Title 49TransportationRelease 119-73

§33111 Verifications involving motor vehicle major parts

Title 49 › Subtitle SUBTITLE VI— - MOTOR VEHICLE AND DRIVER PROGRAMS › Part PART C— - INFORMATION, STANDARDS, AND REQUIREMENTS › Chapter CHAPTER 331— - THEFT PREVENTION › § 33111

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Businesses that deal in salvaged or repaired cars cannot sell, transfer, or install major parts with ID numbers unless they first use checking procedure the Attorney General creates with the Secretary (section 33109) to confirm the part wasn't reported stolen, and give the buyer a verification with the part's vehicle ID (or derivative). Exceptions include manufacturers, direct buyers from manufacturers, and holders of an insurer's verification under section 33110; that verification must be passed on. The Attorney General must make rules with the Secretary so verifications are uniform and hard to fake.

Full Legal Text

Title 49, §33111

Transportation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)A person engaged in the business of salvaging, dismantling, recycling, or repairing passenger motor vehicles may not knowingly sell in commerce or transfer or install a major part marked with an identification number without—
(1)first establishing, through a procedure the Attorney General by regulation prescribes in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation under section 33109 of this title, that the major part has not been reported as stolen; and
(2)providing the purchaser or transferee with a verification—
(A)identifying the vehicle identification number (or derivative of that number) of that major part; and
(B)verifying that the major part has not been reported as stolen.
(b)(1)Subsection (a) of this section does not apply to a person that—
(A)is the manufacturer of the major part;
(B)has purchased the major part directly from the manufacturer; or
(C)has received a verification from an insurance carrier under section 33110 of this title that the motor vehicle from which the major part is derived has not been reported as stolen, or that the carrier has not established whether that vehicle has been stolen.
(2)A person described under paragraph (1)(C) of this subsection that subsequently transfers or sells in commerce the motor vehicle or a major part of the vehicle shall provide the verification received from the carrier to the person to whom the vehicle or part is transferred or sold.
(c)The Attorney General shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section. The regulations shall include regulations prescribed in consultation with the Secretary that are necessary to ensure that a verification a person provides under subsection (a)(2) of this section is uniform, effective, and resistant to fraudulent use.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 33111(a)15:2026b(a).Oct. 20, 1972, Pub. L. 92–513, 86 Stat. 947, § 608; added Oct. 25, 1992, Pub. L. 102–519, § 306(c), 106 Stat. 3397. 33111(b)15:2026b(c) (1st, 2d sentences). 33111(c)15:2026b(b), (c) (last sentence). In subsection (a), before clause (1), the word “distribute” is omitted as being included in “sell”. In clause (1), the word “establishing” is substituted for “determining” for clarity and consistency in the revised title. Subsection (b)(2) is substituted for 15:2026b(c) (2d sentence) for clarity.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 103–272, § 4(v), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1373, provided that: “Section 33111 of title 49, United States Code, as enacted by section 1 of this Act, is effective on the date on which the National Stolen Passenger Motor Vehicle Information System is established under section 33109 of title 49.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

49 U.S.C. § 33111

Title 49Transportation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73