehicle on Michigan roads again.

Who Needs to File a TR-13A

If your vehicle carries a Michigan salvage certificate of title, you must pass a TR-13A inspection before the state will issue a standard title or registration plates. A salvage title is issued when an insurer determines the estimated repair cost, parts and labor combined, falls between 75% and just under 91% of the vehicle’s pre-damage value.¹ At 91% or higher, Michigan issues a scrap title, and the vehicle cannot be rebuilt for road use at all. The TR-13A route only exists for salvage.

While the title is still salvage, you can own the vehicle, trailer it, and sell it. You cannot drive it on a public road or register it until the inspection is complete and the title is reissued.¹

Documents and Parts Records to Assemble First

Most rejected applications fail on paperwork, not on the vehicle. Get everything organized before you fill in the form.

The Salvage Title and Its Parts List

Your salvage certificate of title lists every major component the state determined was not salvageable at the time of the total-loss assessment.¹ Every part on that list must be replaced and documented on the TR-13A. Read the list carefully before you start rebuilding, because it sets the minimum scope the inspector will look for.

Receipts for Every Major Component Part

The TR-13A defines major component parts as the engine, transmission, frame, passenger vehicle body, truck cab, pickup cargo box, doors, right or left front fender, hood, trunk or floor pan, front or rear bumper, right or left rear quarter panel, and deck lid, tailgate, or hatchback.² Each one needs proof of ownership.

For a used part pulled from another vehicle, the receipt must show the source vehicle’s year, make, and VIN; the seller’s name and address; and the date you acquired the part. For new or aftermarket parts, keep the retailer’s invoice showing the part is new. If a licensed shop performed the work, include that shop’s invoice. Handwritten notes without this detail will get the application rejected.

A Mechanic’s Certification of the Repairs

Michigan law requires that repairs be certified as done in a workmanlike manner by a properly licensed mechanic in the appropriate specialty, and that mechanic cannot also be the person who inspects the vehicle.¹ If you did the rebuild yourself, you still need a licensed mechanic to review and sign off on your work. At least one local department has stated the mechanic must hold certifications in both unitized body and structural repair and collision-related mechanical repair.³ Get this certification in hand before you schedule the inspection.

Photo ID

Bring a Michigan driver’s license or state identification card. The name on it must match the name on the salvage title.

Filling Out Part 1 of the Form

The TR-13A has two parts. Part 1 is yours; Part 2 is completed by the inspector.

At the top of Part 1, enter your full legal name, current address, and driver’s license or state ID number. Then fill in the vehicle identification number exactly as it appears on the chassis and on the salvage title. Any mismatch here stops the process. Add the vehicle’s year, make, model, body style, and color. If you hold a dealer license, add your dealer number; otherwise leave that field blank.

On the reverse, list every major component part used in the rebuild. For each, record the component name, the year and make of the vehicle it came from, the VIN or identification number stamped on the part, the name and address of the seller, and the date of acquisition.² Cross-check this list against the non-salvageable parts printed on your salvage title so nothing is missing.

Sign and date the form at the bottom. Your signature confirms the information is true. The form warns that any alteration, forgery, or false statement is a felony and can result in civil liability, fines, or criminal prosecution.²

Booking and Passing the Inspection

Michigan salvage inspections are performed by specially trained law enforcement officers, not by mechanics or Secretary of State staff. They generally work out of local police departments or Michigan State Police posts. Call your local department to ask whether they have a certified salvage inspector on staff and how far out they are booking. Some agencies schedule weeks in advance.

Do not drive the vehicle to the appointment. It is not road-legal. Trailer it or have it towed.³

Bring the following:

The completed and signed TR-13A with the parts list on the back
The original salvage certificate of title, not a copy
All receipts and invoices for major component parts
The mechanic’s signed certification of the repairs
Your driver’s license or state ID
The $100 inspection fee, which is the maximum allowed by state law and is due before the inspection begins; some departments accept cash only²

The officer reviews the paperwork, then examines the vehicle. Michigan law requires the inspector to certify four things: that the VIN and the identification numbers on major parts are correct and match your records; that you have proof of ownership for every repair part listed; that the vehicle meets Michigan’s equipment standards for items such as brakes, lights, mirrors, tires, and safety glass; and that the repairs were done in a workmanlike manner, confirmed by the separate mechanic certification you obtained.¹

If the vehicle passes, the inspector signs the TR-13A and gives you a completed TR-13B, the Salvage Recertification form. If it fails, the TR-13B will indicate the reason. You can correct the problem and schedule a second inspection, but another $100 fee applies.³

Getting the Rebuilt Salvage Title After You Pass

Take the following to any Secretary of State branch office:

The signed TR-13A certified by the inspector
The completed TR-13B recertification form
The original salvage title
The $15 title application fee⁴

The Secretary of State will issue a new certificate of title carrying the legend “rebuilt salvage.” That brand stays on the title permanently, and every future owner will see it. The designation is also reported to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, the federal database that tracks title brands across state lines. With the new title, you can register the vehicle, get plates, and drive it legally.

VIN Problems That Can Sink the Application

Take VIN matching seriously. If the identification number on your vehicle has been removed, defaced, or altered so that the vehicle’s real identity cannot be determined, Michigan law allows the state to confiscate the vehicle outright and either sell it at public auction, put it into government use, or scrap it.⁵ Before the appointment, physically verify that the VIN plate on the dashboard and the federal certification label on the door jamb match the salvage title exactly, and do the same for every salvage part that carries an identification number.

Parts without a clear chain of ownership, meaning no receipt, no source VIN, and no seller information, raise flags that can delay or kill the application. In the worst case, parts with altered identification numbers can trigger a criminal investigation independent of the title process.

One Practical Boundary

The TR-13A process gets you a road-legal title. It does not solve insurance or financing. Many insurers will write only liability coverage on a rebuilt vehicle, and many national lenders will not finance one at all. If the project depends on either, get quotes and lender answers before you commit to the rebuild.

1
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 257.217c – Acquisition of Salvage, Distressed, or Older Model Vehicles
2
Michigan Department of State. Application for Salvage Vehicle Inspection
3
Big Rapids Police Division. Salvage Inspections
4
Michigan Department of State. Title Transfer and Vehicle Registration
5
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 750.415 – Concealing or Misrepresenting Identity of Motor Vehicle