The department, upon receiving application for original registration of a vehicle or any certificate of title, shall first check the manufacturer's serial or identification number shown in the application against the indexes of registered motor vehicles and against the index of stolen and recovered motor vehicles required to be maintained by this chapter.
W. Va. Code § 17A-3-8
Examination of registration records and index of stolen and recovered vehicles
Official source: West Virginia Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain West Virginia statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.