Oregon License Plate Search

Before going further into details about the Oregon license plates, let’s mark all the steps you need to take to title and register your new vehicle in the state.

Registering your New Vehicle in Oregon

According to the law, you should title and register your motor vehicle in Oregon at the same time. Once you purchase a brand new car, keep in mind that you have 30 days to register it through your local DMV. So here are the required documents to submit your application:

• A completed title and registration form
• Various ownership documentation such as the original Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO0, lien release, and bill of sale
• Documents as proof of residency in Oregon. This can include your state tax return documents or if you don’t have any, you can present your utility bills or property tax records.
• A Use Tax Certificate from the Oregon Department Revenue if you bought your car from the out-of-state dealer.
• Emissions tests if needed which are approved by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
• Payment of all fees such as the title, registration, and license plate fees

You should take all the listed documents along with the application form to your local DMV office. In order to apply you can either:

• Complete the application online through DMV2U and visit your DMV office within 30 days OR
• Print and fill out the same form and take it with you to the DMV office

When submitting your documents to the DMV you will receive a temporary tag which will be valid for 90 days to operate your vehicle. It usually takes 4-6 weeks to get your new license plate. In Oregon, new cars will have a 4-year valid registration date and after that, you should apply for the renewal.

Types of Oregon License Plates

In the last paragraph, you learned about the registration process for your new vehicle. Now, let’s talk about different types of Oregon license plates that you can choose from.

The standard Oregon license plate has a tree in the middle and above written “Oregon”. The regular plate also features mountains in the background but there are numerous custom background options you can select. Apart from the standard design here are the classified license plates you can have based on your interests, hobbies, occupations, etc.

• Vanity plates
• Permits for disabled drivers
• Specialty tags
• Military license plates
• Antique and classic plates

The standard license plate in Oregon costs $29.50 which is the charge for two plates. This is because most vehicles in Oregon should have two license plates that must be displayed at the front and back of your car. Other types of license plates have different costs which we will discuss later. Now, let’s find out more details about each type of Oregon license plate.

Vanity License Plates in Oregon

Vanity or custom license plates are very popular in Oregon. You can choose any character and style you want on your license plate but make sure you follow these rules:

• Choose a maximum of 6 characters (including dash and hyphen)
• Be certain that the characters are not in any way offensive or vulgar
• Avoid including three numbers and three letters that follow each other

Unlike other states, in Oregon there isn’t an online service to look up license plates you prefer. To personalize your license plate you should pay $50 plus $29.50 for the standard plate fee. These costs won’t include your vehicle’s registration fee which you will pay along with the other charges. To obtain your vanity license plate fill out the custom plate application form and along with other documents head your local DMV office. It will take 6-8 weeks to receive your new personalized license plate. In case you want to change your valid custom plate into standard tags you can visit your local DMV and get it done. There are no applicable charges for you to surrender or exchange your vanity license plate.

The DMV may reject your application for several reasons, check out our banned Oregon license plates page for more information.

Disability License Permits

People with disabilities can apply for various placards for parking privileges in Oregon. For instance, wheelchair users can apply for a wheelchair permit which will enable disabled people to park in any location that has been secured for parking. Wheelchair users can park in parking locations for over 30 minutes without paying a meter fee or penalties.  Apart from the mentioned placards, you can apply for other disability permits such as:

• Temporary permits (with the red sign). This permit is for temporary disabled Oregon residents as well as for out-of-state people who are visiting Oregon for a short period of time.
• Renewal permits (with the dark blue sign). This is offered to a person who has a permanent disability. Renewal permits will allow drivers to park in parking locations more than thirty minutes or in any other zone which is secured for people with disabilities (excluding places where it’s for wheelchair users)
• Program permits. This permit is designed for the organizations that need to transport disabled people.
• Family permits. If in one family there are 2 or more individuals with disabilities and they all live at the same address, they can apply for a family permit.
• Wounded permit for warriors. This permit will support wounded warriors to park in parking spaces for more than thirty minutes without paying any fees.

