

Obtaining records from these sites often proves substantially easier than government alternatives. These sites are maintained by independent establishments which collate the information from government-run repositories. Third-party aggregate sites are a reliable alternative for obtaining license plate information. The California DMV issues standard license plates when registrants purchase new vehicles, replace lost, stolen, or damaged license plates, or surrender special interest license plates.
CALIFORNIA DMV LOOKUP LICENSE PLATE NUMBER FOR NEW VEHICLE FREE
On the other hand, you cannot always rely on the accuracy of information found from free third-party search providers. By using the DMV search tool, you can be sure of receiving accurate and up-to-date information regarding the license plate. A search conducted via the DMV tool is not usually free, although a few third-party vendors provide the service for free.

License plate lookup services can also be accessed from third-party services.

In California, you may do a license plate search for your own vehicle by using the online vehicle record request tool or by visiting the State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) locations if you intend to obtain information about another person's vehicle.

Additionally, a license plate search might assist in determining the brand and type of a vehicle. By acquiring a car history report, the individual performing the search may verify the vehicle's faults and make an appropriate purchase decision and the associated costs. Apart from determining who owns a vehicle, it is often used to obtain California traffic records and to ascertain the vehicle history when someone wants to purchase the vehicle with the license plate. A license plate search may be conducted for several reasons. Typically, the search tool offers information about the vehicle associated with the license plate. A California license plate lookup is a search initiated by entering the vehicle's license plate into a search tool.
