What does a flood brand look like on a Saugus car's title?

It appears as "Flood (FLOO)", a secondary brand on the salvage title, and a separate Flood/Salt brand also exists. Either one sits beside a primary brand, repairable (REPR) or parts-only (PART).

Is there a Saugus bylaw on junk cars?

Saugus bylaws weren't online when we searched, so this page goes by state law. Saugus may still set rules of its own; its town offices can confirm.

Can I move my Saugus plates to a new car?

Yes. For a Saugus plate move, you must be 18 or older and finish it within 7 calendar days of the old car going. There is no temporary-plate option from the RMV.

Who files for a salvage title after a Saugus flood?

Owner or insurer, inside a 10-day window. That window opens at the insurance settlement, or at the flood itself when no policy covered the car.

Town guide · Massachusetts

Selling a junk or flood-damaged car in Saugus

Massachusetts titles can say exactly what ruined a car, and one of the words is salt. Beside the ordinary Flood brand, the state keeps a separate "Flood/Salt" brand for salvage titles. That is worth knowing before you sell. Flooded or simply worn out, we buy whole non-running and junk cars, and you sell the whole car as it sits.

Updated October 11, 2026 · 10 sources

Photo: Nlynch · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Saugus, the short version

Population: 29,179 (Census estimate, July 1, 2025)
County: Essex
Land area: 10.775 sq mi
Saugus junk-car bylaw: Not found online; state law used
Flood brands: Flood (FLOO) and Flood/Salt
Plates to a new car: Within 7 calendar days
Temporary plates: Not issued by the RMV

How a total loss gets branded

Chapter 90D, section 1 calls a Saugus car a "total loss salvage motor vehicle" when it was stolen and not recovered, or "wrecked, destroyed or damaged" badly enough that the owner or insurer decides fixing it isn't worth it, and it remains unrepaired. Collision, fire and water all count. No percentage threshold applies; that judgment is the whole test.

Two layers of brand follow. The main brands are REPR, meaning repairable, and PART, meaning parts only. The secondary one names the cause: Fire, Theft, Collision, Vandalism, Flood, Flood/Salt and Other. Flood prints as "Flood (FLOO)". You must apply for the salvage title within 10 days. The clock starts at the insurance settlement, or at the flood or crash if there was no insurer.

For someone selling in Saugus, the brand stays forever. The title can never be clean again, and a PART car can't be registered in Massachusetts ever again. A Saugus passenger car that was 10 years old or more when damaged doesn't get the salvage brand. The flood damage and totaled car guides go further.

Junk-car rules in Saugus

No Saugus bylaw text turned up online. This section therefore leans on state statutes, and Saugus may well set rules of its own, tighter ones included.

Massachusetts gives street officers power, in c. 90 s. 22C, over a car that seems dumped. A car left in Saugus past 72 hours on a road or way, or on private land with no permission, can be taken away if towing and scrapping cost more than it's worth. A car on your own Saugus driveway, with your say-so, is not that case.

Moving your plates to the next car

Saugus plates belong to you, not the vehicle. Buying another car in Saugus? Within 7 calendar days of giving up the old car, a Saugus owner can move the registration over to it. You must be 18 or older and put the plates on the new car. The Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) offers no temporary plates, so plan the overlap.

No new car coming? Cancel online, keep the receipt for your insurance company, and recycle or cut up the plates. Cancelling is also what ends the Saugus excise bill.

Signing the title

A Saugus seller can skip the notary, since the RMV's private-sale steps never mention one. Write the odometer reading; each party signs, prints and dates the assignment. If there is no line for the price, a bill of sale records it. A branded title gets signed exactly the same way.

Getting an offer

Online or at (877) 421-6008, include the model year, maker, mileage, running condition, and any FLOO or other brand on the title. Free pickup anywhere in the US covers a Saugus driveway or side street, or a shop in Lynn or Melrose. Statewide rules are on the Massachusetts page.

Questions people ask

What does a flood brand look like on a Saugus car's title?: It appears as "Flood (FLOO)", a secondary brand on the salvage title, and a separate Flood/Salt brand also exists. Either one sits beside a primary brand, repairable (REPR) or parts-only (PART).
Is there a Saugus bylaw on junk cars?: Saugus bylaws weren't online when we searched, so this page goes by state law. Saugus may still set rules of its own; its town offices can confirm.
Can I move my Saugus plates to a new car?: Yes. For a Saugus plate move, you must be 18 or older and finish it within 7 calendar days of the old car going. There is no temporary-plate option from the RMV.
Who files for a salvage title after a Saugus flood?: Owner or insurer, inside a 10-day window. That window opens at the insurance settlement, or at the flood itself when no policy covered the car.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.

U.S. Census Bureau population estimates, 2020-2025 www2.census.gov
U.S. Census Bureau 2025 Gazetteer (land area) www2.census.gov
Mass.gov: Total loss and salvage vehicles mass.gov
Mass.gov: Apply for a salvage title mass.gov
M.G.L. c. 90D s. 1 (total loss salvage vehicle defined) malegislature.gov
Mass.gov: Transfer your registration to a vehicle bought from an individual mass.gov
Mass.gov: Cancel your vehicle registration and plates mass.gov
M.G.L. c. 90 s. 22C (abandoned vehicles) malegislature.gov
Mass.gov: Registration and title for a vehicle bought from an individual mass.gov
Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles mass.gov