Free Maine License Plate Lookup

Vehicle Identity

Associated VIN, model year, make, model, body, engine, drivetrain, colors, equipment, and decoded specifications.

Title and Brand Records

Available title states, title dates, salvage, rebuilt salvage, flood, junk, or other brand records.

Theft and Damage Signals

Available theft, recovery, accident, junk, salvage, total-loss, and insurance-related records.

Mileage, Sales and Value

Reported odometer entries, sales, listings, auctions, recalls, market value, and ownership-cost information.

General Reissue

The replacement program covers about 71% of all Maine plates and runs through the renewal cycle.

Chickadee No Longer Issued

The older Chickadee design stopped being issued when the new standard plate launched.

Pine Tree or No Tree

Registrants receive the Pine Tree design or may choose the No Tree variation under the BMV program.

New Number by Default

New Pine Tree and No Tree plates normally receive a new plate number.

Reserve the Old Number

A registrant could reserve an existing Chickadee number for the Pine Tree or No Tree replacement for a one-time $25 fee.

Older Images Can Mislead

Listings and archived reports may show Chickadee plates even when the vehicle now carries a replacement plate number.

Front and Rear Plates

Most vehicles display matching Maine plates horizontally at both the front and rear.

Rear-Only Exceptions

Motorcycles, trailers, semitrailers, and qualifying manufacturer, dealer, or transporter vehicles generally use one rear plate.

Rear Plate Light

The rear registration lamp must illuminate the characters so they are visible from at least 50 feet.

Vanity Limit

Maine law allows up to seven characters on qualifying vanity plates, while specialty-series limits may be lower.

Vanity Fee: $25

The current vanity charge is $25 in addition to the ordinary or specialty registration fees.

Report Loss Within 24 Hours

A lost or mutilated plate must be reported to the Secretary of State, and new plates must be requested within 24 hours.

Remove Both Plates

Do not allow the buyer to leave using the seller’s permanent Maine plates.

Complete the Title

Enter the buyer, seller, sale date, price, odometer, lien, and signature information without alterations.

Transfer Fee: $8

The seller may transfer the same registration and plate number to another vehicle during the same registration year when the registration class qualifies.

Pay Any Fee Difference

If the new vehicle’s registration fee is higher, the owner pays the difference in addition to the transfer fee.

Keep Sale Records

Retain copies of the assigned title, bill of sale, lien release, plate number, buyer details, and payment records.

Avoid Open Titles

Do not leave the buyer section blank or accept a title assigned to someone other than the seller.

Insurance Is Required When Driven

Proof of insurance must be shown for a vehicle driven under a transit permit. A towing-only permit can be marked accordingly.

Inspection or Inspection-Move Permit

The vehicle must have a valid inspection or authorization to move it to an inspection station.

Temporary Plates Have Lookup Gaps

Dealer and transit credentials may not resolve reliably through plate-to-VIN databases. Use the physical VIN.

Do Not Leave the Approved Route

Operating outside the route listed on a transit permit can result in a traffic infraction.

Thirty-Day Title Deadline

Required title documents generally must be delivered within 30 days to avoid Maine’s current $50 late penalty.

New Residents: 30 Days

A new Maine resident generally has 30 days to convert the registration and title.

Signed Bill of Sale

Document the parties, VIN, vehicle, purchase price, trade-in, date, mileage, and any warranties or disclosures.

Assigned Title When Required

For 2026, Maine requires a title for model-year 2001 and newer vehicles in covered vehicle classes.

Proof of Maine Insurance

Provide qualifying insurance before registration and before operating the vehicle.

Excise Tax and Registration

Start at the municipal office to pay excise tax, then complete registration there or at a BMV branch.

Municipal Excise Tax First

Pay the annual excise tax at the town office before completing an original registration or renewal.

Sales Tax: 5.5%

A private-sale or out-of-state-dealer purchase generally carries Maine’s 5.5% sales tax on the purchase price.

Passenger Registration: $35

The current annual state passenger registration fee is $35 before excise tax and optional plate charges.

Rapid Renewal

Participating municipalities allow eligible registration renewals and excise-tax payment through Maine’s Rapid Renewal service.

Proof of Insurance

Current insurance evidence is required for registration and renewal.

Municipal Participation Varies

If the town does not issue registrations, complete the transaction at a BMV branch after paying excise tax.

Covered Vehicle Types

Titles generally apply to motor vehicles, motorcycles with engines of at least 300cc, and trailers weighing at least 3,001 pounds unladen.

Title Fee: $33

The current fee applies to ordinary, duplicate, corrected, and salvage title applications.

Expedited Title: Add $10

Maine offers expedited issuance for an additional $10, excluding mailing time.

Resolve the Lien

Require a signed and dated lien release or confirmation that an electronic lien has been released.

Title Record Search

The current fee is $5 per name or VIN for a title-record search and $33 for a certified title-record search.

