Are you a victim of a hit-and-run case? Have you often been harassed on the road by people in cars? Do you want to inquire about a used car if you are willing to buy it? If any of the above is true in your case, then this article is going to help you immensely to find owner by license plate.
It is evident that all of us have seen in movies (or in real life as well) that when a crime scene involves any vehicle, the first thing that the police or the common person notices are the license plate number. It is so because you can quickly nab down the culprit or the owner of the vehicle if you have the license plate numbers.
That is why it is often suggested that if you notice any strange behaviour by any vehicle owner or face a hit and run case, you must always take note of the license plate number.
Are you wondering how to find out who owns a car by license plate number?
If yes, there are certain paid and unpaid services that you can use to get information about a car owner by knowing their car license plate number.
In this article, we will discuss the free license plate lookup services you can use for personal and professional purposes. However, it is advised that you do not use the information against any person or stalk or harass anybody.
So, let’s get started by knowing more about this most frequently asked topic without wasting much time!
Reasons to Find Vehicle Owner by License Plate
It’s obvious, some of you might think; why would you look up a license plate? Well, no ordinary man looks for car owners by using their license plate numbers for nothing. The ones who look for it have their own reasons to lookup vehicle owner by number plate, which can vary differently according to people.
Some of the most common causes of finding vehicle owner by license plate number are:
To Investigate Hit and Run Incidents
One of the most common reasons to find the owner of a vehicle by the license plate number is to investigate a hit and run case.
Most times, car owners who hit and run after accidents are not easy to trace if you do not have the license plate number of that vehicle. So, when you note down the license plate number, you can take it to the police to investigate and find out about the actual owner to capture the culprit.
The state law enforcement can easily use the number to track down the car’s real owner and take the case further.
When Buying a Used Car
It is excellent when you buy a new car, but it’s also good if you prefer a used one. But there are certain things you need to look for when buying a used car from a private seller.
A second-hand car can come clean or come corrupt. It is not easy to know whether the vehicle was purchased or stolen if you are not buying it from trusted resources. Thus, it would be best if you found the vehicle owner by license plate when buying a used car with cash from a private seller.
It will help you know the vehicle’s previous owner and get useful information about them. And when you know the previous owner, you will know whether the car was bought or stolen. Once confirmed, you can go ahead with the buying.
For Personal Interests
When we talk about vehicles in general, you might think, why would you look up a license plate? It isn’t that important.
Well, it actually is, but for those who are investigating criminal cases. Not for those looking up for personal interest with the motive to harass or find out information about people in general.
There can be reasons worthy of finding out people by looking up their car license plate numbers which are good reasons, but if you have harmful intentions or if you want to harass someone with that motive, it can be dangerous in many forms, so beware!
In Harassment Cases
Just opposite to the above reason of trying to find car owners by looking at their license plate numbers to harass them, one can also try to seek the same information when getting harassed by a car owner.
In fact, one of the common reasons to lookup vehicle owners by number plate amongst netizens is this actually!
We see many instances where car owners harass people of the opposite sex regularly or park their cars in front of people’s houses to harass them. Thus, if you are facing harassment by a car owner, take down the license plate numbers, and you will get the owner’s information.
Important note: Looking up a license plate owner is illegal, if you encounter an accident, turn to the police for help. But you can run a license plate search before buying a second-hand car. Knowing a vehicle history would help you know better about the car and get a good deal.
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How to Find Out Who Owns a Car by License Plate Number
If you have reasonable causes to look for vehicle owners, you need to know the process of getting the information at hand. So, in this section, we are going to discuss how to find out who owns a car by license plate, and it should only be followed for valid and legal reasons!
Here are the best possible ways to find registered owner of vehicle by license plate for free:
Look at Clues on the License Plate
If you want to know how to find a vehicle owner by license plate free, you have to look for clues in the license plate itself. If you can read the license plate number, you will get half the information there, like the state to which the car belongs or the name of a business if it belongs to any organization.
Some free search tools might help you know the details of these clues once you put them up in the tools provided by them. You can look for other clues to find the owner by license plate number, including information related to the vehicle. Once you get this information from free websites, you can go to the DMV for further proceedings.
But you need to remember one crucial thing; that these free license plate lookup services will not always give you accurate information related to the vehicle. Thus to be sure, you need to re-check the facts with the DMV or the local police department before drawing any kind of conclusion or targeting the car owner. If this doesn’t help, try the next one!
Use Online Databases
This is one of the most reliable resources when finding a vehicle owner by license plate number! The online databases help you find information about car owners that are publicly available. These databases are collections of information used in any kind of public communication associated with the vehicle.
Like if any organization has used the car for rental purposes or if it has faced any accidents before, there will be public information available against its license plate number. These online databases do not always come free, but you have to pay the organization or website a certain amount to find the registered owner of the vehicle by the license plate.
There are various free tools available on the market that can also help you find the car owner by using these online databases that you need to find out on your own.
If you are lucky enough, you will get the exact details of the car owner you have been looking for! But the results can be flaky sometimes, and thus, it is advised that you cross-check the results before jumping to any kind of conclusion.
Report the License Plate to the DMV
Reporting the license plate number to the DMV or the Department of Motor Vehicles is another good solution if you want to know how to find out who owns a car by license plate for free.
They will assist you in getting information about the car owner without bearing any cost. But the catch is that the DMV of your state will not help you if you do not have any solid reasons to search for the vehicle owner.
To find the owner of the vehicle by license plate number with the help of the DMV, there are some basic rules involved:
- Visit the DMV office with the license plate number.
- Talk to an agent and explain to him the reasons behind your searching for the real owner of a vehicle.
