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FAQ # 22 Details

Protected Plates in Other States

New 12-10-10, updated 3-25-13

I inquired to find out how many people are on the protected lists in other states (compared to California's 1.5 million).

On Oct. 19, 2010 I got this reply from Texas:

In the State of Texas, the Texas Transportation Code, provides the authority for the issuance of alias registration. (Sec. 502.206.  REGISTRATION OF CERTAIN LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLES UNDER ALIAS.  On receipt of a written request approved by the executive administrator of a law enforcement agency, the department may issue exempt license plates for a vehicle and register the vehicle under an alias for the law enforcement agency's use in covert criminal investigations.  Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.)  Alias records are included in copies of the Registration and Title System (RTS) database masterfile and weekly updates that are provided to vendors.  Were a law enforcement officer to make a traffic stop or a vendor check the license plate number for an alias record, the record does NOT shown any unique identifier that would indicate that record as an alias.

To redact/suppress a motor vehicle record in the State of Texas requires a court order. The vehicle owner would have to appear before a District Judge and provide documentation that his/her life is in imminent danger. Suppressed records are not provided to vendors.

In FY 2010, there were 18,253 alias records and 70 suppressed records in RTS.

Please contact me, if you have any questions or if we can be of further assistance.

Thank you for the opportunity of serving you.

Diane Emrick-Dodson
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles
Vehicle Titles & Registration Division

On Nov. 12, 2010 I got this reply from Illinois:

Our Department of Information Technology has informed me of the following:

Currently there are 3,328 driver’s licenses that have been tagged.  If someone looks up information on any of these from within SOS, the SOS police are notified who looked it up and what DL was looked at.

There are also 5,867 registered license plates that are on a protected list.

I do not believe we have a way to breakdown the list into any categories.  So far all indication is we cannot break it down.

Unfortunately, we are unable to breakdown the files any further.  I hope the information helps.

Call if you have any questions.

Donna Leonard
Executive Counsel
Illinois Secretary of State

On Mar. 22, 2013 I got this reply from Arizona:

In response to your request submitted to the Arizona Department of Transportation, the below information is being provided.

Please note the totals provided involve an approximated number of transactions for the calendar year 2012.  This is due to the normal reporting period for the data is recorded on a fiscal year basis.

·        Driver licenses, learners permits, identification cards:

o       Approximately 1.8 million transactions

·        Motor vehicle registrations for license plates, vehicle titles, commercial apportionment, temporary permits, placards:

o       Approximately 7 million transactions

 Court ordered redaction as of February 28, 2013:

·        Driver licenses, identification cards – court ordered redaction :

o       Approximately 10,633

 ·        Motor vehicle registered owners – court ordered redaction:

o       Approximately 22,539

Harold A. Sanders
Arizona Department of Transportation
Office of Public Information

On Mar. 25, 2013 I got this reply from Pennsylvania:

Pennsylvania has approximately 8200 confidential vehicle registrations.
Thank you,

Jan T. McKnight | Community Relations Coordinator 
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation 

On Mar. 26, 2013 I got this reply from Oregon:

We have 633 people under the protected address program. (There is no program that applies to vehicles and plates, so I can't say how many vehicles those people might have.) Oregon's program applies to individuals under, for example, protective orders from stalking and domestic violence. That program shields their address through driver records and vehicle records - i.e., their license plate - from all but law enforcement. However, this does NOT shield them from a photo red light ticket. A court can issue an order for DMV to forrward the ticket to the person's actual address.

(Oregon has a separate program for law enforcement and corrections employees to use their employer's address for the driver license and vehicle records, but I don't think you're looking at that - and I don't have a number for that anyway.)

So California must have some totally different system that applies only to vehicles and has broader application requirements - if there are 1.5 million vehicles with such protection.

David House
Oregon DMV Public Affairs