Police use plate numbers to do a license plate search to see if there are any outstanding warrants for the owner, parking tickets, or other issues they should be aware of before approaching. When registering your car, you can choose which design to pick and have your plate number on it. However, they may also offer custom plate designs for organizations, special license plates for (police, fire, handicapped plates), the military, and even company and tribal plates. Every state has a plate design that is its own, including colors, images, and other features. These are called personalized plates or vanity plates. In many cases, the driver can choose his or her own plate number (if it is available and complies with all rules). The plate number is embossed onto a thin metal plate that you affix to either the front, back or both on your vehicle. The code assigned is a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.

What is a License Plate Number?Įach state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) assigns a unique identifier to every vehicle registered. There are times when you may want to perform a vehicle history report by looking up your license plate number or that of another person.

If you own a car, motorcycle, trailer, or even a recreational vehicle, you must have a license plate on it.

Free public license plate search