Late fees for an expired car registration, by state
Expired car registration? In many states the late fee is small and flat: $10 in Virginia, Michigan and Wisconsin. Others charge by how late you are, like North Carolina’s $15 to $25, or by a percentage, like California’s 10% of the vehicle license fee plus $20 more. A handful, including Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wyoming, add no late fee at all. But the ticket for driving on an expired registration can cost more than any late fee: Pennsylvania’s is $96 for a passenger car. Every state’s rule is in the table below.
Updated
A grace period is not a pass to drive
The most common mistake is reading a grace period as permission to keep driving. In most states it only means the agency will not add a late fee if you renew within that window. The registration has still expired, and a police officer can still write a ticket. Several states charge nothing extra at the counter but fine you for driving on it, so the two costs need to be kept apart.
How states charge for being late
Some charge a flat fee. Some charge a percentage of the registration or of a value based tax. Some charge for each month you are late, which means the cost keeps climbing until you deal with it. A few add interest.
There are really two deadlines to miss. One is the renewal date on a car you already have. The other is the window to title and register a car after you buy it, and in many states that is where the steepest penalties sit. A few states publish no late fee for renewing at all, though driving on an expired registration can still get you a ticket.
Grace period and late registration penalty in every state
The table gives each state's rules as its own agency describes them, whether they cover renewal, a new purchase or both. Each state name links to that state's registration page, where the renewal section has the cost and how to renew.
| State | What the state says about being late |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Renewing after your month adds a $15 penalty plus interest on the late taxes, charged at the federal underpayment rate, and county offices say the penalty cannot be waived. |
| Alaska | The DMV fee schedule lists no late fee, but an expired registration is not reset: if it lapsed less than 12 months ago, the two-year fee is charged from the original expiration date, even for a new owner, and the MVRT comes from the chart for the year it expired. |
| Arizona | Arizona charges $8.00 for the first month you are late and $4.00 for each month after that, up to a total of $100.00. |
| Arkansas | Arkansas gives you 60 days to register a car after buying it or moving in. After that the late registration penalty is $3.00 for every 10 days the car goes unregistered, and a late registration also adds a 10% penalty on the sales tax due. |
| California | Register between 1 and 10 days late and the DMV adds 10% of the vehicle license fee for that year, a $10 registration late fee and a $10 CHP late fee. |
| Colorado | After the grace month Colorado charges a late fee of $25 for each month or part of a month the vehicle is unregistered, up to $100, whether or not the car was driven. |
| Connecticut | Connecticut gives five days after the expiration date. From the sixth day a $10.00 late fee is added to the renewal. |
| Delaware | Delaware charges a $20 late fee on top of the normal registration fee for a renewal done after the registration expires. |
| District of Columbia | DC DMV does not publish a flat late fee for renewing, but the inspection has one: $20 the moment it expires and $20 more every 30 days, up to $480. |
| Florida | Renew after the 10th day of the month following your renewal period and Florida adds a delinquent fee under section 320.07, set by the license tax: $5 for a car under 3,500 lbs (license tax of $25 or less) and $10 for a heavier car (up to $50). |
| Georgia | Renewing a plate late costs 10% of the ad valorem tax due plus 25% of the tag fee, with a $5.00 minimum. |
| Hawaii | Hawaii registration is due by the last working day of the month on your emblem. Pay after that and a flat $16 penalty is added for a passenger car ($8 county weight tax penalty plus $8 state weight tax penalty). |
| Idaho | You can renew online up to a year before or after your registration expires, and renewing early does not move your expiration date. |
| Illinois | Neither the Secretary of State's fee schedule nor the fee section of the Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/3-821) lists a late fee for renewing a sticker after it expires, so renewing late costs the normal $151. |
| Indiana | Renew on or before your registration's expiration date or the BMV adds a $15 administrative penalty, with the registration fee and excise tax still owed in full. |
| Iowa | Iowa lets you renew without penalty during a three-month window: the month before your renewal month, the renewal month itself and the month after. |
| Kansas | Kansas renewals are due by the last day of a month set by the first letter of your last name. |
| Kentucky | Kentucky does not charge a flat late fee. It charges a percentage, because the thing you are late with is the vehicle property tax that is collected at renewal. |
| Louisiana | Louisiana's OMV adds a late fee to a renewal once the registration has expired and includes it in the renewal total, but it does not publish the fee as a single figure, so it is not shown here. |
| Maine | Maine does not publish a flat late penalty for re-registering. Because the excise tax has to be paid before you can register, the practical cost of letting it lapse is that you cannot legally drive until you catch up, and driving on an expired registration can be fined. |
| Maryland | The MVA fee schedule does not publish a late fee for renewing a registration after it expires, so we are not showing one. |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts does not list a late renewal fee. The pressure comes from the excise instead: the bill is due 30 days after it is issued, unpaid excise brings a demand and then a deputy collector's warrant, and the city or town can have the RMV mark your license and registration so neither can be renewed. |
| Michigan | Michigan charges a $10.00 late fee on each registration renewed after the expiry date. A renewal posted before the expiry date is not charged it even if it arrives late. |
| Minnesota | Minnesota DVS lists no late fee for renewing tabs after they expire, but driving on expired tabs can get you a ticket. |
| Mississippi | Mississippi adds a late penalty if you renew more than 15 days after the tag expires: 5% of the ad valorem tax, then another 5% for every further 30 days, up to 25%. |
| Missouri | Renewing after the expiration date adds a $5 renewal penalty. Plates can be renewed up to six months early and must be renewed by the last day of the expiration month. |
| Montana | Montana charges a late fee when a buyer takes more than 40 days from the sale date to title and register the vehicle. |
| Nebraska | Nebraska charges interest and a penalty when the registration and Motor Vehicle Tax are paid late, and the amount depends on how overdue you are and the tax owed. |
| Nevada | Nevada charges on both halves of the bill. The registration fee picks up a $6.00 per month penalty. |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire does not charge a set penalty to re-register a car whose registration has lapsed; you pay the normal fee. |
| New Jersey | The MVC's fee schedule lists no late fee for renewing a registration after it expires, so renewing late costs the normal fee. |
| New Mexico | Drive on an expired registration and MVD adds a $10.00 penalty. