License plates in Mississippi are issued to vehicle owners by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, which is the state department that handles vehicle registrations similarly to a DMV. Several types of vehicles need license plates including motor homes, trailers, trucks, motorcycles, and passenger vehicles.
The department offers both specialty and standard plates. Standard license plates are printed with the date that a vehicle registration expires. Meanwhile, there are different specialty plates including military honor plates, personalized plates, and organizational plates. You must apply for your license plate in the thirty day period following the purchase of your vehicle.
It’s possible to apply for license plates in the following ways:
- Fill out the application in person at the Department of Public Safety
- Send a mail request to the Department of Public Safety
- Use the Department of Public Safety’s website to fill out the application online
You can also use these methods to find the owner of a vehicle by performing a license plate owner lookup.
How to Look Up a License Plate
There are a few methods you can use to look up a vehicle’s information using the license plate.
The first is to go through the Department of Public Safety. All the same communication channels previously listed can be used to make a request for vehicle information. You can also call the Department of Public Safety at 601-987-1212. If you send a mail request, address it to the following:
Mississippi Department of Public Safety
1755 Lelia Drive, Suite 200
Jackson, MS 39205
Unfortunately, this isn’t always the most efficient way to receive information. A request can take several days to process and may have associated fees. Fortunately, it’s possible to look up the same information using online public databases. These databases contain the same information and records as the Department of Public Safety, but they’re owned by private companies instead of the government.
To use an online public database, you should make an account with whichever database you choose. There may be associated fees you must pay, and then you can use their search tools to enter the license plate.
This website allows you to perform a license plate check for free. You can access the following information:
- The VIN number of the vehicle
- The registration information of the vehicle
- Information about the vehicle’s owner
If you need to get in contact with the vehicle’s owner and the original search didn’t yield contact information, sometimes a second search will give you a phone number or email address.
No matter what method you use, records are available and easy to access for anyone.
