Wheel ScoutWhat a Michigan plate lookup shows
A license plate points to one car. We turn the Michigan plate into the car's 17-character VIN, show you the year, make and model, then read its history: salvage, flood and rebuilt brands, title history by state, odometer readings and theft records. You also see the factory specs and the safety recalls for that model year before you pay. What it never shows is the owner: the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act keeps names and addresses in DMV records private, and we don't sell them.
What a Michigan plate looks like, and the 2026 plate changes
Michigan is a one-plate state. Under MCL 257.225 the registration plate goes on the rear of the car only; truck tractors carry theirs on the front. The renewal tab sits in the upper right corner on most plates and in the lower right corner on the Wonderland and legacy designs. Type the plate as it reads; we find the car.
The standard plate is the white Pure Michigan plate, issued since 2013. In December 2025 the Secretary of State counted 8.39 million of them, 71.5% of the 11.7 million plates on the road. Next come the Water-Winter Wonderland plate, first issued in 1965 and brought back in 2021 (1.27 million), and the Mackinac Bridge plate (1.25 million). The green Water Wonderland plate from 1954 came back in 2024. All of these are standard plate options at $5 the first time. Legacy plates, replicas of older designs such as the Great Lake State plate, cost $5 plus a $50 Road Fund fee. Plates ten years old or older are replaced automatically when renewed or transferred.
Two things changed recently:
- Digital plates are gone. Michigan discontinued its digital plate option. Owners had until August 9, 2026 to replace them with standard metal plates, so a digital display plate on a car today is out of date.
- A 2026 semiquincentennial plate. A red, white and blue legacy plate marking the nation's 250th birthday went on sale January 2, 2026 for $55 and is available through the end of 2026.
In a sale between two people the plate belongs to the seller, not the car. The Secretary of State tells sellers to remove the plate before the buyer takes possession (the one exception is a sale to an immediate family member, where the plate may go with the car) and to destroy it or recycle it so nobody can use it fraudulently. The buyer then has 3 days to drive the car home by the most direct route without a plate, carrying the assigned title and proof of insurance. If you buy a new plate online, a 60-day permit becomes available to print once the transfer is approved. Michigan also sells temporary registrations at its offices: a 30-day permit costs one-tenth of the regular registration tax or $20, whichever is greater, and a 60-day permit one-fifth or $40, each plus a $10 service fee (MCL 257.802).
Michigan title brands: what the lookup can show
Michigan puts a brand on the title when a car has been through something a buyer should know about, and prints branded titles in orange or gray and yellow so they stand out. Our $5 report reads the NMVTIS record, the national title database the Michigan Department of State reports into and the same system it tells buyers to check before any used-car purchase, so the brands below show up there.
| Salvage | Issued when the estimated damage is 75% to less than 91% of the car's cash value before the damage. A salvage car cannot be plated or driven on the road until it is recertified by a salvage vehicle inspector and retitled. The Salvage or Scrap Title Application is form TR-12; the fee is $15. |
|---|---|
| Scrap | Issued when the repair estimate is 91% or more of the car's pre-damage value. Scrap titles are red and marked Scrap Title. The car may be used only for parts or scrap metal. It can't be registered and used on the road. |
| Rebuilt Salvage | A salvage car that was repaired and passed the salvage recertification inspection. The new title carries the legend REBUILT SALVAGE, which stays on every later Michigan title. The rebuilt title application is $15 plus registration fees. |
| Flood-damaged, police, taxi, municipal | Michigan also brands former police cars, taxis, municipal vehicles and flood-damaged vehicles. These brands stay on future titles too. |
The recertification works like this. The owner files form TR-13A, Application for Salvage Vehicle Inspection, with the salvage title and the receipts for every major component part used in the repair: engine, transmission, frame, body, doors, fenders, hood, quarter panels, bumpers, deck lid or tailgate, trunk floor. If a registered repair facility did the work, its invoices go in too. Any mechanic named on the form should be certified in both unitized body structural repair and collision-related mechanical repair, and signs that the repairs were done in a workmanlike manner. A salvage vehicle inspector reviews the records, schedules the inspection, and completes form TR-13B. The inspection fee is up to $100. Both forms then go in with the title application for the rebuilt salvage title.
