Tennessee License Plate Lookup

License Plate Lookup in Tennessee

A Tennessee license plate lookup involves entering the vehicle's license plate numbers in a license plate search tool to get information about the vehicle. It is useful when purchasing a pre-owned car because it provides information about the vehicle, its features, and history. Any interested person can look up a license plate as well as related Tennessee traffic records in the state. In Tennessee, the Vehicle Services Division (VSD) under the Department of Revenue regulates the issuance of vehicle license plates. However, each county clerk's office in the state administers the registration and assignment of license plates.

There are free license plate lookup websites in the state that provide basic information about a vehicle. However, paid lookup tools give more detailed information, such as the driver's criminal history and accident history.

What is a Tennessee License Plate?

The Tennessee license plate is an aluminum plate tag showing the registration numbers and characters assigned to the vehicle. The Tennessee Motor Vehicle Titling and Registration Law stipulates that the license plate belongs to the vehicle owner and cannot be transferred to other persons. If a vehicle owner sells their vehicle, the license plate remains with them and can be transferred to another vehicle they own for a $1 fee. Only the rear license plate is required for most vehicles in the state. The exceptions are trucks above 1,500 pounds (three-quarters ton) and truck tractors, where the license plate is affixed to the vehicle's front. The plate must be at least 12 inches from the ground and visible at all times.

The Vehicle Services Division began to issue a new license plate series on January 3, 2022. The new license plate has white serials on reflective blue plates. "The Volunteer State" is inscribed on the top left corner to the left of the state map. The county name is written at the center bottom. It has three alphabets and four numbers separated by the state's flag emblem. There are no vowels in the alphabet.

There are four types of license plates in Tennessee, namely:

1. Regular license plate - this is the regular license plate issued to vehicle owners by default.
2. Specialty license plate - there are over 100 specialty license plates in Tennessee. Specialty license plates have a maximum of seven characters and attract additional costs. Any group, organization, charity, or company can apply to the Vehicle Services Division for specialty plates. Examples of such plates are Military, Sports, American Eagle Foundation, and Ducks Unlimited.
3. Disabled Driver license plate - this is for those with permanent or temporary disabilities. Vehicle owners with the disability license plate can park in special parking spots. Tennessee residents can apply for the disabled driver license plate if they:
   1. Walk with difficulty or uncertainty
   2. Are confined to a wheelchair
   3. Are parents or guardians of a person who is permanently disabled and unable to operate a vehicle
   4. Have 20/200 vision or worse
4. Personalized license plate - Regular and specialty license plates can be personalized with an additional $35 fee. The requirements for a personalized plate are:
   1. Must be between three and five characters
   2. It cannot contain special characters
   3. Three personalization options should be provided, and the first available option will be issued

How Do I Get a License Plate in Tennessee?

A vehicle owner can obtain a license plate in Tennessee from the local county clerk's office under the state's Department of Revenue while registering and titling the vehicle. New residents or those relocating to the state will need the following to register and title their vehicles:

• Government-issued Identification card
• Current out-of-state registration
• Proof of residency
• Name and address of lienholders if applicable or the out-of-state title

Residents must provide the following to register and title their vehicle:

• Proof of identification and residency
• New vehicle invoice
• Manufacturer's statement of origin
• Copy of current registration if transferring a license plate
• Properly assigned certificate of title with Odometer Disclosure Statement if the vehicle is pre-owned

Proof of vehicle emission inspection has stopped being a requirement for most counties from January 14, 2022.

The registration fees are as follows:

• Personal vehicle - $26.50
• Electric vehicles - $100 + registration fee
• Commercial vehicle (less that 7 seats) - $49.88
• Commercial vehicle (7-15 seats) - $99.38
• Commercial vehicle (16-25 seats) - $165.38
• Commercial vehicle (26-35 seats) - $247.87
• Commercial vehicle (above 35 seats) - $330.38

There are additional county taxes that must be paid.

