How can someone find the owner of a car by the VIN number |
Answer:
- You can go to the Department of Motor Vehicles and fill out a form to find the last person who titled the car.
- Although it's true in a general sense that you can walk into a motor vehicle agency and get information regarding the owner of a vehicle if you have the VIN, there are some specifics. I'm quoting Oklahoma law here, but it's similar in most states and even more restricted in California.
- You have to have some reason for having the information. If you are a wrecker service and need it to notify the owner that their vehicle has been impounded, you must include your business license and DOT number. If you are the registered owner, you can get it. If you are acting on behalf of the RO and have their signed and notarized statement giving you permission, you can get it. If you are a court, or law enforcement you can get it. If you are a creditor you *might* get some limited information, ditto if you are an insurance company, unless you have a signed and notarized statement from the RO giving you permission to get it.
- So, yes you can, but only under certain circumstances and you show a need for the information. You can also find out the cars complete history and previous owners if you do a carfax on the car, it will cost you $25 and all you need is the vin#. Carfax will NOT give out previous owners name or address!
- In Greenville County Greenville, SC where I live you can take a license plate number, and go to the SC DMV website, go to public services and obtain duplicate registration. If you enter the plate number it will give you a VIN. Then you can take that VIN to greenvillecounty.org and do a property tax search and it will show you the owner and their address. There are probably similar searches for most major counties in the US.