California Vehicle Record Recovery Packet
California Department of Motor Vehicles

Official form / request path:
Request for Record Information INF 70

Official link:
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/customer-service/request-vehicle-or-driver-records/

Fee / submission note:
$5 mail-in record request; $20 per year requested for unavailable-electronic vehicle/vessel document photocopies listed by CA DMV.

Contact / submission note:
California Department of Motor Vehicles.

Steps:
1. Use DMV’s vehicle/driver record request page.
2. For another person’s vehicle/vessel record or microfilm documents, complete INF 70.
3. Mail the request with payment to the address on the form.

Privacy limit:
Private ownership, prior-owner identity, title-holder, address, registration history, and protected motor-vehicle records are privacy controlled under DPPA/permissible-use rules. This website prepares the request path only and does not pull private DMV/MVC records.

Public checks to run separately:
- NHTSA recalls and safety campaigns
- NHTSA complaint patterns
- VIN decoding and basic vehicle specs
- NMVTIS-approved/public vehicle-history provider checks where appropriate
- Auction/salvage signals only where public or licensed-provider data is available

Last reviewed: 2026-05-23
Source note: Compiled from official state motor vehicle agency pages where available and NMVTIS/BJA State Vehicle Record Request Information. Verify current forms, fees, addresses, and eligibility before submitting.