Wheel ScoutWhat a Minnesota plate lookup shows
A license plate points to one car. We turn the Minnesota 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 Minnesota plate looks like, and the blackout plate
Minnesota cars carry two plates. State law (Minn. Stat. 169.79) says one plate goes on the front and one on the rear; motorcycles, trailers and dealer-plated cars use a single rear plate, and collector vehicles may choose. Plates have to be mounted level, kept clean and legible, and nothing may cover the characters, including a clear cover that cuts the reflectivity. Type the plate as it reads; we find the car.
The plate on a Minnesota car is often not the first one it wore, and not always the standard design:
- Plates are replaced at seven years. DVS replaces passenger plates at renewal once they are seven years old or will reach that age during the registration period. A double set of standard passenger plates is $15.50 ($13.50 for a single plate, where a car is eligible for one).
- The blackout plate. Since January 1, 2024 Minnesotans can buy a black plate with white lettering, added at residents' request. It was one of nine special plates added in 2024, alongside plates for the Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves, Lynx and others. The new special plates cost $15.50 and require a minimum annual contribution of $30. DVS said in December 2023 that it offered 123 different special plates, so an unusual plate on a car is normal and says nothing about its history.
The biggest difference from most states: in Minnesota the plates go with the car. DVS's buying-and-selling guide says that when you sell a vehicle, the license plate and the registration taxes are assigned to the new owner, with some exceptions (Minn. Stat. 168.15). So the plate you look up today will usually still be on the car after you buy it, and the registration already paid on it carries over until it expires.
Minnesota title brands: what the lookup can show
Minnesota brands a title when a car has been badly damaged, and once a brand is on, it is printed on that title and every later one, in a format different from all the other writing on the certificate. Our $5 report reads the NMVTIS record, the national title database Minnesota reports into and the one DVS itself tells used-car buyers to check before they buy, so the brands below show up there.
| Salvage | Required on a late-model or high-value car that an insurer paid a total loss on, that will cost more to repair than it is worth, or that already carries a salvage-type brand from another state. Minnesota law counts a car as high-value if it was worth more than $9,000 before the damage; late-model is defined by model year, counted back five calendar years from the current one. The insurer has to notify DVS within ten days of getting the title. A salvage-branded title lets the holder keep, move and sell the car, but not register it. |
|---|---|
| Prior Salvage | Two routes lead here. An older, lower-value car that was totaled gets a prior salvage brand directly. A late-model or high-value salvage car gets it after repair, but only with a certification of inspection in the form DVS specifies, and a $35 inspection fee paid to the department before the new title is issued. Prior salvage is permanent. The one exception is a stolen car the insurer declared a total loss that was later recovered with damage of no more than 80% of its value; it does not need the brand. |
| Flood Damaged | Recorded when the car was declared a total loss because of water or flood damage, or already carries a flood brand from anywhere. It stays on every future Minnesota title. |
| Reconstructed | Applied to vehicles reconstructed within the meaning of Minnesota's title law, and carried on every later title. |
| Junking certificate | For a car declared unrepairable, the title is surrendered for a junking certificate. That allows the car to be kept and moved, and sold by an insurer or salvage pool only to a licensed used parts dealer or scrap metal processor. |
Minnesota adds a second safeguard at the sale itself: the damage disclosure. DVS requires one on every vehicle transfer. Under Minn. Stat. 325F.6641, a seller who knows the car was damaged by more than 80% of its actual cash value must say so in writing on the title assignment, measured by a full written retail repair estimate or invoice. Read that box on the back of the title before you sign anything; if it says yes, the report and a mechanic's look both matter.
What a Minnesota title transfer costs
Buying from an individual, the buyer pays at the deputy registrar office when the title is transferred. These are DVS's published amounts; the Legislature sets them.
| Title fee | $8.25. |
|---|---|
| Filing fee | $12, on each title transaction. |
| Transfer tax | $10 (some exemptions apply). |
| Public Safety Vehicle fee | $3.50. |
| Technology surcharge | $2.25. |
| Lien | $2 for each lien recorded, if you are financing. |
| Motor vehicle sales tax | 6.875% of the purchase price, which the seller writes in the sales tax declaration on the back of the title. For a car sold for a minimal amount or given as a gift that doesn't qualify for an exemption, the tax is figured on fair market value, the average value of similar vehicles. |
| $10 older-car rule | A flat $10 in lieu of sales tax on a passenger vehicle whose model year is 10 or more years old, when both the price and the average value of similar vehicles are under $3,000. A flat $150 applies instead to cars registered with Collector, Classic, Street Rod or Pioneer plates. |
| Late transfer | $2 if the transfer is not submitted within 20 calendar days of the sale. |
| Registration tax | Usually nothing extra at transfer, because the registration on the car goes with it. If the registration has expired, the current registration tax is due. At renewal it is $10 plus 1.575% of the car's original MSRP for vehicles first registered on or after November 16, 2020 (1.54% before that), reduced each year: 95% of MSRP in the second year, 80% in the fourth, 50% in the seventh, 10% in the tenth, then a flat amount from the eleventh year on. Some counties add a wheelage tax. DVS's Estimate My Vehicle Registration Tax tool shows the figure for a given car. |
Sales tax exemptions are narrow. DVS lists only qualifying gifts, divorce, inheritance, joint to single ownership, transfers between companies, charitable, religious or educational use, disabled veterans and prorated vehicles. The old gift affidavit (PS2080) is no longer in use, so ask the deputy registrar how a gift is documented today.
