How to Find a Person by an Auto Tag Number

Online services look up auto tag numbers and may give driver information for a fee.

Before privacy laws changed, you could often access someone's name, address and other information by giving their license plate number to the department of motor vehicles. As of February 2010, the Driver's Protection Act stipulates that a driver's information can only be given to law officials, government agencies, licensed private detectives, legitimate businesses which have just cause for needing the information and anyone the driver gives written consent to have the information. If you have been in an accident, write down the license plate number of the other vehicle(s) involved and give it to the police.

Things You'll Need

• License plate number
• Online license plate search service

Instructions

1. Write down the license plate number you wish to look up.

2. Type the license plate number into a website like Public People Finder or License Plate Search.

3. Pay a fee to get the complete information if the search has found a match. As of November 2010, the fee for unlimited searching for one year is $15 and up.

4. Hire a licensed private detective if your online search has been unsuccessful. The detective can access the official DMV records.

References

• EPIC: The Drivers Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) and the Privacy of Your State Motor Vehicle Record
• License Plate Search
• Public People Finder
• Cornell University Law School: Prohibition on release and use of certain personal information from State motor vehicle records