Texas License Plate Lookup

Type the TX plate exactly as it reads on the car and keep Texas selected. The plate is only the way in: we match it to the car's VIN, and the VIN carries the history. It also answers the question behind a Texas vehicle registration lookup for a buyer: which car this is and what happened to it.

1. 1. Enter the plate

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

In a Texas private sale, the seller signs the title over to you and you both sign Form 130-U. You then have 30 days to file at your county tax assessor-collector. Miss the deadline and the penalty is $25, plus $25 for every further 30 days, up to $250. Sales tax is 6.25% of the price or 80% of the car's standard presumptive value, whichever is higher, so a lowball bill of sale does not lower the tax. The seller should file a Vehicle Transfer Notification within 30 days so later tolls and tickets are not theirs.

Safety inspections ended for noncommercial vehicles on January 1, 2025. Emissions tests still apply in 17 counties, including Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Travis, and Bexar County is added from November 1, 2026.

Flood is the Texas risk to check first. When flood water alone makes a car a total loss, Texas puts a "Flood Damage" remark on its salvage title, and that remark follows the car. TxDMV's Smart Buyer guide also tells you to look for silt under the carpet, rust on seat bolts and water lines inside the lights. A repaired wreck must carry a "Rebuilt Salvage" brand. A new car with defects the dealer cannot fix falls under the Texas Lemon Law, which TxDMV administers.

Private sale

The seller signs the title over to you and both of you sign Form 130-U (Application for Texas Title and/or Registration). You file it at your county tax assessor-collector within 30 days of the sale and pay the title fee and 6.25% sales tax on the greater of the price or 80% of standard presumptive value. The seller removes their plates and should file a Vehicle Transfer Notification (Form VTR-346 or online) within 30 days.

Dealer sale

A licensed dealer files the title application through TxDMV's webDEALER system and, since July 1, 2025, mounts metal plates on the car at the time of sale instead of a paper tag. Dealers must disclose Salvage, Nonrepairable and Rebuilt Salvage brands, and you sign an affidavit acknowledging the title status. A dealer that files late pays a flat $10 penalty.

Title transfer deadline

30 days from the sale (60 for active-duty military)

Source: Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

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

Tex. Transp. Code ch. 730 (Motor Vehicle Records Disclosure Act), incl. sec. 730.007 (permitted uses) and sec. 730.013 (redisclosure)

Texas's counterpart to the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. 2721). TxDMV may not release personal information from title and registration records, including name, address (other than ZIP code), photo, Social Security number and driver's license number, unless the requester is the subject of the record, has the subject's written consent, or has a permitted use (law enforcement, courts, insurers, recalls and similar). Requests go on Form VTR-275 by mail or at a Regional Service Center, and recipients may redisclose only to others with a permitted use.

Source: TxDMV