There are several key reasons to look up license plates online, one of the most common being to obtain vehicle history reports. When buying a used car, sellers may not always disclose the full history of the vehicle.
Accessing an online vehicle history report provides crucial details about previous owners, the number and types of accidents, and whether the car was used for personal or commercial purposes. You can perform a free license plate search on our website to get a comprehensive history of vehicles in Illinois.
Additionally, if you're interested in obtaining a vanity plate for your vehicle, you can perform a license plate check to see if your desired plate is available or already taken.
The Beginning of Route 66 📍
The historic Route 66, also known as the "Main Street of America," begins in Chicago, Illinois. This iconic highway has played a major role in American car culture, offering a scenic route with numerous landmarks and attractions for road trippers.
Where is the License Plate Number?
Your license plate number is mounted on your car with big, bold letters. Alternatively, you can look it up in your vehicle registration card.
Registering a Vehicle in Illinois
After purchasing a vehicle in Illinois or moving to the state, you have 30 days to register the car. Once registered, you will receive a temporary permit valid for 90 days, or until your license plates are issued.
In Illinois, license plates are managed by the Secretary of State (SOS). Standard plates consist of three letters and four numbers, and each vehicle must display two plates: one on the front and one on the rear.
With your license plates, you will also receive validation stickers, which should be placed on the rear plate. If the sticker is lost or damaged, it can be replaced for a fee. Additionally, you can request replacement license plates for an extra cost.
Available License Plates in Illinois
When registering a vehicle in Illinois, there is a variety of license plate types you can choose from. The standard plates issued in Illinois come in white and blue, characterized by a Lincoln image with dark red letters.
If you prefer not to use the standard plates, you can apply for special category license plates. People living with disabilities can apply for special placards and license plates. This allows them to park in designated zones throughout Illinois.
In general, Illinois has up to eleven license plate types. They include:
- License plates for persons with disabilities
- Standard license plates
- Antique license plates
- Specialty license plates
- Pan-Hellenic series license plates
- Collegiate license plates
- Military license plates
- First responders license plates
- Professional sports license plates
- Sporting series license plates
- RV license plates
The state of Illinois requires you to first register and title your vehicle under the standard license plate category before you can apply for personalized plates. It is against the law to use customized license plates on vehicle leases, vehicles in a trust or business vehicles.
Titling Your Vehicle in Illinois
You can do your Illinois vehicle titling online. Once you complete the application process, submit the application over the counter or via mail to the SOS (Secretary of State) office. All the data you present in the documents should be accurate for the SOS offices to approve. If you purchased your vehicles out of state, you will need to submit your RUT-25 tax form.
Where is the Data From? Is it Legal?
We compile our license plate reports from a variety of reliable sources. Many of these sources are governmental entities, such as the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). Additionally, we regularly monitor car auction inventories to track the condition of various vehicles.
As for legality, rest assured that we comply with the Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), ensuring that we do not disclose any personal details about the vehicle's owner. Our license plate lookup performs a reverse lookup to obtain the VIN number and queries the vehicle history reports associated with it. None of the information in our report is personally identifiable to any individual.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) grants individuals the right to access information collected by the government. Which means, you are completely within your legal rights to use our auto license plate lookup tool, which is best of all, completely free of charge!