Passenger License Plates vs Commercial License Plates

There is no physical distinction between passenger license plates and commercial license plates in Tennessee. Passenger license plates are the regular license plates issued to residents for personal use. In contrast, commercial license plates are issued to vehicles for commercial purposes, such as buses, taxis, and commercial trailers. The requirements for obtaining commercial license plates are the same as that of passenger license plates. However, the business name, registration number, and address will be required in place of the owner's name and address.

How Can I Find the Owner of a License Plate in Tennessee

The Tennessee Uniform Motor Vehicle Records Disclosure Act prohibits the disclosure of sensitive personal information from the motor vehicle record unless as permitted by law. An interested third party applying to know the owner of a license plate must show proof of identity, pay a specified fee, and state the reason for the disclosure. The reason for the disclosure must comply with the Federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act and the state law for the request to be granted. The reasons allowed by law for disclosure of a vehicle's information are as follows:

• To be used by a governmental agency
• For use by a licensed private investigative agency
• To verify the accuracy of personal details submitted by a person
• To verify or obtain information by an employer
• To be used in connection in a motor vehicle or driver safety and vehicle emissions
• To prevent fraud
• To investigate claims by an insurer
• To conduct research activities
• To provide notice to the owners of towed, impounded, or abandoned vehicles
• With the express consent of the owner
• For any other use authorized by the state laws and such use is related to the operations of a vehicle

The Tennessee Motor Vehicle Data System (MVDS) provides the vehicle history search service. An inquirer must subscribe to the system before access can be given, and the inquirer must complete and submit the Vehicle Information Request form. A $2 fee is charged for each search. Additional fees include:

• Vehicle record's computer printout - $1 per record
• Certified vehicle record's computer printout - $1.50 per record
• Current vehicle record - $5 per record
• Complete vehicle history - $15 per history

Third-party businesses or websites can provide the license plate lookup service free of charge or for a fee. The information obtained from the lookup can be used to find the vehicle owner through a phone number lookup or by searching vehicle service records in Tennessee.

Third-party aggregate sites are a convenient alternative for obtaining license plate information. These sites are maintained by independent establishments which collate the information from government-run repositories. Obtaining records from these sites often proves substantially easier than government alternatives. However, requestors may be required to provide any information required to facilitate the record search and pay any required fees to access the record of interest.

Tennessee License Plate Renewal

Under the Department of Revenue, the Tennessee Vehicle Services Division is responsible for renewing vehicle registration and license plates through the county clerk's office. A renewal postcard is sent one month before the vehicle registration expires, or if the owner chooses, email and text message reminders are sent in place of the postcard. There are five options for vehicle license renewal, namely:

1. Phone app: The Auto Assistant app is directly integrated with the county clerk's office and is used to renew vehicle registration and receive registration expiry notifications. The "Auto Assistant" app is available for Android and iPhone phones on their respective app stores. A vehicle owner in a participating county can download and install the app to renew the vehicle license. The owner is required to provide the license plate number, title number, and county of vehicle registration. Payment is made through the app. The vehicle owner can send a mail to onlineservices@bisonline.com for any issues encountered.
2. Mail: the renewal can be done via mail by sending the renewal notice and the appropriate fees to the local county clerk's office.
3. The renewal can be done online via the Tennessee county clerk's website. The applicant will select the specific county where the vehicle was registered or input the license plate number to access the renewal portal. The payment can be made via debit or credit card.
4. Self-service Kiosk: this option allows a vehicle owner to renew the vehicle license within minutes by visiting any of the kiosk locations in participating counties and doing the following:
   1. Scan current registration or driver's license
   2. Select vehicle
   3. Pay with a debit or credit card
   4. Registration and renewal decal will be printed once renewal is successful
5. In-person: A vehicle owner can visit the local county clerk's office to renew the vehicle's registration. All that is required is the renewal notice or current registration.

