Vermont license plate lookup

What the Vermont search shows, and what it leaves out

After you choose Vermont and type the plate, a commercial vehicle-data provider returns the VIN linked to it. We decode the model year, make, model and engine, check the VIN for open safety recalls, and offer history reports if you want to know where the car has been.

We don’t show who owns it. The federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. § 2721) controls the release of personal information from motor vehicle records, and Vermont’s record request form asks every requester to pick the DPPA category that applies to them.

Who issues plates and titles in Vermont

The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles, part of the Agency of Transportation, issues titles, registrations and plates.

• Front plate only if two are issued. 23 V.S.A. § 511 says a car displays one or two plates as the Commissioner requires: a single plate goes on the rear, and with two, one goes on the front.
• The seller takes the plates. Under § 321 the registration expires when a car changes hands, and the seller removes the plates at once. They can go on another vehicle the seller owns if a transfer is applied for within 24 hours; otherwise they go back to the DMV within five days.
• Some older cars have no title. Under § 2012 as it reads today, a vehicle more than 15 years old on January 1, 2024 that is registered in Vermont and hasn’t changed owners since then needs no certificate of title. A seller of such a car may hand you a registration rather than a title, so ask the DMV which papers you need before you pay.

Ordering a record from the Vermont DMV

Records are requested on form VG-116, Vermont DMV Record Request, mailed to 120 State Street in Montpelier with a check or money order and a copy of your ID. The back of the form lists the DPPA categories, such as government use, legal proceedings, insurers, business verification, or the written consent of the person on the record, which the form’s “Authorization of Release” section collects.

Salvage and rebuilt titles in Vermont

Anyone who buys a car as salvage, scraps or dismantles one, or an insurer that declares a total loss, must apply for a salvage certificate of title within 15 days (§ 2091). The Vermont DMV notes the rule doesn’t apply to title-exempt vehicles or to vehicles more than 15 years old.

A salvaged or totaled car rebuilt for the road can’t be titled or registered until the Commissioner or an authorized representative inspects it. Under § 2093 the inspection verifies the VIN and the bills of sale or titles for the major parts, and the DMV adds that repairs must meet Vermont safety standards. Any new title carries the legend “rebuilt.” Sellers must tell you, both orally and in writing, that a car was salvaged, rebuilt or totaled, and say so on the bill of sale. If they don’t, you can choose to get the purchase price back, including taxes and fees.

Checks for a car with Vermont plates

• Match the VIN on the dash and door with the title or registration and with our result. What is a VIN shows where to find it, and the VIN decoder what it should decode to.
• If the seller has no title because of the age exemption, the paperwork tells you less. A salvage title check can fill in brands and total losses from other states.
• Get the seller’s salvage or rebuilt disclosure in writing, as § 2093 requires.
• Check the mileage with an odometer rollback check.

With us, a CARFAX report is $8.99; see pricing for the rest.