Prior to my purchase, my prior, privately and individual owned 08 Focus with
925 miles on it had dealer plates on it. The county tax office showed the prior private owner with title in lien as part of its history. Texas does not issue physical titles with lien any longer. CARFAX corroborated with that history with no discrepancies.
License plates, at least in Texas, are part of the registration process. In Texas, license plates have nothing directly to do with the title of the vehicle. The registration process does have bearing on the title of the vehcle. In Texas, a new car dealer sends in the paperwork to DPS for title reassignment and to the county tax assessor for registration of the vehicle in behalf of the new owner. The new car dealer does not title a vehicle, ever.