Does Montana require a front license plate?

Yes. Passenger cars must display one plate on the front and one on the rear.

What does a Montana plate number look like?

A county number, then letters and numbers, like 1-AB1234. Older plates look like 1-12345A.

What does the first number on a Montana plate mean?

It is the county code. Silver Bow is 1 and Lincoln is 56.

How often do Montana plates get replaced?

Standard plates are replaced at renewal once they are five years old.

Can I get a VIN from a Montana license plate?

Yes. Enter the license plate number with Montana selected and the lookup returns the VIN of the vehicle it is registered to, with the year, make, model and trim.

Can I find the owner of a Montana license plate?

Not through a public lookup. Owner details in Montana vehicle records are protected by the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act and released only for purposes the law allows, such as by court order or to an insurer handling a claim.

Montana License Plate Lookup

Enter a Montana plate number to get the vehicle’s VIN, year, make, model and trim.

Most Montana plates start with a county number, from 1 for Silver Bow to 56 for Lincoln, followed by the plate’s own letters and numbers. Plates are registered through county treasurer’s offices and are replaced when they are five years old.

Montana plate to VIN

A Montana platenumber points to one current registration, and the registration records the vehicle’s 17-character VIN. Enter the plate above to get the VIN with the year, make, model, trim, body and engine. It is the quickest way to get the VIN of a car you are not standing next to: one in a listing, one you are quoting a repair for, or your own when the title is in a drawer somewhere.

Montana license plate formats

Standard passenger plates use these formats. Personalized, specialty, commercial and motorcycle plates follow their own rules, and every format works in the lookup.

Format	What it is
1-AB1234	A county number, then letters and numbers. Montana switched to this letter-first format in 2025 so plate readers in other states stop mixing up plates.
1-12345A	The earlier format: county number, five numbers and a letter.

Montana requires plates on the front and the rear.

Who issues plates in Montana

Plates and registrations in Montana come from the Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division, and people go in person to county treasurer’s offices. Plate Decoder is an independent service and is not affiliated with the MVD or any other government agency.

Temporary tags in Montana

Montana dealers issue a 40-day temporary registration permit, and only one per sale.

Personalized and specialty plates

Personalized plates can have up to seven characters on a standard plate, and spaces count. The letter O is not allowed, so a zero is used instead, and you can check availability on the MVD website.

Same digits, different county

Two Montana plates can share the same digits with different county numbers, and some out-of-state plate readers ignore the county number and mix them up. Starting March 17, 2025, new standard plates put a letter right after the county number to fix this.

What a Montanaplate lookup can and can’t show

You get the vehicle: VIN, year, make, model, trim, body and engine. You do not get the person. See what a plate lookup shows for the full list.

What we don’t show, and why

No owner names, addresses, phone numbers or photos. Owner details in DMV records are protected by the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, and looking someone up out of curiosity is not a purpose it allows. Any site that promises the owner of a plate for a few dollars is either breaking that law or not going to deliver.

Who can get owner records, and what to do instead

FAQ

Montana plate lookup questions

Does Montana require a front license plate?: Yes. Passenger cars must display one plate on the front and one on the rear.
What does a Montana plate number look like?: A county number, then letters and numbers, like 1-AB1234. Older plates look like 1-12345A.
What does the first number on a Montana plate mean?: It is the county code. Silver Bow is 1 and Lincoln is 56.
How often do Montana plates get replaced?: Standard plates are replaced at renewal once they are five years old.
Can I get a VIN from a Montana license plate?: Yes. Enter the license plate number with Montana selected and the lookup returns the VIN of the vehicle it is registered to, with the year, make, model and trim.
Can I find the owner of a Montana license plate?: Not through a public lookup. Owner details in Montana vehicle records are protected by the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act and released only for purposes the law allows, such as by court order or to an insurer handling a claim.