For a buyer, Rebuilt Salvage means two things: the car was once damaged to at least three-quarters of its value, and an inspector checked that the repair parts were legally owned and that the car meets Michigan's equipment and safety requirements. It is not a guarantee of how well the repairs were done. Ask for the TR-13A receipts and have your own mechanic go over it.
What a Michigan title transfer costs
Buying from an individual, the buyer pays the Secretary of State at the office visit. These are the Department of State's published amounts.
| Title transfer fee | $15. |
|---|---|
| Late fee | $15 more if the title is not transferred within 15 days of the sale. |
| Sales tax | 6% of the purchase price. No tax is due on a transfer from an immediate family member: spouses, parents, children, stepchildren, siblings, in-laws, grandparents, grandchildren, legal wards and guardians. Aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews do not count. |
| Registration | For 1984 and newer passenger vehicles and light trucks, a percentage of the manufacturer's suggested retail price when the car was first titled, reduced by a percentage in each of the following three years. Older vehicles are charged by weight. The Secretary of State has an online fee calculator. |
| Plate | $5 for a new standard plate, or $10 to $15 to transfer a plate you already own onto the car ($10 if the new car's registration fee is the same, $15 if it is lower, $10 plus the added amount if it is higher). |
| Optional | Recreation Passport for state parks, $15 for one year or $29 for two. |
Other title fees: duplicate title $15, title correction $15, salvage or scrap title $15, rebuilt title $15, removing a paid-off lienholder and getting a clean title $16 (optional; the lien release letter kept with the title also works). Card payments carry a processing fee.
Michigan forms and deadlines
| The title itself | The seller gives you the original title, never a photocopy, with the seller's name, address and signature, the buyer's name and address, and the odometer statement filled in. Every owner listed on the title signs. Crossing out a name or making other changes invalidates the title. If the title has no space for the odometer reading, add an Odometer Mileage Statement. |
|---|---|
| Odometer | The seller certifies the actual mileage under the Truth in Mileage Act. Estimates are not accepted, and the mileage generally cannot be corrected once the title application is filed, so check the number against the dash before you sign. |
| Lien | If a loan is on the title you need a lien termination statement, a paid stamp from the lender, or a signed lender statement that includes the VIN. If the lender uses the Electronic Lien and Title system, the title may be held electronically. |
| Buyer's deadline | Transfer the title within 15 days of the sale or pay the $15 late fee. Visits are by appointment and average about 20 minutes; everyone who will be on the title should come, and the Secretary of State recommends the seller come too. Someone else can file for you with an Appointment of Agent form (TR-128). |
| Insurance | Proof of a valid Michigan No-Fault policy is required to register, and the car needs plate, tab, title and insurance before it is driven on public roads. |
| Seller's records | The seller keeps a copy of the title and a record of the sale for at least 18 months. With that proof of sale, the seller is not liable for damages or violations if the buyer never transfers the title. |
| Online transfers | Some transfers can be done online through the owner's Secretary of State account; approval takes up to 3 days. |
Inspections in Michigan
Michigan does not require a safety inspection or an emissions test to title or register a passenger car. The Secretary of State lists three things a car needs before it is driven on public roads: a plate and tab, an assigned title, and Michigan No-Fault insurance. No inspection is on that list, so nobody from the state looks at the brakes, tires or exhaust before you register it.
That puts the checking on you. The Department of State's own advice to used-car buyers is to have a mechanic inspect the car before you buy and to get a vehicle history report from an approved NMVTIS data provider, which is what our $5 report is. Pay for an hour of a mechanic's time before you pay the seller; it is the only inspection this car is going to get.
Before you meet a Michigan seller
- Run the plate or the VIN here first, before the deposit. Then match the year, make, model and trim to the car in front of you.
- Match the VIN on the dashboard, the driver door sticker and the title. The Secretary of State says the VIN and odometer reading on the title must match the vehicle; if they don't, walk away.
- Match the name on the title to the seller's ID. Both of you show a driver's license or state ID at the sale, and every owner on the title has to sign.
- Look at the title's color. Orange or gray-and-yellow means branded; red means scrap, which can never go back on the road.
- Check for a lender. No lien termination, no transfer.
