Wheel ScoutWhat a Mississippi plate lookup shows
A license plate points to one car. We turn the Mississippi 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 Mississippi plate looks like
The current general-issue tag is the Standard Passenger Vehicle License Plate, 2024-2029 series. A Blackout Passenger Vehicle plate is issued in the same series, and Mississippi also sells a long list of specialty and NASCAR plates. State law (Miss. Code 27-19-31) lets a tag be issued for five years, while the registration itself is renewed every year at the county Tax Collector. Type the plate as it reads; we find the car.
What a buyer needs to know about Mississippi plates:
- The plate leaves with the seller. The Department of Revenue says plates are tied to both the vehicle and the owner, so they cannot be moved to another vehicle. When the seller signs the title over and hands you the car, they remove the plate and surrender it to the county Tax Collector. You get your own tag when you register.
- Dealer drive-out tags last 7 days. A dealer can issue a drive-out tag valid for 7 days from the purchase date, mainly so out-of-state buyers can get home.
- 30 business days to register. A newly bought vehicle must be registered within 30 business days of the purchase date. If you bought it outside your home county, you have 48 hours to get it home or to your business, then the 30 business days to register before penalties apply.
- Stolen tags are replaced with form 76-903, filled out by local law enforcement; a replacement tag and decal is $10, a decal alone $2.50.
Mississippi title brands: what the lookup can show
Mississippi brands a title to show that a car has been damaged or may be unsafe to drive. The Department of Revenue tells buyers to check for brands such as Salvage, Rebuilt, Flood Damaged and Hail Damaged before they buy. Our $5 report reads the NMVTIS record, the national title database Mississippi reports into, so those brands show up there.
| Salvage | A car an insurer takes from its owner after paying a total loss claim, whether from collision, fire, flood, hail, theft that was never recovered or anything else. Cars ten years old or older worth $1,500 or less are excluded. A salvage car cannot be driven on Mississippi roads, cannot get a tag, and cannot be sold by a licensed dealer until it is retitled as Rebuilt. |
|---|---|
| Rebuilt | A salvage car repaired in Mississippi, inspected, and retitled. The Department of Public Safety says the repair or replacement of one major part and four minor parts makes a car a rebuilt vehicle. The Department of Revenue's definition counts the parts differently (for example, six minor parts or two or more major parts), so the two state pages do not match exactly. A car repaired in another state cannot be inspected in Mississippi. |
| Flood Damaged | The insurer applies for the flood-branded title in its own name, then assigns the car to the buyer, who applies for a new title with pre-repair photos, form 78-021 and an inspection. In the Department of Public Safety's words, the flood brand can never be removed from a title, and it overrides all other brands. |
| Hail Damaged | Goes through its own inspection, with pre-repair photos, form 78-021 and a work order. |
| Titles Mississippi will not issue | Junk Vehicle, Non-Rebuildable Vehicle, Certificate of Destruction and Parts Only titles. A car that was scrapped, dismantled or destroyed has its title surrendered. |
The rebuilt inspection is done by the Department of Public Safety's Salvage Inspection Division. The fee is $125 for salvage, flood and hail inspections, by certified check or money order. The owner brings form 78-021(1), the original salvage title or the insurer's retention letter, four color photos of all four sides of the car taken before any repairs, the original invoices for every part (each showing the donor vehicle's VIN and the seller's name, address, signature and driver's license or tax ID number), a work order describing the repairs, and two copies of everything. The car must be completely restored, paint included, before the inspection. A stolen or altered VIN means the car is impounded and held as evidence.
If the owner kept a totaled car and the insurer never got a salvage title, the owner can rebuild it, have it inspected in their own name, and take the insurer's letter and the inspection forms to the county Tax Collector to apply for the Rebuilt title and a new registration. Ask any seller of a Rebuilt car for those photos and invoices; the inspector already required them.
What a Mississippi title transfer costs
You pay at your county Tax Collector's office when you title and register the car. The title fee and sales tax are set by the Department of Revenue; the ad valorem tax depends on where you live, so the county has the final word on your total.
| Title fee | $9. A Fast Track title, issued within 72 hours of the Department of Revenue receiving it, is $39. A standard title is typically issued within six weeks. |
|---|---|
| Sales tax | 5% of the net purchase price for cars, vans and trucks under 10,000 pounds GVW (3% for heavier trucks that haul property). The Department of Revenue says sales tax is due on a vehicle bought from an individual, and sales tax paid to another state is not credited against Mississippi's. |
| Registration | $14 for a first-time registration ($12.75 to renew each year). |
| Ad valorem tax | The local property tax on the car, paid at registration. The assessed value is 30% of the manufacturer's suggested retail price, depreciated over 10 years, with a minimum assessed value of $100 for passenger vehicles. That is multiplied by the millage rate set by your county. A Legislative Tag Credit, first authorized in 1994 and recalculated by the Department of Revenue every year, takes a percentage off. |
| Privilege tax | Also collected at registration; the Tax Collector gives the amount for your vehicle. |
| Late renewal | 5% penalty starting on the 16th day of the month after the tag expires, another 5% for every 30 days after that, up to 25%. Once the cap is reached, the Legislative Tag Credit is lost. |
| Family transfers | A transfer between a spouse, child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, brother or sister needs an Affidavit of Relationship. Ask the Tax Collector how it changes what you owe. |
Other title fees: replacement title $9 (form 78-006), or $39 by Fast Track; a corrected title costs nothing when the state or county made the error, and $10 when the mistake was in your paperwork.
