South Carolina license plate lookup

What our South Carolina search returns

Pick South Carolina in the state menu and type the tag. A commercial vehicle-data provider matches it to a VIN, and we decode that VIN into model year, make, model and engine, then check it for unrepaired safety recalls. History reports on the same car can be ordered from the result.

You won’t see a name or an address. Personal details in state motor vehicle files fall under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. § 2721), which lets a state release them only for the uses it lists, such as courts, insurers, towing notices or a request backed by the person’s written consent.

Who issues plates and titles in South Carolina

Titles, registrations and plates come from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV). Two rules matter in a private sale. A passenger car carries one plate, on the outside rear (§ 56-3-1240); truck tractors mount theirs on the front. And the plate stays with the seller: under § 56-3-1260 the prior owner has 30 days to move it to another vehicle or hand it back to the SCDMV.

So a used car bought from a private seller normally leaves without a tag, and a South Carolina plate describes the vehicle it is registered to today. If the seller later moves that plate to another car, a lookup on the same number will point to the new one.

Getting a vehicle record from the SCDMV

Owner details on SCDMV title and registration records are covered by the DPPA, so a requester needs one of its permitted uses or the owner’s written consent. South Carolina adds limits of its own in §§ 30-4-160 and 30-4-165: the SCDMV may not sell or give a private party the Social Security number, photograph or signature taken for a driver’s license, and those items aren’t public records. Check the SCDMV site for the current request form and fee before you apply.

South Carolina title brands a buyer may see

The brands are defined in § 56-1-10. The salvage rules in § 56-19-480 apply when repairs, parts and labor together, reach 75% of the car’s fair market value, and they don’t apply to a car worth $2,000 or less or to an antique vehicle.

• Salvage: declared a total loss by an insurer, repairs above 75% of the value before the damage, or body, unibody or frame damage that makes it unsafe to drive.
• Salvage Flood: an insurer paid a total loss because water rose above the door sill, got into the passenger, trunk or engine compartment, or reached electrical or computer components.
• Salvage Fire: an insurer paid a total loss for fire damage.
• Junk: an insurer decided the car can’t be repaired for the road and is worth only parts or scrap metal.
• Salvage Rebuilt, Salvage Flood Rebuilt and Salvage Fire Rebuilt: a branded car repaired by a new owner. The application states the source and cost of the parts and the extent of the work.

Under § 56-19-485 a brand follows the car through every later transfer, and a brand from another state is matched to the closest South Carolina term. A rebuilt title still says why the car was salvaged, so a “Salvage Flood Rebuilt” car was a flood loss. Our flood damage check guide lists what to look for.

Before you buy a car with South Carolina plates

• Read the VIN on the dashboard and on the driver’s door jamb, and make sure it matches the title and the VIN our lookup returns. The VIN decoder shows what that VIN should be.
• Look for any of the brands above on the title, including the rebuilt versions, which keep the original cause.
• A brand only appears if someone reported the loss. Run a salvage title check to see insurer total losses and brands from other states.
• Compare the odometer with earlier readings using an odometer rollback check.
• Expect the seller to keep the tag, and plan how you will register the car before you drive it away.

A CARFAX report on a South Carolina car costs $8.99 with us. Packs and other reports are on the pricing page.