Montana license plate lookup

What a Montana plate lookup shows

The lookup finds the VIN registered to the plate and decodes it: year, make, model, engine and open safety recalls. Plate data comes from a commercial vehicle-data provider. You can then order a history report on the VIN if you’re serious about the car.

It won’t name the owner. The federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. § 2721) and Montana’s own Driver Privacy Protection Act keep names and addresses in motor vehicle records private, except for uses those laws allow.

Who issues plates and titles in Montana

Titles and registrations are issued by the Montana Motor Vehicle Division (MVD), part of the Montana Department of Justice. Most vehicles must carry one plate on the front and one on the rear, firmly fastened (MCA 61-3-301). Motorcycles and trailers carry one rear plate. If a car’s body can’t take a front plate, the owner can apply to the Highway Patrol for a waiver, and the certificate must stay in the car.

A Montana plate can bear a county number, and that number must be for the county where the vehicle is based. Plates issued to one vehicle can’t be shown on another unless legally transferred, and when a car is sold, the seller must take the plates off at once (MCA 61-3-334). If you see a plate from one car on another, ask why.

Getting a Montana owner or vehicle record

Montana’s Driver Privacy Protection Act sets the rules. Personal information, including highly restricted information, goes to the person the record is about, to government agencies and courts, or to anyone with that person’s express consent (MCA 61-11-508); a further section lists other permitted uses that exclude highly restricted data.

Before releasing anything, the department requires an application that identifies you and states the legal use, acceptable identification, and a fee (MCA 61-11-510). Ask the MVD for its current form.

Salvage and rebuilt salvage titles in Montana

Montana calls a car a salvage vehicle when collision, fire, flood or other damage makes repair uneconomical in the view of the owner or insurer (MCA 61-3-210). An insurer that takes ownership of a salvage vehicle less than 15 years old must apply for a salvage certificate (MCA 61-3-211).

Before a rebuilt salvage car goes back on the road, a department employee or designated peace officer inspects it, verifying its identity and that rebuilt parts are backed by traceable receipts. The new title then reads rebuilt salvage (MCA 61-3-212). The law says outright that this inspection doesn’t attest to the car’s roadworthiness or safety (MCA 61-3-223).

Checks before buying a car with Montana plates

• Compare the VIN from the plate search with the dashboard, the door label and the Montana title. Our guide to what a VIN is shows where to look.
• Look for “rebuilt salvage” on the title and ask for the parts receipts used at the inspection.
• Because the salvage inspection isn’t a safety check, pay a mechanic or body shop to look at the structure, airbags and brakes.
• Run a history report for total losses and brands from other states, and for the odometer trail. See salvage title check and odometer rollback check.

A CARFAX report on a Montana VIN is $8.99 with us. More options are on pricing.