South Carolina Tag Number Search

By Mohamed SkhiriUpdated November 10, 2026Checked against SCDMV form 5027-A

Form 5027-A, part by part

Every official request starts here. SCDMV's Request for Vehicle Information is a short form with a strict structure. Each part does a job:

• Part A, who you are. You choose a category: the vehicle owner, a law office, a lienholder, an insurer, a government agency, or Other.
• What you want. You tick each type of information you need, such as the title, the plate, insurance information or a title history. Each one is $10, and you add them up.
• Part D, why you're entitled to it. Anyone asking for someone else's record checks a use permitted under the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act, such as an insurer's claim or underwriting, a court proceeding or an investigation in anticipation of litigation, or a government function.
• Part E, the owner's consent. Required only if you checked Other in Part A.
• Your signature. You sign under penalty of perjury that you're entitled to the information.

Mail the form, any supporting documents and the fee to SCDMV Vehicle Research in Blythewood. There's no online or walk-in version for this request.

South Carolina license plate lookup: who gets owner details

The categories in Part A tell you most of the answer. Owners asking about their own vehicle, insurers, lienholders, law offices and government agencies have a defined place on the form. A private individual with no permitted use falls into Other, and Other only works with the owner's written consent. In practice, that means a South Carolina license plate search for a stranger's car doesn't get past the form, and a South Carolina license plate lookup for owner details is really a question of which category you belong in.

South Carolina adds its own law on top of the federal one. SCDMV says the release of customer information is governed by the Driver's Privacy Protection Act and by the South Carolina Family Privacy Protection Act of 2002, alongside the state's Freedom of Information Act. The form itself warns that misusing the information can bring federal criminal charges and a civil lawsuit.

The right move in common South Carolina situations

After a crash or hit-and-run

Call the police with the tag number and get the report. Officers identify the vehicle through law enforcement systems, and your insurer, which has its own category on the 5027-A, can request the record for the claim. You rarely need to file one yourself.

A vehicle abandoned on your property

Contact local police or a licensed tow operator. Businesses that handle abandoned and salvage vehicles use the same form under their own permitted uses.

Buying a used car

The vehicle matters more than the owner, so skip the South Carolina license plate lookup. Run a free VIN decode and recall check, compare the VIN on the title with the car, and if you want the record, a title history on the 5027-A costs $10. Our South Carolina vehicle bill of sale covers the paperwork once you've decided.

Your own vehicle

As the owner you have your own category on the form, so an SC tag number lookup on your own car is straightforward. Your registration and title already show the tag and VIN, though.

Is there a free SC license plate lookup?

For owner information, no. Each item on SCDMV's form costs $10, and the owner's details come only with a permitted use or the owner's consent. A website offering a South Carolina tag lookup with names attached either sells general vehicle data or something it can't lawfully provide.

South Carolina tag search FAQ