Minnesota forms and deadlines
| The title itself | Every seller hand-prints their name and signs the assignment, writes the price in the sales tax declaration, enters the date of sale and completes the disclosures. Every buyer completes the assignment and application portions with full name, date of birth and signature, and says whether there is a loan. Two buyers who want rights of survivorship put OR between their names. Any alteration voids the title. |
|---|---|
| Odometer disclosure | Required for 20 years on every vehicle of model year 2011 or newer, except vehicles over 16,000 pounds GVWR. |
| Damage disclosure | Required on all vehicles. See the title brands section above. |
| Lien release | If a lender is printed on the title, the transfer needs a signed lien release card or a notarized lien release for every secured party. The front of the title shows the first lender and the total number of liens. |
| Deadlines | DVS says ownership must transfer on the title within ten days of the sale. The seller has ten days to report the sale (online, or by returning the Notice of Sale on the title). The buyer must apply for the new title within 20 calendar days of the assignment, or the $2 late fee applies and the registration can be suspended. Reporting the sale does not transfer ownership; only the buyer's application does. |
| Seller's protection | A seller who hands over the car and the signed title, or signs it over within 48 hours of delivery, is not liable as owner for damages from how the car is driven after that. |
| Where | Any of the nearly 200 deputy registrar offices, or by mail. The application form is the Application to Title and Register a Motor Vehicle (PS2000A). |
Inspections in Minnesota
Minnesota has no emissions test. The state ended its Twin Cities emissions testing program under a 1999 law; annual testing stopped no later than March 1, 2000 in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington and Wright counties, and the program's authority was repealed the same year. There is no safety inspection step in a DVS title transfer either: the transfer checklist covers the title, the disclosures, the lien release and the fees, and nothing about brakes or tires.
So the state will not look at the car for you. DVS's own consumer alert says it highly recommends checking a used car's history before you buy, through the dealer or an NMVTIS provider, which is what our $5 report is. Add a mechanic's inspection before money changes hands, and if the damage disclosure box on the title is marked, ask for the repair invoices behind it.
Before you meet a Minnesota 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.
- Get the title before you take the car. DVS tells buyers to have the title in hand before taking possession, and to make sure the person named on the front of the title is the person selling it to you.
- Match the VIN on the dashboard to the number printed on the title, and on the driver door sticker.
- Read the damage disclosure on the back of the title. It is required on every sale.
- Count the liens. The front of the title shows how many there are. You need a release for each one.
- Check the plates and tabs. They will usually transfer to you with the registration, so look at when the tabs expire and whether the plates are old enough to be replaced at the next renewal.
- Do the paperwork together. Go to a deputy registrar with the seller if you can, and apply well inside the 20-day window.
Where these Minnesota 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.
- Minnesota DVS: Buying or selling a motor vehicle, just the facts (March 2025)
- Minnesota DVS: Vehicle title transfer
- Minnesota DVS: Vehicle fees
- Minnesota DVS: Motor vehicle sales tax
- Minnesota DPS: New special license plates for 2024, including the blackout plate
- Minnesota Statutes 168A.151 and 168A.152: salvage titles and inspection
- Minnesota Statutes 325F.6642: title brands
- Minnesota Statutes 168A.10: transfer of title by the owner
- Minnesota Session Laws 1999, chapter 178: end of Twin Cities emissions testing
- Minnesota Statutes 168A.151: salvage and prior salvage brands, junking certificates
Look up a plate from another state
The reports
Works for Minnesota 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
Minnesota license plate lookup questions
How do I look up a Minnesota license plate?
Type the plate above with Minnesota 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 Minnesota?
The typical DVS fees are a $8.25 title fee, $12 filing fee, $10 transfer tax, $3.50 Public Safety Vehicle fee and $2.25 technology surcharge, plus $2 per lien and 6.875% sales tax on the price. Apply within 20 days of the sale to avoid the $2 late fee.
Is there a flat sales tax for older cars in Minnesota?
Yes. A passenger vehicle 10 or more model years old pays a flat $10 in lieu of the 6.875% sales tax when both the price and the average value of similar vehicles are under $3,000. Collector, Classic, Street Rod and Pioneer plated cars pay a flat $150.
Does Minnesota require a vehicle inspection?
No. Minnesota ended its Twin Cities emissions testing under a 1999 law, by March 1, 2000, and a DVS title transfer has no safety inspection step. DVS recommends checking the vehicle history before you buy; a mechanic's inspection is up to you.
What does a prior salvage title mean in Minnesota?
The car was totaled at some point. A late-model or high-value salvage car can only get a prior salvage title after a certification of inspection and a $35 fee to DVS. The brand stays on every later Minnesota title, and so does a flood damaged brand.
Do license plates stay with the car in Minnesota?
Usually, yes. When a car is sold, the license plate and the registration taxes already paid are assigned to the new owner (Minn. Stat. 168.15), with some exceptions. Plates are replaced at renewal once they are seven years old.
Can I find the owner of a Minnesota plate?
No. The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act keeps owners' names and addresses in DVS records private, and no legitimate plate lookup shows them. You see the car, not the person.
Who runs vehicle titles in Minnesota?
Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), a division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, issues titles and plates. Transfers are handled at nearly 200 deputy registrar offices around the state or by mail, and the Legislature sets the fees.
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 Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS).