Terms of service

A1. Permissible-purpose requirement

Access to ClearLot's vehicle records is restricted to entities with a documented permissible purpose under the Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2721(b)). Before any search is permitted, your account must have a signed permissible-purpose attestation on file naming at least one DPPA-enumerated use. Examples of enumerated uses include towing and storage (§2721(b)(4)), insurance claims and underwriting (§2721(b)(6)), and licensed investigation with a permissible purpose (§2721(b)(3)).

You represent and warrant that each search you conduct corresponds to the permissible purpose stated in your attestation. ClearLot logs every search and retains permissible-purpose references in the audit record for regulatory compliance.

A2. Prohibited uses

The following uses are strictly prohibited:

• Conducting searches for personal curiosity, stalking, harassment, or any purpose not enumerated in your attestation.
• Reselling, redistributing, or sublicensing vehicle record data to third parties.
• Bulk-downloading or aggregating records beyond what your permissible purpose requires.
• Using record data to contact vehicle owners for any purpose other than the enumerated use stated in your attestation.
• Sharing API credentials or account access with individuals or entities not covered by your attestation.
• Attempting to extract fields or data beyond what is returned in your authorized API response.

Violation of these prohibitions may result in immediate account suspension, termination, and referral to law enforcement or regulatory authorities.

A3. Subscription terms

Subscriptions are billed monthly per the current plan rate. Plans are available on the Pricing section of the ClearLot website.

• You may cancel at any time from your account dashboard. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.
• No prorated refunds are issued for partial billing periods.
• ClearLot reserves the right to adjust pricing with 30 days' written notice.
• A 30-day free trial is available for new subscribers. Only one trial per business entity.

A4. Data security obligations

B2B subscribers are responsible for protecting access credentials and the data returned from the API.

• API tokens are scoped per user seat and must not be shared across seats or with outside parties.
• You must report any suspected credential compromise or unauthorized access to ClearLot within 24 hours of discovery.
• Vehicle record data retrieved through the API must be handled in accordance with applicable law, including DPPA, and must be stored and disposed of securely.
• ClearLot may audit your access logs and suspend access if anomalous query patterns are detected.

B1. Identity verification requirement

The self-lookup service is available only to the registered owner of the vehicle being searched. No results are returned without identity verification. To verify, you must supply your license plate number, issuing state, and date of birth. Both your plate and date of birth must match the information on file.

Three failed verification attempts within one hour will lock your session for 24 hours. If your information does not match, no confirmation is given as to whether a record for your plate exists in the system.

B2. Scope of results

On a verified match, the following information is returned:

• Vehicle make, model, year, and color
• Tow date and time
• Impound lot name, address, and phone number
• Release fee and release instructions (when provided by the operator)
• Pickup status

The following fields are intentionally not returned to the consumer tier: your license plate number, VIN, and the street address where the vehicle was towed from. These fields are withheld as a security measure.

B3. No warranty on accuracy

ClearLot records are submitted directly by tow operators at the time of intake. ClearLot displays this information as provided and does not independently verify its accuracy. Release fees, hours, and contact information may change after the record is created. Contact the impound lot directly to confirm current release conditions before traveling to retrieve your vehicle.

ClearLot makes no representations regarding the completeness of the network. Not every tow operator is a ClearLot subscriber. If no result is returned for your plate, it does not confirm your vehicle has not been towed.

B4. Permitted use

The self-lookup service is provided for your personal use in locating a vehicle registered to you. You may not use this service to search for vehicles registered to other individuals or for any commercial purpose.