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Using Driving Records and Vehicle Registration to Find People

(Excerpted from "Find Them Fast!" (c) Copyright 1994 by Dave Farrell)

One of the best ways to locate people throughout the United States is through the use of driver's license and vehicle registration information.

Thousands of "missing" people are located each year through the departments of motor vehicles located in each of the fifty states. If the person you're looking for is of legal driving age, this should be one of the first places you look for them. A driver's license has become one of the most important pieces of identification carried by Americans over the age of sixteen. It is generally the first piece of I.D. asked for by police officers, retailers, bankers and just about everyone else requiring proof of identification.

In recent years, a few states have enacted laws restricting public access to driving and vehicle registration records, but in most states, the information is available for the asking (and a nominal fee). One nice thing about driving records: You can get a wealth of information out by putting very little information in. Two pieces of information that are vital to begin the search, however, are the subject's name (make sure it is spelled correctly!) and, if possible, a date of birth.

Given a person's name and birth date, the motor vehicle department should be able to give you a current address; last known address; personal information, such as height, weight, eye and hair color; previous names, if any; the numbers and types of vehicles owned by that person as well as any traffic tickets they may have accumulated in recent years. These records also can be used to "skip-trace" missing persons who may have moved in recent years. Each motor vehicle department maintains records going back from two to 30 years, indicating what state the person's license was surrendered to.

States also keep records of licenses issued to women under their maiden names, so it is possible to find women whose last names may have changed through marriage. Appendix A lists the address for the agency in every state that handles driver's license records. I've also included a sample letter you can use to request the records for your subject. When writing to obtain driver's license records always ask for all available public information on your subject. You may receive some data you deem unimportant, such as eye color and other physical characteristics, but you also will get much valuable information.

If your subject has a common name, it will save you a lot of time if you can provide the DMV with his or her date of birth. That will help the clerks in the computer room figure out which John Smith you're trying to find.

 

Complete list of drivers license bureaus

 

Vehicle registration

Sometimes, after obtaining a subject's driving records, I discover the address on their license is not current. When that happens, I immediately contact the DMV and request a list of all motor vehicles listed to my subject's name.

Vehicle registration records are a great way to zero in on someone. They almost always yield current addresses. That's because driver's licenses are renewed every few years (some states allow eight years between renewals). But motor vehicle registration must be renewed annually. Consequently, the address you obtain from registration records is at most only a year old.

To obtain registration records, use the sample DMV request letter in this booklet and modify it to request the appropriate records. You can search vehicle registration records several different ways: By owner's name, by license number and by vehicle identification number.

Searching by name is simple. You simply ask the DMV in the appropriate state for a list of all the vehicles registered to your subject's name. If you know the license number of a vehicle owned by your subject, you can ask the DMV to trace that number and give you the address of the person who owns the plate.

Finally, if you know the vehicle identification number (VIN) of a car or truck owned by your subject, you can ask the DMV to trace ownership of that vehicle. (VIN numbers are often included in divorce records and bankruptcy filings where assets are listed). Since the ownership of motor vehicles is tracked so carefully by the government, vehicle registration records can also lead you to a subject who has moved some time ago. If you know a specific vehicle your subject owned, even if it was some years ago, you may be able to use that information to find him today.

Here's how: Request a "vehicle history" or a "body file" on the vehicle from the DMV. That packet of information will include the names and addresses of everyone who ever owned the car or truck. Working back from the current owner, you should be able to contact all the previous owners of the vehicle. The person who dealt with your subject may recall information about them that can help lead you to them. Appendix B contains the addresses of the agency in all 50 states that handles motor vehicle registration.

Case study
A colleague once traced a valuable source down using precisely this method. The man he was looking for was divorced. My colleague called the man's ex-wife, who had no idea where he was. She did, however, have information about the sports car he got in the divorce, a car they jointly bought when they were married. My friend obtained the vehicle history and learned that his subject had sold the car to a young college kid. The kid recalled that the man he bought the car from said he had to sell it because he was moving to Wyoming and he needed a truck. Tracking the man down in Wyoming was easy.

Traffic tickets: If your subject is the kind of person who doesn't give accurate or proper information on licenses or other official documents, check to see if he or she has any traffic tickets. You can do that when you ask for driving records. If there are tickets on your subject's record, write to the city or jurisdiction where the ticket was issued. Ask for a copy of the citation. It will include the make, model and license number of the vehicle involved in the incident.

Go back to the DMV and find out who owns that vehicle. Most likely, it will be someone who knows your subject and can supply information about his current address.

Accident reports: If you discover your subject was involved in an accident, you may be sitting on a gold mine of information, especially if lawsuits were filed as a result of the crack-up. You can find out from the DMV where the accident occurred. Contact that city or jurisdiction and obtain a copy of the police report that was filed for the accident.

Note all the parties involved in the accident. The report will include addresses and other information for all of them, of course. You can find out a lot more about everyone involved (including your subject) if any lawsuits were filed as a result of the mishap. Take the names of everyone involved in the accident to the local courthouse. Ask the clerk there to check to see if any of those people are involved in any lawsuits. If so, review all the paperwork involved. It will give you loads of information about each party, particularly if the damage was deemed to be extensive.

If the other party filed suit, you can bet that the addresses for your subject in the court documents will be accurate, since the injured party has filed the suit with the intent of collecting damages.

RV's, ATV's and snowmobiles: Like their on-road cousins, most types of off-road vehicles are also licensed by the state. Recreational vehicles, all-terrain vehicles and even snowmobiles can all be used to lead you to their owners. In most states, the Department of Motor Vehicles licenses these types of vehicles. Check with your state DMV office to see how you can obtain registration records.

Boats: You can track ownership records for boats much the same way you track motor vehicle records. You can search for people using their names, or you can search for ownership and registration of vessels, using the I.D. number of the boat. You can even order a vessel history and trace ownership of the boat the same way you can for motor vehicles. Appendix D lists the addresses of agencies to write to for boat and vessel registration records.

Airplanes: Airplane records are kept by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. If your subject is a pilot or owns an aircraft (either fixed wing or helicopter) the FAA will have records on him or her. As with cars and boats, you can trace the ownership of aircraft as well as receive license information about pilots.

The FAA records on pilots includes the pilot's address, type of aircraft the pilot is licensed to fly and the date of the pilot's last medical examination. Airplanes don't have license plates. They are identified by their so-called "N-number," which is written in large letters on the body and tail of the plane. You can trace planes using that number. As with motor vehicles, you can trace the history of a plane, a technique that can give you past owners and addresses.

You can search FAA records by mail. Write Federal Aviation Administration Mike Monroney Aero Center, 6500 South MacArthur Drive, P.O. Box 25082 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73125. To check pilot records by phone, call (405) 954-3261. To check on aircraft, call (405) 954-3116.

Sample letter for motor vehicle bureau

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