- The DMV will scrutinize your reason, and upon finding out that your purpose is legitimate enough, they will guide you to getting the information of the real car owner.
- The agent might also ask for your personal details like name and address for the purpose and any future references.
As the DMV of every state assigns a unique registration number to each vehicle in the state, it is not difficult for them to know how to find out who owns a car by their license plate number.
Contact the Authorities
If you are still confused about how to find the owner of a car without getting involved in any kind of difficulties, then the best option for you is to contact the authorities.
Yes, contacting the local police authorities will not only help you find the car owner if you have a legitimate reason, but they will also take the case forward and catch the culprit.
Whether it is a case of harassment or hit and run, the authorities are always there to help you find the car owner. So, if you want to know how to find out who owns a car by the license plate, you know where to go!
The process might not be simpler, but it is not too difficult either. The most significant part is that you must prove that your reason is legitimate enough to find out the car owner.
Any government authority won’t allow you to get the personal information of any person without any valid reason. Once your reason is verified, they will use their own resources to find owner of the vehicle by license plate number.
You can go to them only when the car you are reporting has a hit-and-run case or any kind of harassment or crime-related issues.
Ask Your Insurance Company to Help You
Are you still wondering how to find the registered owner of a vehicle by number plate? Well, try this solution for a better result! If your car has been hit by another car and they run away after causing damage to your car, you can file an insurance claim with your insurance provider.
If you have noted the license plate number, then the insurance company can use it to find the owner of the vehicle and also sue them depending upon the claim you file or the damage they incur.
It is evident that they know how to find registered owner of vehicle by VIN free or use other techniques to find the same. If your insurance claim is accepted, only then can the company help you find the vehicle owner who has caused damages to your vehicle; otherwise, it is not easy to persuade them for the same.
When the insurance provider searches for the vehicle owner using their own tools and techniques, you can also get other relevant details about the same, like any possible theft issues, previous accidents, etc.
Hire a Private Investigator
Are you still confused about how to find registered owner of vehicle? If all the above methods fail to draw the desired conclusion, you must resort to this last option. Yes, hiring a private investigator will help you find the original car owner without wasting your time and energy finding the same.
The private detectives have certain tools and techniques to track down car owners easily, in case you are harassed by any vehicle regularly or have been a victim of a hit and run case.
In most cases, these private investigators are able to track down the real car owners within a few days but to look up someone by license plate is not an easy job anyway!
Also, most such investigators charge a hefty amount to provide this information. Thus, if you think you can bear their charges, then it is advised to hire such investigators, or else the options mentioned above can help you track down the real car owner if you bear your time and energy to find owner of car by license plate number free!
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Can You Find Someone by Their License Plate Number?
By now, it is already clear whether you can find the owner of a vehicle by the license plate number. Yes, of course, you can! But the question here is how much information can you get or what kind of information you can get by using their license plate numbers. But one thing you must keep in mind is that it is not as easily done as it is said.
Although you can find a car owner just by using the car license plate numbers, it is harder than you think! To find a vehicle owner by license plate, you need a valid reason; only then will law enforcement help you get the same. Otherwise, you might not be able to access the information on your own.
Now coming to the most important query, how much information can you access using the car license plate numbers.
The Drivers Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) doesn’t allow your private information to be accessed by any means except for special circumstances because you never know what someone can do with your license plate number!
The information you can get is the name and address of the car owner. Beyond that, you can also know the vehicle’s accident records, the recalls and warranties, its fuel efficiency, the indication of potential auto fraud or theft, its market value, and other vehicle specifications.
So, if you are interested in only finding vehicle owner by license plate number, then you can do it well if you know the number.
Sometimes this is more than getting any other information because in criminal cases, tracking the criminal becomes easier when you get the personal information about him or her. Thus, any car owner can be traced using their license plate number, and their state and place of residence can also be found using the same.
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Is It Legal to Lookup a Vehicle Owner by Plate Number?
If you have this question- whether is it legal to look up someone’s license plate, you must know that it is indeed legal to get the information, but it is illegal if you do not use the information correctly. For instance, you cannot get the information to harass or stalk someone!
Also, it is unquestionably not advised, or you can say it is prohibited, that you use the information against someone in cases of mortgages, loans, tenant agreements, or other similar instances. Thus, if you are finding a vehicle owner by license plate number, then be sure to use it for legal actions.
If you use it for illegal purposes, the outcome can be very strict, and you can also be subjected to jail for misusing one’s personal information. However, if you have been a victim of a hit and run case or if someone is harassing you, you must know how to find out who owns a car by license plate number so that you can report to the police well and find out about the culprit.
Hopefully, by now, it is clear to you how to find and use the information related to car license plate numbers.
How to Find the Registered Owner of a Vehicle by License Plate Number
If you have a good reason to find a vehicle owner by license plate free, then you already know how to do it. But if you have some unscrupulous intentions or want to misuse the information you get, you are strictly advised not to do it anyway!
It is because law enforcement will find out if any vehicle registration number is misused or has some illegal applications, and if found, the actions can be stricter.
Various free license plate lookup services are already mentioned in the sections above, but it is not always possible to implement all the services in all cases. And that is why you need some expert opinion when it comes to choosing the right services.
After going through all of them, the ones that I found out to be the most effective are:
- Use Online Databases
- Report the License Plate to the DMV
These, in my opinion, are the most effective free services to find out who owns a car by looking at their license plate numbers. If at all you want to know how to find out who owns a car by license plate number, try implementing these methods. However, all the other methods are also effective in their own way, and you must cross-check to find the best suitable solution for you. But again, DO NOT use it for any kind of negative purposes.
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- How to Sell a Car on Craigslist Without Getting Scammed