To obtain an individual parking placard a licensed physician should fill out the application form and sign it. After that you can either bring the form to the DMV office in person or send it to the following address:

DMV Driver Issuance Unit
1905 Lana Ave NE
Salem, OR 97314

Family and program placards require submitting different application forms. For family parking placard, fill out the 735-265 FPP form and for a program parking permit, you should submit the 735-265 PP form

Specialty plates

You can support any cause, organization, college/university by purchasing Oregon specialty tags. Oregon DMV offers various types of specialty license plates according to your interests, hobbies, work, etc. To support special organizations here are some license plate examples to consider:

Pacific Wonderland Plate

When you order this specialty license plate, the net proceeds of $100 (one-time fee) will be directed to the Oregon Historical Society and OR State Capitol Foundation.  Keep in mind that you should pay the standard plate fees along with the specialty ones.

Salmon plate

This plate is sponsored by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and for used vehicles, it will cost $30. If your car is new and you want to purchase the salmon plate you need to pay $60 along with the standard plate fee of $24.

Cultural Trust plate

The license plate fee of $30 will fund the Oregon Cultural Trust. The cost of the plate is the same for both 2-year and 4-year issuance.

Wine Country license plate

The wine country plate will help the OR Tourism Commission. It will cost $30 along with the standard plate fees.

Keep Kids Safe license plate

You can support the Oregon Children’s Trust Fund by purchasing this license plate. The fee of 2-year issuance is $30 and for 4 years issuance, the plate will cost $60.

Military/veteran license plates

There are special license tags that you can buy in Oregon if you’re a US army veteran or you want to show your support to the US Army. For instance, to order a Veteran’s Recognition plate you need to submit the following documents:

• Completed and signed application form 
• Proof of honorary completion of military services
• Proof of military medal if applicable

Along with the standard license plate fees, the military tags will additionally cost $10 for used, and $20 for new cars.

Antique license plates

To obtain the antique license plates your vehicle should be classified as a collector’s vehicle. Additionally, OR DMV states that vintage vehicles should be older than half the number of years between the current year and 1900. Antique plates cost $112 in total.

Oregon License Plate Renewal

Before your vehicle registration expires, you will likely receive a renewal notice by your mail. Once you have the notice you can renew the registration online. You will need the following documents when submitting the renewal online:

• Renewal notice
• Vehicle’s title and license plate numbers
• Payment of all necessary fees

Once all the necessary steps are taken, you will get your new license plate within 15 days. If for some reason, you didn’t receive the renewal notice, you can call the DMW office to solve the issue.

In case you want to renew your license plate in-person or by mail you will need the following materials:

• • Completed application form for the renewal

• • DEQ tests or Declaration of Exemption if applicable
  • Payment of all necessary fees

To renew your license plate in-person, take the aforementioned documents to your local DMV office and pay the fees. If you want to renew the plate or stickers by mail send these documents along with the payment to this address:

DMV Vehicle Mail
1905 Lana Ave NE
Salem, OR 97314

How to replace, transfer or surrender your Oregon license plate?

If you have lost or damaged your vehicle’s license tags you can get a replacement by applying to the OR DMV. You need to fill out this application form and along with the replacement payment ($29.50 for 2 plates) send it to the DMV office:

DMV
1905 Lana Avenue NE
Salem, OR 97314

If you want to surrender your license plate simply take it to your local DMV office or send it by mail to the same, above-mentioned address.

How to Lookup Oregon License Plate Information?

To look up an Oregon license plate, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to the Oregon License Plate Lookup website at https://oregon.licenselookup.org/plates/.
2. Enter the license plate number you wish to look up in the "Plate Number" field.
3. Click the "Search" button to start the search.
4. The search will take you to members area where you can view the information about the registered vehicle, including the make and model, the year it was registered, and other associated details.