You can get a motor vehicle report directly from your state’s motor vehicle agency, which is almost always the cheapest and fastest route, or buy one from a third-party service for a higher fee. State agency prices typically run from about $5 to $25, and online requests usually return the record within minutes.
Request It From Your State Motor Vehicle Agency
Every state keeps driving records through an agency such as a Department of Motor Vehicles, a Department of Licensing, or a similarly named office. Going straight to that agency is the direct route and the one that costs the least.
Before you start, gather your full legal name, date of birth, driver’s license number, and current address. Some states also ask for the last four digits of your Social Security number.
You generally have three ways to request the record:
- Online. Most states run a portal where you enter your information, pay electronically, and view or download the record immediately.
- By mail. You can usually download a request form from the agency’s website, fill it out, and mail it with a check or money order. Processing typically takes one to three weeks.
- In person. Bring valid photo ID to a branch office and you can walk out the same day with a printed copy.
Form names, fees, and turnaround times differ from state to state, so begin at your state agency’s official website rather than guessing. A search for “[your state] driving record request” will point you to the correct page.
Buy It From a Third-Party Service
Private companies also sell motor vehicle reports online. The appeal is convenience: enter your details, pay, and get a report without working through a government site. Some employers and insurers use these services to pull records in bulk.
The cost is the trade-off. Third-party fees often run $20 to $50 or more, compared to the single-digit or low-double-digit fees charged by most state agencies for the same information. If you are pulling your own record for personal use, the state agency is almost always cheaper and removes any question about where your payment details are going. Before using a private service, confirm the company is legitimate and that the checkout page is encrypted.
What You’ll See on the Report
A motor vehicle report is a snapshot of your driving history over a set period. Most states report between three and seven years of activity, though serious offenses such as DUI convictions can stay on the record for ten years or longer. A typical report includes:
- Traffic violations. Speeding tickets, red-light citations, reckless driving charges, DUI convictions, and similar offenses, with the date and disposition of each.
- Accidents. Reported crashes, including the date and whether you were found at fault.
- License status. Whether your license is valid, suspended, revoked, or restricted, and the reason for any change.
- Points. Many states assign demerit points for violations. Points usually drop off after one to three years for purposes of license suspension, but the underlying conviction often stays visible on the record longer.
Pull the report and read it line by line. If anything on it looks wrong, you will want to know before an insurer or employer sees it.
If Something on the Record Is Wrong
Errors on driving records happen more often than most people expect. Court dispositions get reported late, a violation from another driver with a similar name lands on the wrong record, or a dismissed ticket still shows as a conviction.
For a mistake on your official state record, contact your state’s motor vehicle agency directly. Most have a formal dispute or review process and will ask for documentation such as a court disposition showing dismissal, proof that a conviction was expunged, or evidence that the violation belongs to someone else. Start by pulling your own record so you can point to the specific entry.
If the error appears on a report that a third-party consumer reporting agency prepared for an employer or insurer, file your dispute with that agency. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the agency must investigate and correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information, typically within 30 days. If the underlying state record is also wrong, fix it at the source so the error does not resurface the next time someone pulls it.
Keep copies of everything you send and everything you receive back.
Who Else Can Request Your Record
Driving records are not public in the way some public records are. A federal law called the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act limits who can obtain your record from a state motor vehicle agency. Government agencies and law enforcement can access records for official duties. Insurers can pull them for underwriting, claims, and fraud prevention. Employers and their agents can access commercial driver’s license information to verify qualifications required under federal commercial vehicle safety rules. Licensed private investigators, courts in legal proceedings, researchers producing statistical reports, and towing companies notifying vehicle owners also qualify for specific purposes.
Businesses outside those categories can only use your record to verify information you already gave them, or to correct inaccurate information for fraud prevention or debt recovery. Anyone else needs your written consent before the state will release your record.
For your own copy, none of that is an obstacle. You are entitled to request your record from your state agency any time you want it, and that is the place to start.