Mississippi forms and deadlines
| The title assignment | The seller completes every part of the assignment except the buyer's printed name and signature. Leaving the buyer's name blank violates Mississippi law. The Department of Revenue's instruction is never to accept or deliver an incomplete or improperly assigned title. |
|---|---|
| Odometer | The mileage goes on the title assignment; the Odometer Disclosure Statement is form 78-015 when one is needed. A wrong reading is corrected with an Affidavit for Corrected Odometer (78-023). |
| Relatives | An Affidavit of Relationship when buyer and seller are a spouse, child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, brother or sister. |
| Deadline | Register within 30 business days of the purchase date at your county Tax Collector, after the 48-hour window to get the car home if you bought it in another county. Renew every year after that. |
| Title processing | About six weeks for a paper title, 3 to 4 weeks for an electronic title, 72 hours for Fast Track. Missing documents slow it down. You can check the status of an application online. |
| Title Status Lookup | The Department of Revenue runs an official Title Status Lookup. Use it along with our report before you pay. |
| Older cars | Every motor vehicle has had to be titled in Mississippi since 1969. Earlier vehicles may be titled voluntarily. |
Inspections in Mississippi
Mississippi has no annual safety inspection and no emissions test. House Bill 982, signed by the Governor on March 28, 2015, repealed the Mississippi Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Law effective July 1, 2015, and the Department of Revenue says emissions testing is not a condition of registration. Window tint is the one thing still checked: official tint inspection stations inspect tinted windshields, and the fee for a tint test is $5.
That leaves the checking to the buyer. Before you pay, run the report, use the state's Title Status Lookup, and have a mechanic look at the car on a lift. On a Rebuilt, flood or hail title, also ask to see the before-repair photos and the parts invoices the state inspector required.
Before you meet a Mississippi 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.
- Match the name on the title to the seller's ID. A title signed by someone else with the buyer's name left blank is exactly what Mississippi law forbids. Walk away from it.
- Read the brand. A salvage title means the car cannot be tagged or driven. A flood brand never comes off.
- Check for a lender and get the lien release with the title.
- Plan for the plate. The seller takes the plate to the Tax Collector, so arrange how the car gets home, then register within 30 business days.
- Budget the county costs. Sales tax is 5% of the price, but ad valorem depends on the car's MSRP and your county's millage, so ask the Tax Collector for an estimate.
Where these Mississippi 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.
- Mississippi DOR: Motor vehicle titles
- Mississippi DOR: Motor vehicle frequently asked questions
- Mississippi DOR: Motor vehicle registration and renewal
- Mississippi DOR: Motor vehicle ad valorem taxes
- Mississippi DOR: Salvage vehicles
- Mississippi Department of Public Safety: Salvage Inspection Division
- Mississippi DOR: Available license plates
- Mississippi Legislature: House Bill 982 (2015), safety inspection law repeal
Look up a plate from another state
The reports
Works for Mississippi 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
Mississippi license plate lookup questions
How do I look up a Mississippi license plate?
Type the plate above with Mississippi 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 Mississippi?
The title fee is $9 ($39 for a Fast Track title in 72 hours), plus 5% sales tax on the net price, a $14 first-time registration fee, the privilege tax, and ad valorem tax based on the car's MSRP and your county's millage. The county Tax Collector gives the final total.
Do I pay sales tax on a car bought from an individual in Mississippi?
Yes. The Department of Revenue says sales tax is required on a vehicle bought from an individual. The rate is 5% of the net purchase price for cars, vans and trucks under 10,000 pounds, and tax paid to another state is not credited.
Does Mississippi require a vehicle inspection?
No. House Bill 982 repealed the state's motor vehicle safety inspection law on July 1, 2015, and there is no emissions test for registration. Tinted windshields are still checked at tint inspection stations.
How does a salvage car get a Rebuilt title in Mississippi?
It is repaired in Mississippi, then inspected by the Department of Public Safety for $125 with form 78-021(1), photos of all four sides taken before repairs, and original parts invoices. After it passes, the title is branded Rebuilt. A car repaired in another state cannot be inspected in Mississippi.
Can I keep the license plate when I sell a car in Mississippi?
No. Mississippi plates are tied to both the vehicle and the owner and cannot move to another vehicle. The seller removes the plate at the sale and surrenders it to the county Tax Collector.
Can I find the owner of a Mississippi plate?
No. The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act keeps owners' names and addresses in state motor vehicle records private, and no legitimate plate lookup shows them. You see the car, not the person.
Who runs vehicle titles in Mississippi?
The Mississippi Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Services, issues titles and sets the rules. You title and register at your county Tax Collector's office, and the Department of Public Safety does rebuilt, flood and hail inspections.
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 Mississippi Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Services.