Maine Uses NMVTIS

The BMV checks NMVTIS for stolen, junk, and salvage records and encourages consumers to review NMVTIS before buying.

$50,000 Per Person

Minimum bodily-injury liability for one injured person.

$100,000 Per Accident

Minimum bodily-injury liability for multiple people injured in one accident.

$25,000 Property Damage

Minimum property-damage liability for one accident.

$125,000 Combined Single Limit

A qualifying combined single-limit policy can satisfy the liability requirement.

$2,000 Medical Payments

Maine requires at least $2,000 per person in medical-payments coverage.

Uninsured Motorist: 50/100

Minimum uninsured or underinsured motorist limits are $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident.

Annual Statewide Safety Inspection

Licensed inspection stations check required safety equipment, vehicle identity, and compliance items.

Cumberland County Emissions

Qualifying vehicles registered in Cumberland County receive an enhanced inspection that includes emissions-related checks.

Standard Fee: Up to $12.50

A station may charge up to $12.50 for an ordinary safety inspection.

Pre-1996 Enhanced Fee: Up to $15.50

The enhanced-inspection maximum for covered pre-1996 vehicles is $15.50.

1996 and Newer Enhanced Fee: Up to $18.50

The enhanced-inspection maximum for covered 1996-and-newer vehicles is $18.50.

Inspection Is Not a Pre-Purchase Warranty

A valid sticker does not confirm crash repair, corrosion, future reliability, or every mechanical system.

Salvage Title Fee: $33

The current certificate-of-salvage application fee is $33, with an optional $10 expedited fee.

Rebuilt-Salvage Brand

Maine applies a rebuilt-salvage legend in specified reconstruction situations and carries forward qualifying out-of-state brands.

Multiple Frames or Clips

The rebuilt-salvage legend applies when frames are joined or a total-loss vehicle is repaired using a front or rear clip.

Five or More Major Components

The legend also applies when a salvage vehicle has at least five component parts replaced.

Review Repair Documentation

Inspect receipts, donor VINs, structural measurements, airbags, corrosion, and photographs of the damage and repair.

A Brand Is Not a Warranty

A rebuilt-salvage title does not guarantee roadworthiness, repair quality, insurance eligibility, or future reliability.

Road-Salt Corrosion

Inspect the frame, subframes, brake and fuel lines, suspension mounts, exhaust, wheel wells, fasteners, grounds, and battery area.

Freeze-Thaw and Potholes

Check wheels, tires, alignment, steering, suspension, wheel bearings, underbody panels, and fluid leaks.

Coastal and River Flooding

Review carpets, seat tracks, connectors, modules, lights, spare-tire wells, seams, and drainage channels for moisture, silt, or corrosion.

Cold Starts and Short Trips

Inspect the battery, charging system, oil condition, exhaust, cooling system, heater, defroster, and signs of fuel or moisture dilution.

Moose and Deer Collisions

Look for repaired roof pillars, windshield frames, front structure, cooling systems, lights, airbags, and mismatched paint.

Rural, Towing and Work Use

Check brakes, transmission, hitch wear, suspension, tires, underbody damage, rust, and maintenance records.

Theft and Recovery Records

Review available theft signals, then verify concerns through law enforcement or NICB VINCheck.

VIN Cloning

A stolen vehicle may use a copied VIN, counterfeit label, false title, or plate from a similar legitimate vehicle.

Plate Swapping

A plate attached to the wrong vehicle can create a make, model, year, body, or VIN mismatch.

Title Washing

Interstate transfers may be used to obscure salvage, rebuilt, flood, junk, or odometer history.

Fake Inspection Stickers

Verify suspicious inspection stickers, registration decals, temporary plates, or title documents through the appropriate authority.

Online-Sale Fraud

Avoid sellers who hide the VIN, refuse an inspection, cannot produce the title, or demand irreversible payment before verification.

Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles

Review title, registration, plate, vanity, branch, online-service, and contact information.

Review Maine BMV services

Pine Tree Plate

Review the Chickadee replacement schedule, number reservation, plate classes, and current standard design.

Review the Pine Tree Plate program

Passenger Registration

Review dealer, private-sale, new-resident, excise-tax, sales-tax, insurance, title, and renewal requirements.

Review passenger registration

Motor Vehicle Inspections

Review annual safety inspections, Cumberland County emissions testing, licensed stations, and inspection rules.

Review Maine inspections

VIN Check and Vehicle History

Research a vehicle directly after confirming the complete 17-character VIN.

Free Title Check by VIN

Review available title brands, state title events, salvage, junk, flood, and other title signals.

VIN Recall Check

Check available recall and safety information using the verified VIN.

Free Carfax Report Alternative

Review a free vehicle-history alternative before deciding whether you need a paid report.

Mileage VIN Check

Review available odometer readings and look for mileage inconsistencies.