release of motor vehicle
information
House Bill 2458 makes changes to the statutes pertaining to the sale of vehicle title and registration records under the jurisdiction of the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (MVD). The bill will provide for exemptions from the amount of information a requestor must supply to MVD if the requestor is: 1) in the business of preparing vehicle history reports; 2) a governmental entity in this state or an entity acting on their behalf; 3) a legitimate business verifying the accuracy of names and addresses submitted to them by an individual; and 4) a motor vehicle manufacturer or motor vehicle parts manufacturer. In addition, HB 2458 allows MVD to supply vehicle title and registration records commercially to these types of requestors regardless of whether there is a prohibition placed on the record pertaining to commercial sale.
A.R.S. § 28-450 provides that MVD shall not divulge vehicle title and registration information unless the requestor provides the name of the owner, the vehicle identification number and the vehicle license plate number. Current statute exempts 13 entities from this requirement. Some of these include the state, its agencies, political subdivisions, courts, law enforcement, private investigators, attorneys, federal agencies, motor vehicle dealers, insurers, etc.
A.R.S. § 28-452 states that MVD may supply record information for commercial purposes provided that a person has not prohibited MVD from supplying information pertaining to that person’s record to a commercial requestor. In addition the statute requires that, except in specific instances, the department or a commercial records requester shall not sell or release an individual record or any records information for any commercial purpose based on a request that provides one or more factors unique to a single record.
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Exempts a person in the business of preparing vehicle
history reports from providing MVD with three pieces of information to obtain a
vehicle record, and allows a person in this business to obtain the record
commercially regardless of whether a person has placed a prohibition on the
commercial sale of their record.
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Allows governmental entities, or entities acting on
their behalf, to obtain vehicle title and registration information for carrying
out their functions including service of process, enforcement of judgements, collection
of tolls, civil penalties related to parking violations and other civil
penalties and fines.
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Exempts a legitimate business from the requirements
under both sections if the purpose is to verify and correct the accuracy of
information submitted by an individual to the business.
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Allows a vehicle manufacturer or motor vehicle parts
manufacturer to obtain title and registration information under either section
for vehicle and driver safety purposes, motor vehicle theft or recall purposes
or in connection with a motor vehicle product or service communication.
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Defines “motor vehicle history report”.