# license plate search
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-search/236728
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 27, 2004, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-search/236728 "2004-03-27T12:39:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pope\_hentai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pope_hentai)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2004, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-search/236728/1 "2004-03-27T12:39:44Z")
how would one go about finding a persons address through thier license plate in the state of tennessee?
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### Author:  [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-search/236728/2 "2004-03-27T15:04:52Z")
To my knowledge, civilians aren’t entitled to that information.
You need a crooked friend who works for the DMV or the police department.
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### Author:  [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2004, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-search/236728/3 "2004-03-27T15:17:10Z")
Try the county clerks office that issues tag renewals.
At one time by phone, last time I checked you had to come in person to main county office in old courthouse building, upstairs, in person.
That may all have changed sin 9/11.
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2004, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-search/236728/4 "2004-03-27T16:14:20Z")
[Here](http://www.onlinedmv.com/TN_Tennessee_dmv_department_of_motor_vehicles.htm) is where you check. The rest is up to you.
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### Author:  [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-search/236728/5 "2004-03-27T18:49:55Z")
Information like that is apparently restricted by the [Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act](https://www.tennesseeanytime.org/online/dppa.html). In order to be able to look stuff like that up in Tennessee, you’ll have to pay a fee of $75, plus $2 per search, for the privilege and be able to fulfill at least one of the requirements listed in section b of [this application form](https://www.tennesseeanytime.org/online/mvr.pdf). And they do check, it seems.
Hiring a private investigator or finding a crooked DMV worker is probably the only way you’ll be able to get this information on whoever it is you’re stalking. (Or I suppose you might have a slightly more legitimate reason…)