There are so many reasons why someone may decide to look up the address of a person through his license plate number. These reasons vary from dangerous or reckless driving to hit and run, etc.
Finding the addresses of people is no longer as difficult as it used to be. You can just search for the person online and get the necessary information you need. But can someone find your address from your license plate?
No, someone cannot find your address from your license plate especially if you live in a state where license plate information is protected by the law.
Depending on the laws of your state, it may be illegal to find someone’s name and address by just looking up the person’s plate number online except you submit a formal request and go through the DMV.
Can Someone Find Your Address From Your License Plate?
No, someone cannot find your address from your license plate especially if you live in a state where license information is protected. It is only the law enforcement officials that can access such information.
Since the license plate number is a means of identification obtained when a vehicle is registered, it has the name and address of the owner in the database.
Because of how sensitive that personal information is, you cannot just find it just by looking up the numbers online. It may be illegal in your state.
As a matter of fact, it is illegal in some states to look up someone’s license plate online and get his personal details such as name and address. The essence of this is to safeguard the details of vehicle owners.
For example, if someone can easily get your address by just looking up your license plate number online, the person can come to your address to steal your car or harm you.
As reiterated earlier, while it may be illegal to get the address of someone from his license plates in some states, it is not an impossible thing to do. You can get the address if you follow the right procedure.
Moreover, there are so many websites online where you can input a vehicle’s plate number and get information about the car. The information may be limited to the car brand, model, year, etc. You may or may not get the name and address of the owner.
How to Find Someone’s Address From a License Plate
Here is how to find someone’s address using his license plate number:
1. Get the Person’s License Plate Number
The first step in getting the address of a person through his license plate number is by getting the correct plate number of the said vehicle.
If for example you were involved in a hit and run and the person fled the scene without conversing with you, you can get a clear picture of the person’s license plates such as the complete number, letters, dashes, and the state where the license plate is registered.
You will need them to get the information you need. All this information can be found on the license plates. You can get a video recording or a clear picture of the plate number.
2. Contact the DMV
The Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) is a department in charge of vehicle registrations and issuance of driver’s licenses in all the States in the U.S.
They have all the information of every registered vehicle plying on the road. All you have to do is to contact them with your reasons and get the information you need.
However, to get a person’s address using his license plate from the DMV, you will have to contact the DMV of the state where the license plate number is registered. This is why it’s important to get all the details on the license plate without missing any number.
For example, after verifying that the plate number is registered in Texas, you can contact the Texas DMV through their official website or other online platforms to get the information you need.
All you have to do is to visit the DMV official website of the registered state and navigate through the menu to get where you can enter a plate number for information. If it is not clear to you, you can visit the DMV office physically.
If you don’t have the chance to visit the DMV office, you can call them. You should be able to find the DMV office number on their website.
3. Submit a Formal Request to the DMV
Depending on the state where the plate numbers are registered, you may be asked to submit a formal request to be able to get the address you need. The essence of the request is to clear your intention of requesting the address.
If that is the case, inquire about the necessary documents needed to get the information. You may be asked to fill out a document, fill in the document correctly, and submit it back to them.
4. Pay the Necessary Fee
You may be required to pay a fee to get the address. You can just pay the fee especially when what you are looking for is very important. After submitting the document and paying the necessary fee, the information will be sent to your mail.
In some states, the document containing the information can be mailed to your address while in some, it can be sent to your email with a link to view the information online.
Some may ask you to visit the DMV or other government offices to view the information. Sometimes, when you are called upon to come get the information in the office, you may or may not be allowed to copy the information. However, if you are allowed to copy the information, you may be asked to pay a copy fee.
Other ways to find someone’s address using his license plate number are:
5. Contact the Police
You can contact the police to help you find someone’s address using his plate number especially if you live in a state where license plate information is protected.
Before you can be able to get the information you need, the police must conclude their investigation and close the case, then you can request a copy of the police reports and records which will have the name and address of the person.
For example, if you are involved in an accident and the person damaged your car and fled the scene, you can call the police and report the incident to them. You can submit the person’s plate number and video footage from your dashcam as evidence.
The police will start an investigation on the matter. You will not be able to get the address of the person until the case is closed. When the case is closed, you can request a copy of the report and records. It will be given to you except it is a classified case.
6. Using Online Platforms
You may be able to get the name and address of a person from his license plate through an online website by just plugging the license plate number and the state into the website and it will give you the information you need.
Be rest assured that some of those information may not be genuine. It could come from a database that has not been updated for years.
For example, some of these online platforms may give you the old address of the license plate owner. If the person has moved to another address and has updated his address in his registration, you will not get the current address because they don’t have it on their database.
However, some reputable online platforms can provide the correct information you desire. You may have to pay a fee. These online platforms come from a third-party independent search firm that has the connections needed to obtain public information documents.
Acceptable Reasons to Access License Plate Records
Acceptable reasons to access someone’s address from a license plate are:
- When public safety is jeopardized
- An insurance company needs the records to process an insurance claim
- Incidents such as car accidents, product recalls, etc.
- Criminal investigations such as car theft, scam, etc.
- When an agency is performing a product or market research
- When someone’s identity needs to be verified by official businesses such as credit companies, etc.
Conclusion
Someone cannot get your address from your license plate especially if you live in a state where license plate information is protected by the law.
You can however get the information by contacting the state DMV where the plate number is registered and if your reasons for requesting the address are authorized, the information will be released to you; but you may need to pay a fee to get it.
You can also get the address by contacting the police especially if you live where license plate numbers are protected. The police will carry on their investigation and when the case is closed, you can request a copy of the report.
Or better still pay some online platforms that can display such information and have them give you the address you are looking for.
