A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT permitting the use of electronic signatures on OWNER‑retained salvage forms and eliminating the requirement that the form must be notarized.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 20‑109.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 20‑109.1.  Surrender of titles to salvage vehicles.
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(c)	Owner Keeps Vehicle. – If a salvage vehicle owner wants to keep the vehicle, the insurer must give the owner an owner‑retained salvage form. The owner must complete the owner‑retained salvage form and give it to the insurer when the insurer pays the claim. The owner shall execute the owner‑retained salvage form with either a manual signature or an electronic signature. An electronic signature must comply with Article 40 of Chapter 66 of the General Statutes. The owner's signature is not required to be notarized. The insurer must send the completed form to the Division within 10 days after receiving it from the vehicle owner. The Division must then note in its vehicle registration records that the vehicle listed on the form is a salvage vehicle.
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(h)	Claims. – The Division shall not be subject to a claim under Article 31 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes related to the cancellation of a title pursuant to this section if the claim is based on reliance by the Division on any proof of payment or proof of notice submitted to the Division by a third party pursuant to subdivision (b)(2) or subsection (e1) of this section. The Division shall not be subject to a claim arising from an owner‑retained salvage form submitted to the Division with an unverified manual signature or an electronic signature pursuant to subsection (c) of this section."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2021.