Louisiana License Plate Lookup

Type the LA plate exactly as it reads on the car and keep Louisiana selected. The plate is only the way in: we match it to the car's VIN, and the VIN carries the history. A Louisiana tag lookup works the same way.

1. 1. Enter the plate

   Type the Louisiana plate and pick the state. Spaces and dashes don't matter.

2. 2. We find the car's VIN

   The plate turns into the car's 17-character VIN in seconds, and you see the decoded year, make and model before you pay.

3. 3. Open the full history report

   One payment of $9.99, no account. The report opens at once, with records from all states.

What the report includes

One report for the VIN behind the plate, searched across all states:

• Odometer readings in miles

  Dated readings from state safety and emissions inspections and auction sales, with a rollback check.

  All states

• Police-reported crashes

  Crashes involving this VIN, with the year, plus the damage recorded when the car was sold at auction.

  All states

• Salvage and auction history, with photos

  Insurance and salvage auction sales of this VIN: sale date, damage type, title, odometer at sale and the auction photos.

  All states

• Title brands

  Salvage, rebuilt, flood and junk brands, so you know what the title says before the seller tells you.

• Recalls and owner complaints

  Safety recalls and owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the model and model year.

  Model-level

• Factory specs

  Model year, make, model, trim, engine, transmission, drivetrain and assembly plant, decoded from the VIN.

  Every VIN

What OMV and its offices charge for titles, registration and plates, as published. Each row links its source.

In a private sale, the seller assigns the current Louisiana title to you before a notary, with any lien released. You also need an original notarized bill of sale showing the price, unless the price is written in the title assignment, plus an odometer statement if the title lacks one. Bring Form DPSMV 1799, your photo ID and proof of liability insurance to an OMV office or a Public Tag Agent. You pay a $68.50 title fee, an $8 handling fee, a local fee of up to $6, the plate fee, and sales tax for the parish where the car is domiciled, on the price minus any trade-in and rebate. Then check the water history. Louisiana brands any car whose power train, computer or electrical system took on water, and a flooded total loss gets a certificate of destruction instead: it must be dismantled, parted out or crushed, and breaking that rule is a misdemeanor with fines of $500 to $5,000. A car is a total loss at 75% or more of market value, and hail-only cosmetic damage at that level gets its own branded title. The OMV denies an out-of-state title application for a water-damaged car. A rebuilt total loss carries RECONSTRUCTED on the face of its title. Run the plate before you hand over money.

Private sale

The seller assigns the current title to you before a notary, with any lien released. You also need an original notarized bill of sale showing the price (not needed if the price is on the title assignment), an odometer statement if the title lacks one, Form DPSMV 1799, photo ID and proof of liability insurance. You pay the $68.50 title fee, $8 handling, up to $6 local fee, the plate fee and parish sales tax at an OMV office or Public Tag Agent.

Dealer sale

The dealer assigns the manufacturer's statement of origin (new) or title to you, with an itemized invoice and odometer disclosure, and a licensed dealer can submit the transfer without your proof of insurance. Sales tax is based on the parish where the vehicle is domiciled, on the price minus any trade-in and rebate.

Source: Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles

Louisiana follows the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. 2721) and adds its own law:

La. R.S. 32:409(C) and OMV Policy 64.01, implementing 18 U.S.C. 2721

The OMV releases personal information only for purposes the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act allows, such as law enforcement and court orders, vehicle safety and theft, and emissions or recalls (R.S. 32:409(C)). Under OMV Policy 64.01, personal and private information is not released to any private citizen other than the current owner without the owner's written consent. The public cannot get an owner's name or address from a plate.

Source: OMV