- Book a mechanic. Michigan does not inspect cars, so you are the inspection.
- Plan the drive home. The seller keeps the plate. You have 3 days to drive straight home without one, with the title and insurance in the car, then 15 days to transfer the title.
Where these Michigan facts come from
Read on the state's own pages on October 31, 2026. Fees and rules change; the county tax office has the final word on the day you file.
- Michigan Secretary of State: Buying, selling or leasing a vehicle
- Michigan Secretary of State: Title transfer and vehicle registration
- Michigan Secretary of State: Titles (salvage, scrap and rebuilt)
- Michigan Secretary of State: Plates and tabs
- Michigan Secretary of State: Standard plate options
- Michigan Secretary of State: Plate transfer
- Michigan Secretary of State: What's on your plate? Top plates on the road in 2025
- Michigan Secretary of State: Form TR-13A, Application for Salvage Vehicle Inspection
- Michigan Legislature: MCL 324.6506 (no emissions testing required in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties)
Look up a plate from another state
The reports
Works for Michigan plates and every other state. You see the car before you pay.
Basic history report
By VIN or license plate · official NMVTIS record · shows right away
- Salvage, junk, flood and rebuilt title brands
- Title history by state, with dates
- Odometer readings and rollback flags
- Total-loss records from insurers
- Theft check
- Market value for the car
Full vehicle history report
By VIN or license plate · Not instant: emailed or texted to you within two hours
- Every owner, how they used it (personal, lease, rental or fleet) and where
- Accidents and damage reports
- Title brands: salvage, junk, rebuilt, flood, fire, hail, lemon
- Odometer readings over time, checked for rollbacks
- Service and maintenance history
- Open recalls and common owner complaints for the model
Michigan license plate lookup questions
How do I look up a Michigan license plate?
Type the plate above with Michigan selected. We turn it into the car's VIN and show the year, make and model at no charge, then the $5 report shows its title brands, odometer readings, total-loss records and theft check.
How much does it cost to transfer a car title in Michigan?
$15 for the title transfer, 6% sales tax on the price, the registration fee (a percentage of the car's original MSRP for 1984 and newer vehicles), and $5 for a new standard plate or $10 to $15 to move your own plate. Transfer within 15 days or add a $15 late fee.
Do I pay sales tax on a car bought from an individual in Michigan?
Yes, 6% of the purchase price, paid to the Secretary of State when you transfer the title. Transfers from an immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, in-law, step-relative, legal ward or guardian) are not taxed.
Does Michigan require a vehicle inspection?
No. There is no state safety inspection or emissions test for passenger cars. You need a plate and tab, a title and Michigan No-Fault insurance. The Secretary of State's advice is to have a mechanic inspect a used car before you buy it.
What is the difference between a salvage and a scrap title in Michigan?
Salvage means damage of 75% to under 91% of the car's pre-damage value; it can be repaired, inspected (form TR-13A, up to $100) and retitled as Rebuilt Salvage. Scrap means 91% or more; the title is red, and the car can only be used for parts and can never be retitled.
Why did Michigan get rid of digital license plates?
The Secretary of State discontinued the digital plate option and required owners to replace them with standard metal plates by August 9, 2026. The standard plate is still the white Pure Michigan plate, Water-Winter Wonderland and Mackinac Bridge designs cost the same $5, and legacy designs cost $5 plus a $50 Road Fund fee.
Can I find the owner of a Michigan plate?
No. The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act keeps owners' names and addresses in Secretary of State records private, and no legitimate plate lookup shows them. You see the car, not the person.
Who runs vehicle titles in Michigan?
The Michigan Department of State, headed by the Secretary of State, issues titles, registrations and plates through its branch offices and online accounts. Salvage recertification inspections are done by salvage vehicle inspectors who complete form TR-13B.
More ways to check a car
Find the deal, then check it.
Wheel Scout alerts you the moment an underpriced car posts on Marketplace, OfferUp or Craigslist near you, and runs the history right in the app.
The basic history report uses NMVTIS data from an approved NMVTIS data provider. NMVTIS records come from states, insurers and salvage yards; not every event is reported to it. Vehicle specs and recalls come from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Wheel Scout is not affiliated with any marketplace or government agency. Wheel Scout is not affiliated with the Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State).