Custom Built Car Registration

In West Virginia, registering your custom-built car can be the same as registering any other vehicle, or it can be a much more tedious process―it all depends on where the car was built.

Built out of State

If your car was custom-built out of state―good news. You'll only need to follow the same registration process as you would for any other vehicle (submitting completed forms and all applicable fees to your local DMV office).

Built in State

However, if you custom-built the car in West Virginia, you'll need to take a few more steps. Before you can register and title the car at the DMV, you're required to visit your local West Virginia State Police detachment with a verification of vehicle identification number (VIN) form. The officer who assists you will verify that there is no VIN already assigned to the vehicle.

This extra step also ensures that neither the car nor its parts have been stolen. The DMV suggests keeping receipts or other records of purchase to show the officer who assists you, just in case.

Note that regardless of where the car was built, you'll need to follow the same steps as outlined in our Car Registration section.