# Can cops look up tag number given VIN? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cops-look-up-tag-number-given-vin/242094 "2004-04-26T14:14:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hauss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hauss)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cops-look-up-tag-number-given-vin/242094/1 "2004-04-26T14:14:58Z")
My bro is a criminal because he didn’t have his new tag on his car, and didn’t have the tag numbers to give the cop to prove his new car was registered. (It was too late to call the dealer.) I think this is stupid… stupid on my bro’s part, but even more stupid that the info system that the cops use don’t have a backwards search feature. Is this really true? If so, why? ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cops-look-up-tag-number-given-vin/242094/2 "2004-04-26T14:20:38Z")
Not sure about what the cops have, although I’d be surprised if they couldn’t find out about a vehicle from the VIN. The other day I was looking online for insurance quotes. At one company’s web site, I entered my home address and they promptly gave me a list of all the cars I had registered. Talk about mildly disquieting. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cops-look-up-tag-number-given-vin/242094/3 "2004-04-26T15:22:44Z")
The backwards search is irrelevant. The law says you need to have a tag on your car to drive legally. Period. The fact that the cops could track down the owner via VIN has no bearing. It might prove your brother didn’t steal the car, but it has nothing to do with the fact that he’s in violation of the law requiring tags. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cops-look-up-tag-number-given-vin/242094/4 "2004-04-26T19:28:22Z")
> [@hauss](#): > > My bro is a criminal because he didn’t have his new tag on his car, Where exactly are you? Not having tags _usually_ isn’t, in of it’s self, a crime. It’s an infraction. Getting a ticket doesn’t make one a criminal. Not only can I find a tag number by running a vin through my squad cars computer, but I can also do it at home by running it through an internet data base. Be advised, though, that many state D.O.T/DMV systems are grossly lagging behind. Here in Wisconsin, for example, it can take 2-3 months for new information to be entered into the system. This may explain why the officer couldn’t get any info on the vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![hauss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hauss)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cops-look-up-tag-number-given-vin/242094/5 "2004-04-26T19:59:43Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The backwards search is irrelevant. The law says you need to have a tag on your car to drive legally. Period. > > The fact that the cops could track down the owner via VIN has no bearing. It might prove your brother didn’t steal the car, but it has nothing to do with the fact that he’s in violation of the law requiring tags. A product of reading quickly and not thinking… The point was he was ticketed for driving an unregistered car, which is a misdemeanor in FL. Like I said, he could not prove the car was registered. ---
**Author:** ![hauss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hauss)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cops-look-up-tag-number-given-vin/242094/6 "2004-04-26T20:06:21Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Where exactly are you? Not having tags _usually_ isn’t, in of it’s self, a crime. It’s an infraction. Getting a ticket doesn’t make one a criminal. > > Not only can I find a tag number by running a vin through my squad cars computer, but I can also do it at home by running it through an internet data base. > Be advised, though, that many state D.O.T/DMV systems are grossly lagging behind. Here in Wisconsin, for example, it can take 2-3 months for new information to be entered into the system. This may explain why the officer couldn’t get any info on the vehicle. Again, it was the registration issue he had. Thanks for the input though. I’ll ask around about this lag here in Hollywood, FL. It just unfortunate that my brother got a misdemeanor for something he didn’t commit, ya know? Still his fault though… shouldn’t have let his temporary tag expire. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cops-look-up-tag-number-given-vin/242094/7 "2004-04-26T20:31:20Z")
I suspect that if he goes to court and takes with him the registration documents dated prior to the date of the ticket, that the judge will either eliminate or reduce the fine.