Wheel ScoutWhat a Missouri plate lookup shows
A license plate points to one car. We turn the Missouri 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 Missouri plate looks like, and the temporary permit change
Missouri cars carry two plates. State law (RSMo 301.130) puts plates on the front and rear of passenger vehicles, between 8 and 48 inches off the ground, plainly visible and clean enough that the reflective coating works; motorcycles and trailers use a single rear plate. The current general-issue plate is the bicentennial design, which went into circulation on October 15, 2018 and replaced the bluebird plate introduced in 2008. Renewal tabs go in the marked spot on the plate, no more than one per plate. Type the plate as it reads; we find the car.
In a sale between two people, the plates stay with the seller. The Department of Revenue tells sellers to remove the plates before the buyer takes the car, whether they are valid or expired, and a buyer cannot take over the seller's plates after a full change of ownership. If you need to drive the car before you have plates, the license office sells a 30-day temporary permit for $5 plus a $9 processing fee: one permit per vehicle, displayed on the rear where it can be seen, returned when the real plates come.
Temporary tags are in the middle of a change:
- Since June 15, 2025 temporary registration permit numbers have seven digits instead of six.
- Senate Bill 28 (2025) requires all motor vehicle sales tax to be paid before a temporary license plate can be issued. The Department of Revenue says that provision takes effect when its new motor vehicle system integration is complete, not on a fixed date.
- When the new FUSION system goes live, the Department's June 2026 dealer newsletter says dealers will stop using today's temporary permits. A new registration with no plates to transfer will get a 30-day interim plate whose number matches the metal plate being mailed, out-of-state buyers will get a 30-day in-transit permit, and some title-only transactions will get a 15-day intrastate permit.
So in late 2026 you may see either the old paper permit or the new interim plate on a recently sold car. What should never appear is a permit with no expiration or a number that does not match the car's paperwork.
Missouri title brands: what the lookup can show
Missouri marks a title when a car has been totaled or junked. Our $5 report reads the NMVTIS record, the national title database Missouri reports into, so the brands below show up there.
| Salvage | Missouri law (RSMo 301.010) calls a car salvage if it was damaged within six years after its model year and the repairs to restore it would cost more than 80% of its fair market value before the damage, or if an owner, lienholder or insurer declared it salvage. A salvage title is mandatory for cars bought for salvage in those first six years and optional after that. The buyer of a salvage car files for the salvage title within ten days, with an $8.50 fee. |
|---|---|
| Prior Salvage | A salvage car that was repaired and passed a Missouri State Highway Patrol vehicle examination gets an original Missouri title marked prior salvage. The examination certificate costs $25 (RSMo 301.190). An owner of a salvage-titled car ten years old or older can get the prior salvage title without restoring it to its original appearance. |
| Junk | A car that cannot be used on the road and is worth something only as parts or scrap, or that any state has designated junk. It gets a junking certificate instead of a title. If it was not previously classified as junk, the applicant has 90 days to rescind and apply for a salvage title instead; after that it stays junk. |
| Recovered theft | When an insurer recovers a stolen car that was not damaged enough to count as salvage, it can have the car inspected by the Highway Patrol and get an original title with no salvage or prior salvage designation. |
The Highway Patrol's examination checks the VINs and the vehicle's classification. Rebuilt prior salvage cars also lose the young-car safety inspection exemption: RSMo 307.350 excludes prior salvage vehicles from the 10-year exemption immediately after the rebuild, so a recently rebuilt car needs a safety inspection whatever its age.
The Department of Revenue also warns about curbstoning: unlicensed dealers who pose as individuals, whose buyers often end up with damaged, dangerous or uninsurable vehicles. If the name on the title is not the seller's, ask why before going further, and you can report a suspected curbstoner on form 4683.
What a Missouri title transfer costs
Buying from an individual, you pay sales tax and fees at a Missouri license office when you title the car. These are the Department of Revenue's published amounts.
| Title fee | $8.50, plus a $9 title processing fee. |
|---|---|
| Sales tax | 4.225% state sales tax plus your local sales tax, on the purchase price less any trade-in. The Department of Revenue has an online sales tax calculator and a table of local rates. |
| Registration | Based on taxable horsepower, from $18.25 a year for the smallest cars and electric vehicles to $51.25 a year at 72 horsepower and up (two-year registrations cost double), plus a $9 processing fee for one year or $18 for two. New plates also require your paid personal property tax receipt from the prior year, or a statement of non-assessment from the county assessor. |
| Temporary permit | $5, plus $9 processing at a license office. |
| Late title penalty | $25 on the 31st day after the purchase, then another $25 for each 30 days after that, up to $200. |
| Gift | No state or local tax on a gift. The seller writes GIFT in the price area of the title (the Department says not to use a $1 price) and gives you a General Affidavit (form 768) or a written statement that it was a gift. A car cannot be gifted two times in a row, and you cannot use the plates that were on it. |
Card payments at a license office carry a convenience fee of 2.0% plus $0.25.
