Texas license plate lookup

What a Texas plate search gives you

With Texas selected, the plate goes to a commercial vehicle-data provider, which returns the matching VIN. We decode it into model year, make, model and engine, check for open safety recalls, and let you order a history report on that VIN if the car is worth a closer look.

Who owns the car isn’t shown. The Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. § 2721) and Texas Transportation Code chapter 730 control personal information in vehicle records, and TxDMV’s own request form says so.

Who issues plates and titles in Texas

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) keeps the records, and title applications are filed at the county tax office. A car has to be titled in the buyer’s name within 30 days of the sale. In a private sale, TxDMV suggests the seller go with the buyer to the tax office and file a Vehicle Transfer Notification.

• Two plates. Transportation Code § 504.943 makes it an offense to drive most motor vehicles without two plates; road tractors, motorcycles and trailers display one.
• Plates leave with the seller. Under § 504.901, a seller who sells to anyone other than a dealer removes the plates and may move them to another vehicle titled in their name.
• No more paper tags. Since July 1, 2025 (House Bill 718), licensed dealers issue metal plates at the time of sale instead of paper temporary tags, and county tax offices issue temporary metal plates for 30-day and one-trip permits.

Ordering a Texas vehicle record (VTR-275)

TxDMV’s Form VTR-275, Request for Texas Motor Vehicle Information, covers title and registration records. You sign it and attach a copy of a government-issued photo ID. If you aren’t the owner or lienholder, you need written authorization or must initial a permitted use on page 2. You also certify the information won’t be used for marketing, solicitation or surveys. Mail it with a check or money order to the Vehicle Titles and Registration Division in Austin, or visit a TxDMV Regional Service Center.

Texas title brands to watch for

A wrecked car in Texas gets a Salvage or Nonrepairable title. A salvage car can return to the road after repairs, and under § 501.100 its new title must disclose its former condition in a way a buyer can understand; the rebuilder lists the major parts used and pays a $65 fee. TxDMV uses a Flood Damage brand for cars recorded as damaged by freshwater or saltwater flood. Under § 501.09113, a car brought from another state keeps notations such as rebuilt, flood damage, fire damage or salvage. The Texas VIN check guide covers the salvage process in detail.

Before buying a car with Texas plates

• Compare the VIN on the dash and the driver’s door with the title and our lookup; the VIN decoder should return the same car.
• Read the title for rebuilt, salvage or Flood Damage wording, and check the car’s past in other states with a salvage title check.
• Look for water lines, grit under carpets and rust in odd places; our flood damage check guide lists the signs.
• Compare the mileage with earlier records through an odometer rollback check.

A CARFAX report on a Texas car is $8.99 with us.