The renewal fee depends on the county and the type of vehicle. Online, phone app, in-person and self-service renewals are completed in minutes. The mail renewal is effected within a week.

Can You Look Up License Plates with VIN?

Yes, you can look up a vehicle's license plate with its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The VIN and the license plate number of a vehicle are linked in the state's database. Registered subscribers can use the Motor Vehicle Data System (MVDS) database to search for information about a vehicle using VIN at $2 per search. A complete history search costs $15 per record, while a current vehicle record costs $5.

VIN Number Lookup

A VIN lookup involves using a VIN search tool to check for information on a vehicle. All registered vehicles have an identifying code that uniquely identifies the vehicle and its manufacturer. The VIN can be found on the engine block, the dashboard of the driver's side of the vehicle, the doorpost of the driver's side door, or the hood underside. The VIN can reveal specific details about the vehicle, such as country of production, airbag types, engine size, plant name, safety recalls, insurance coverages, and claims.

The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) provides a database of title information from all the states in the US. A VIN lookup using the NMVTIS resource will provide the following information:

1. The current state of title and last title date
2. Salvage history
3. Odometer reading
4. Total loss history
5. Brand history indicates the vehicle's status, such as junk, flood, and salvage

Can Civilians Lookup License Plates in Tennessee?

Yes. Interested persons in Tennessee can look up information on license plates by using online license plate search tools. However, the level of information available to civilians is limited compared to the information available to law enforcement officers through inter-agency databases.

Persons interested in doing a license plate lookup in Tennessee may use information service providers. These providers are independent sources of license information based on data aggregated from multiple sources. Note, however, that the information obtained from such sources may not be used to assess credit worthiness, replace background checks, or used for official purposes. The results of Tennessee license plate lookup may only be used to satisfy personal curiosity.

What Do Police See When They Run Your Plates in Tennessee?

Police officers typically run license plates in traffic stops, especially when an officer has probable cause. The tools law enforcement use for their license plate search are different from what is available to civilians through aggregate sources. Police officers often use automated license plate readers (ALPRs) that pull information from agency databases.

The information available to police officers when they run a license plate typically include:

• Vehicle information
• Driving status
• Criminal history
• Outstanding warrants

Law enforcement officers who run a plate will see the vehicle information, including the year of manufacture, VIN, license expiration date, and the registered owner’s name. In addition, they will see the driver’s information, including their biodata, social security number, and contact address. Furthermore, the officer may also access the driver’s criminal history as well as tickets and outstanding warrants on the vehicle, its registered owner, or the driver.

While the public may not have access to the databases law enforcement officers use for license plate lookup, a lot of the information is publicly available through other sources. A major difference is that civilian searchers may have to use multiple sources to pool the information. Furthermore, sensitive information like the driver’s social security number and house address may be restricted from the public for privacy reasons.

Free License Plate Lookup in Tennessee

Interested persons may use third-party aggregate sites to lookup license plates in Tennessee. Aggregate websites that provide license plate lookup services typically charge a fee for the service. However, it may be possible to look up a Tennessee plate for free.

Most people use search engines to conduct a free license plate lookup. Entering the license plate number directly may provide information already available on the web on that plate. However, there is no guarantee that the search results will be useful.

Alternatively, an interested person may search for “free license plate search” on the search engine instead. The search results will provide a list of third party websites that provide license plate lookup for free. Many of these free sites, however, limit the information available for free searches. Usually, the searcher will be able to access basic details like the vehicle description and owner’s name. Obtaining additional information would require paying for the service.

How to Search for Ticket by License Plate in Tennessee

There is no official way to find tickets by license plate through official databases. Drivers in Tennessee looking for lost or unpaid traffic tickets may contact the municipal court in the location where the ticket was issued. Some cities, e.g. Memphis, have a traffic violation bureau that handles the resolution of unpaid tickets. However, it may be possible to find unpaid tickets by doing license plate searches on independent websites.