Missouri forms and deadlines
| The title itself | Seller and buyer both print their names and sign in the assignment area on the back. No notary is needed. The seller writes the odometer reading and the date of sale. White-out and erasures are not allowed. |
|---|---|
| Form 108 | Application for Missouri Title and License, filed by the buyer at the license office with the title, the inspections and proof of insurance. |
| Odometer | Required on transfer for model year 2011 and newer vehicles until they are 20 years old. Form 3019 is used when the title has no room for it. |
| Lien release | A notarized lien release (form 4809), or a notarized statement on the lender's letterhead, if a loan was on the title. |
| Inspections | The seller provides a safety inspection certificate less than 60 days old and, if the seller lives in St. Louis City or St. Louis, St. Charles or Jefferson County, an emissions inspection no more than 60 days old. |
| Buyer's deadline | 30 days from purchase to title the car and pay the sales tax. |
| Seller's notice | The seller reports the sale within 30 days with a Notice of Sale (form 5049) or a Bill of Sale (form 1957). Titles issued since February 2006 have a tear-off Notice of Sale (5049A). Until the buyer titles the car, the seller stays the last titled owner of record. Not reporting is an infraction with a fine of up to $200, or a class C misdemeanor up to $300 if done to help the buyer dodge fees. |
Inspections in Missouri
Safety. To title a car you need a Missouri safety inspection no more than 60 days old (90 days if a Missouri dealer sold it and inspected it within 60 days before the sale). Cars are exempt for the first ten years after their model year as long as they have fewer than 150,000 miles; a 2023 model under 150,000 miles is exempt through 2033. Older cars are inspected every other year, even model years in even calendar years and odd in odd. A station can charge no more than $12 for the inspection, must post its price, and does the follow-up inspection at no extra fee if you bring the car back within 20 business days.
Emissions. Required if you live in St. Louis City or St. Louis, St. Charles or Jefferson County, no more than 60 days old, through the Gateway Vehicle Inspection Program run by the Department of Natural Resources and the Highway Patrol. Exempt: model year 1995 and older (1996 and older for diesels), new cars in their first model year and the next with under 6,000 miles, vehicles over 8,500 pounds, plug-in electrics and other non-gasoline vehicles, and, since August 28, 2026, farm trucks more than ten years old. Testing normally follows the same every-other-year pattern as safety inspections, but the Department of Revenue says a car that is sold needs the emissions inspection whatever its model year.
A passing sticker means the car met the minimum on the day it was checked. It is not a promise about the engine or transmission, so a mechanic's look is still worth it.
Before you meet a Missouri 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 seller whose name is not on the title may be a curbstoner, an unlicensed dealer posing as an individual.
- Ask for the inspections. A safety certificate under 60 days old if the car is over ten years old or past 150,000 miles, and the emissions inspection if the seller lives in the St. Louis area.
- Check for a lender. No notarized form 4809, no clean transfer.
- Plan for plates. The seller keeps them. Get a $5 temporary permit or title it within 30 days, and bring your personal property tax receipt for new plates.
- Budget local sales tax. 4.225% state plus your city and county rate; the Department's calculator gives the total.
Where these Missouri 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.
- Missouri DOR: Selling a vehicle
- Missouri DOR: Buying a vehicle
- Missouri DOR: Titling and registration
- Missouri DOR: Fees
- Missouri DOR: Additional help resources (inspections, odometer, lien release)
- Missouri DOR: Notice of Sale
- Missouri DOR: Dealer Newsletter, June 2026 (FUSION temporary plates)
- Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 301.190 (title application, salvage examination)
- Missouri DOR: Motor vehicle law changes effective August 28, 2026 (farm vehicle emissions)
- Missouri DOR: 2025 MVDL legislative changes (SB 28 temporary plates)
- Missouri DOR: Dealer Newsletter, August 2025 (seven-digit temporary permits)
- Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 307.365 (inspection fee cap)
Look up a plate from another state
The reports
Works for Missouri 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
Missouri license plate lookup questions
How do I look up a Missouri license plate?
Type the plate above with Missouri 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 Missouri?
$8.50 for the title and $9 processing, plus 4.225% state sales tax and your local sales tax on the price, plus registration by horsepower ($18.25 to $51.25 a year) and its $9 processing fee. Title within 30 days or a $25 penalty starts, rising to $200.
How is sales tax figured on a used car in Missouri?
4.225% state sales tax plus the local sales tax where you live, on the purchase price less any trade-in, paid at the license office when you title the car. A true gift, with GIFT written on the title and form 768, pays no state or local tax.
Does Missouri require a vehicle inspection?
A safety inspection, yes, unless the car is within ten years of its model year and under 150,000 miles. It must be under 60 days old to title the car and costs no more than $12. Emissions testing applies in St. Louis City and St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson counties.
What does prior salvage mean on a Missouri title?
The car was once salvage, usually damaged within six years of its model year with repairs over 80% of its value, then was examined by the Missouri State Highway Patrol ($25) and retitled. A recently rebuilt prior salvage car needs a safety inspection regardless of age.
What is changing with Missouri temporary tags?
Senate Bill 28 (2025) requires sales tax to be paid before a temporary plate is issued, starting when the Department of Revenue's new system is in place. Then dealers will issue 30-day interim plates matching the permanent plate number. Permit numbers already went to seven digits on June 15, 2025.
Can I find the owner of a Missouri plate?
No. The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act keeps owners' names and addresses in Department of Revenue records private, and no legitimate plate lookup shows them. You see the car, not the person.
Who runs vehicle titles in Missouri?
The Missouri Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle and Driver Licensing, issues titles and plates through local license offices. The Missouri State Highway Patrol oversees the safety inspection program and does salvage examinations, and the Department of Natural Resources runs St. Louis-area emissions testing.
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 Missouri Department of Revenue.