Arizona License Plate Lookup

Check any Arizona License Plate for vehicle history records

To be able to drive on the roads in Arizona, you are required to first register your vehicle with the department of motor vehicles. Once registered, you are issued with license plates for your vehicle.

If you are planning on buying a new or used car from a dealership, you need to get a temporary license plate which allows you to legally drive until the permanent plates are issued. When purchasing a vehicle from a private individual, you need to apply for a restricted permit. This enables you to drive for inspection, titling, registration and back to your home. These temporary permits are valid for only 3 days.

Before you finalize a purchase it’s important to carry out a license plate look up or VIN Check on your vehicle. A VIN code is the number of the vehicle and it has 17 characters.

The VIN code/number is located in the following areas on a vehicle:

  • Door Jamb at Driver side – Part that clicks when slammed
  • Car Insurance and Title
  • Trailer – Drivers side, Front part of the frame.
  • Motorcycles – Front frame.

The advantage of carrying out the search is that it helps you obtain legal, detailed and updated vehicle history.

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    Where to find my Arizona plate number?

    Generally, you can easily your plate number easily by looking at the issued license plate attached to your car. However, there are instances you need to lookup car license plates without having access to the car physically, you can look it up at you car's Arizona vehicle registration letter.

    Arizona Vehicle Registration Letter

    What info can i get from doing an Arizona license plate lookup?

    Arizona license plate look up enables you to access the following information:

    • If the previous owner had put up the vehicle as security for a loan.
    • Accident Records
    • If the vehicle has been recalled by the manufacturer due to inadequate repairs or faulty parts.
    • Vehicle title, engine, model, make, year of manufacture
    • If any damages have occurred due to water, fire e.t.c
    • Inspection report.
    • If a vehicle has been flagged by the authorities either for over speeding, involved in criminal activities or has been stolen.
    • Notifies you of Odometer crimes i.e. some individuals with the aim of making a profit rewind the odometer ensuring the vehicle has low mileage. This makes the vehicle more expensive.

    Getting a License Plate in Arizona

    As a resident once you register your car it must undergo an emission test. Any previous test report from another state is rendered void in Arizona. For the vehicle registration process to be finalized, your vehicle must pass the smog and emissions test.

    Some vehicles are allowed to operate without going through the emission test. Such vehicles must have the following distinctive features:

    • Should be 5 years and below
    • Should use alternative fuel
    • Should be gas powered.
    • Should have been manufactured no later than 1967

    It’s important to note that if you own a vehicle with the specified features but has been customized, it cannot be excluded from the emission test.

    Types of Vehicle License Plates in Arizona

    There are two categories of license plates:

    • Standard License plates - these are characterized by the slogan “Grand Canyon State” with the depiction of a setting sun behind a mountain
    • Specialized license plates - These vary in design. They are mainly for people who support a certain cause or college, are in a particular organization or institution. E.g. Charity license plates, Military license plates.
    Type of Arizona license plates

    To be able to get a customized license plate, one is required to pay an additional fee.

    There are a few guidelines that must be followed for personalized license plates. They include:

    • The plates cannot have characters that depict vulgar language or symbols
    • You must use the designated number of characters
    • The plates can only include numbers and capital letters
    • You cannot use specialized plate numbers that are already in use

    The cost of registering a vehicle in Arizona mostly depends on the services you need during your registration process. Whether you want to register and title your vehicle, get a temporary permit to take your car to the DMV or pay license tax, you need to visit the Arizona Department of Motor Vehicle to get the correct fee based on your needs.

    Renewal of License Plates in Arizona

    Once your license plate registration validity ends, you will need to renew your registration to be able to continue driving your vehicle in Arizona. You are required by law to have the following when renewing you license plates:

    • Vehicle identification number
    • Your identification Card
    • Renewal fee

    Is it Legal to Perform a Reverse License Plate Search?

    Yes, we are in compliant with the Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), as we do not disclose information about the vehicle's owner personal details. Our license plate lookup does a reverse lookup to obtain the VIN number and query the vehicle history reports for it. Nothing in our report is personably identifiable to a particular individual.

    Additionally, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows any individual the right to access to information collected by the government. There's no reason for you not to give our auto license plate lookup tool a try. It's totally legal and FREE!

    State Based Informational Guides

    We have compiled a list of state specific guides for you. Feel free to check them out.

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