Arizona license plate lookup

What you get from an Arizona plate search

We match the plate to a VIN and decode it for free: year, make, model, engine and open safety recalls. If the car looks like the one you’re after, you can order a history report on that VIN. Plate matches come from a commercial vehicle-data provider.

The search never returns the registered owner’s name or address. Those details are personal information under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. § 2721), and only the state releases them, for the uses that law permits.

Who issues plates and titles in Arizona

Plates, registrations and titles are issued by the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD), in its offices and through authorized third-party providers.

Under A.R.S. 28-2356, the owner keeps the plates when they transfer a vehicle to someone else. They can move them to another vehicle they own, or surrender them or file an affidavit of destruction if the new vehicle is a different type. For you as a buyer, that means the car normally leaves the seller without its plate, and you register it under your own. Arizona requires only a rear plate on a car; where two plates are issued, the owner may put the second on the front (A.R.S. 28-2354).

Getting an Arizona title or owner record

ADOT MVD calls a printout of a driving or vehicle record a motor vehicle record (MVR). If you’re eligible, you can get one online at AZ MVD Now. Otherwise you file the Motor Vehicle Record Request form by mail or at an MVD or authorized third-party office, and your signature must be notarized or witnessed by an MVD agent. The form lists every permissible use, and you need one to receive a record with personal information in it.

A.R.S. 28-455 applies the DPPA in Arizona. The department won’t knowingly release personal information unless a listed use applies: government agencies and courts, insurers handling claims or underwriting, legitimate businesses verifying what a customer gave them, attorneys in a legal proceeding, notice to owners of towed or impounded vehicles, or a requester with the person’s written consent. The department may also mail a copy of a request to the person it concerns.

Salvage, restored salvage and nonrepairable titles

Under A.R.S. 28-2091, a salvage vehicle is one stolen, wrecked, destroyed, flood or water damaged, or otherwise damaged so that its owner, lender or insurer considers repair uneconomical. A nonrepairable title says so on its front, its registration is cancelled and it is never transferred again.

A salvage car rebuilt for the road gets a restored salvage title only after an MVD level two or level three inspection. A seller who knows a car has a restored salvage title must disclose it clearly in writing or electronically. Our Arizona VIN check guide covers flood brands and the dealer warranty rules.

Before you buy a car with Arizona plates

• Check that the VIN from the plate lookup matches the dashboard, the driver’s door label and the Arizona title.
• Look at the front of the title for restored salvage or nonrepairable wording; a nonrepairable car can’t be registered again.
• Ask for the restored salvage inspection paperwork and proof of ownership for replaced parts.
• Run a history report for brands and total losses from other states and for odometer readings. See salvage title check and odometer rollback check.
• Confirm the trim and engine with our VIN decoder.

A CARFAX report on the VIN is $8.99 with us. Other reports are on pricing.