[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by JViello

True story, I got an anonymous letter in the mail years ago cussing me out for going to fast or whatever in traffic. *SOMEONE* was abusing their powers. That's as sketchy as it gets right there.

I'd put my money on it having been an anonymous neighbor, rather than someone illegally accessing the DMV database.

[Bren's Mom]

You can go to any local DMV office and request information on any CT plate. However, before the give the info to you they must get permission from the plate's owner. And, of course, that's unlikely to be given.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

I'd put my money on it having been an anonymous neighbor, rather than someone illegally accessing the DMV database.

Definetly not by the way it was worded...you'll have to trust me on this.

[apraetor]

Actually, anyone can legally request the identity of the registered owner of a motor vehicle. The trick is you have you have the license plate number; you cannot simply ask to see a list of all vehicles registered to a specific person -- THAT is reserved for police only. This is similar to property records, where any person can go to the town records department and find out who owns a specific piece of land, but they cannot receive a list of all land owned by a specific individual.

They do NOT need the permission of the registered owner, as that would interfere with your ability to bring a civil action against the owner. By registering a motor vehicle in the state and driving it on public roads you are publicly disclosing your identity at all times by having a license plate visible. The plates are not coded to protect the RO's identity, it is done to make them short and easy to remember in emergencies and to decrease the chances of mis-identification.

[Cambium]

"It is illegal to run a license plate check on someone else, regardless of the circumstances. Only a member of law enforcement can run a license plate or lookup license plate numbers to find vehicle owner information.

While there are companies that offer such things as a free license plate or tag number search, you should always be careful when dealing with this type of company and always read the fine print. If you see an online license plates search, It is most likely a scam"

Longer version.

Vehicle records access is governed by the Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act in the United States. The act is a federal statute that controls the disclosure of public records gathered by state Departments of Motor Vehicles. Government agencies also grant access to view this information, for removal of non-owner records and for businesses to verify personal information. State laws have their own permissions as well.

It is illegal to obtain driver records for unlawful reasons and it constitutes a criminal act to do so. Most websites that offer license plates lookups are scams and have fine print that detail their true intentions. The DMV does not sell registration records, which is protected information available only to licensed private investigators and law enforcement.

Reputable websites sponsored by states that offer such information do exist, but need to be analyzed carefully for authenticity. They generally cost between $35 and $45 for a license plate lookup. Docusearch Investigations is a verified company that provides license plate information with a single fee per lookup.

One must wonder how those sites got the info if DMV doesn't sell the records

[FullArmor]

Way to dig up an almost 7 year old thread, lol.

[Marc Wallace]

Google "Schaeffer's <sp?> Law".....