License plates are issued to Minnesota vehicle owners by the Minnesota Department of Motor Vehicles. All-terrain vehicles, motorcycles such as these available at ZeCycles, passenger cars, trucks, vans, and mobile homes are all required to have a license plate at the rear of the vehicle. These plates are printed with the registration’s expiration date.
You can get specialty plates in addition to standard plates, but they’re only issued for special cases and organizations. Most Minnesota vehicles use standard license plates. All license plate applications must be filed within the ten day period after you purchase the vehicle. The following methods are used to apply for a license plate:
- Filling out an application in-person at the Department of Motor Vehicles
- Mailing a request for a license plate to the Department of Motor Vehicles
- Submitting an online request for a license plate using the Minnesota DMV website
You can use the same methods to do a license plate owner lookup for a vehicle. This lookup will give you information about the registered owner of a vehicle.
How to Perform a License Plate Lookup
You can either use a public online database to look up a license plate, or you can contact the Minnesota Department of Motor Vehicles. The Department of Motor Vehicles keeps records of all registered vehicles in the state. If you choose to go through the DMV, you can make the request for license plate information in-person, through mail, or online. You can also make a phone request by calling 651-297-2126.
If you mail your request, use the following address:
Minnesota Department of Motor Vehicles
1300 Town Square Building 445 Minnesota Street, Suite 190
Saint Paul, MN 55101
You may find that using an online database is much more convenient and efficient, though. Requests through the Department of Motor Vehicles can often take days to process. Meanwhile, searching with an online database only takes seconds. These databases contain all the records normally found in the Department of Motor Vehicles, but they’re run by private companies rather than the government.
To look up a license plate, simply create an account with the online database of your choice. Pay any required fees, and then use the search tools to find information about the vehicle. This website allows you to do a license plate search free of charge.
You can obtain the following information with a search:
- The vehicle’s VIN number
- The registered owner of the vehicle
- The driving history of the vehicle
No matter what method you use, there are multiple quick and easy ways available to search for vehicle information using a license plate.
