Who Owns This Car?
Owner information is one of the most commons searches on the internet, we have some good and bad news for you. License plate owner information lookups may reveal information such as the owners full name, address, phone numbers, title information, salvage & accident records and more.
Is it legal to lookup personal information based on a license plate?
YES, it is legal to lookup personal information based on a license plate.
It is legal to find a vehicle owner by their license plate, but there are some restrictions on who and why you can search these records. Restrictions can be found in the 18 U.S. Code § 2721 also known as Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA).
According to the DPPA the motor vehicle departments are prohibited in releasing personal information of the vehicle owners except for permissible uses.
The permissible uses for a license plate owner information lookup are as follows:
- for use by any government agency
- for use in connection with "matters of motor vehicle or driver safety and theft"
- for use in the normal course of business by a legitimate business or its agents, employees, or contractors, but only to verify the accuracy of personal information and or to correct information
- for use in connection with any matter before a court proceeding
- for use in research activities, and for use in producing statistical reports, so long as the personal information is not published, redisclosed, or used to contact individuals.
- for use by insurance companies
- for providing notice to the owners of towed or impounded vehicles
- for use by any private investigative agency or licensed security service
- for use by an employer or its agent or insurer to obtain or verify information relating to a holder of a commercial driver's license that is required under chapter 313 of title 49.
- for use in connection with the operation of private toll transportation facilities
- for any other use in response to requests for individual motor vehicle records
- for bulk distribution for surveys, marketing or solicitations (opt-in only)
- for use by any requester, if the requester demonstrates it has obtained the written consent of the individual to whom the information pertains.
- for any other use specifically authorized under the law of the State that holds the record, if such use is related to the operation of a motor vehicle or public safety.
If you fall under one of the above listed permissible uses you may use our owner lookup. This service is not provided by LicensePlateData, we work with public record aggregators to provide owner information.
