Montana License Plate Lookup

Type the MT plate exactly as it reads on the car and keep Montana selected. The plate is only the way in: we match it to the car's VIN, and the VIN carries the history.

1. 1. Enter the plate

   Type the Montana 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 MVD and its offices charge for titles, registration and plates, as published. Each row links its source.

In Montana you title and register a vehicle at the county treasurer in your county of residence, and you have 40 calendar days from the purchase date to apply (MCA 61-3-317). The title fee for a car or light truck is $12. Registration depends on age: $217 a year for a vehicle four years old or less, $87 for five to ten years, $28 for eleven years or more, plus county option tax and smaller state fees. Owners of vehicles eleven years or older can choose permanent registration, so an older pickup may carry the same plates for a long time. Watch the salvage rules. Insurers must apply for a salvage certificate only when the vehicle is under 15 years old (MCA 61-3-211). An older truck that an insurer totaled can come back with a clean-looking title. Rebuilt vehicles get the words "rebuilt salvage" on the title after an identity and parts inspection (MCA 61-3-212). New vehicles over $150,000 MSRP pay an $825 yearly surcharge, which is worth knowing if the price looks too low for the age.

Private sale

The seller signs the title over and removes the plates (MCA 61-3-334). The buyer then applies for a new title and registration at the county treasurer in the buyer's county of residence. Until that is done, the vehicle may not be driven unless a temporary registration permit is displayed (MCA 61-3-317, 61-3-224).

Dealer sale

A licensed dealer handles the title paperwork and can issue a temporary permit so you can drive while the title and plates are processed. You still pay the age-based registration fee and county option tax at the county treasurer.

Title transfer deadline

40 calendar days from purchase (MCA 61-3-317)

Source: Montana Motor Vehicle Division (Montana Department of Justice)

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

Montana Driver Privacy Protection Act, MCA 61-11-501 to 61-11-516

MCA 61-11-506 prohibits the department from disclosing personal information in a motor vehicle record (such as name and address) except for the uses the act and the federal DPPA permit, such as law enforcement, insurers and vehicle safety recalls. A plate number alone does not entitle the public to the owner's identity.

Source: MVD