Where do I find the Last Owner of a Car?

Limitations on Vehicle Ownership Search
So where do you find information on the last owner of a vehicle? There are limitations on searching for vehicle ownership as opposed to just a state where the car came from. Names, addresses, and personal identification information of a vehicle owner is protected under a federal law called the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, also known as DPP.

Origin of Driver’s Privacy Protection Act
This law was passed back in the 1990s when a stalker used an identification number and a license plate from the vehicle to search for the owner. Turned out he was stalking an actress and he actually assaulted this actress in California. Because of that, the federal law was introduced to make vehicle ownership information private and protected.

Comparison to Financial Privacy
It sounds like your bank account or social security number to protect you from somebody. Let’s say that you’re driving down the street, they don’t like the way you’re driving from doing road rage and showing up at your door the next day because they found out where you live.

Challenges in Finding Vehicle Owners
That limitation makes finding vehicle owners for the purpose of tracking down a title or tracking down documentation on your vehicle much more difficult and expensive. Therefore, the first stop is to look at other evidence, maybe finding receipts in the glove compartment, maybe starting with CARFAX to find out what state it came from and looking for information within that state.

Alternatives to Direct Searches
The other methods for finding ownership are usually less expensive and more simple, rather than doing a direct search, which can be done by a licensed investigative agency for specific purposes to find a prior owner. Those types of searches can get very expensive; it can take a long time. So if you need to track down a prior owner, look for the other methods first and then resort to the last-ditch effort of doing an investigative search to find that ownership if you need to.

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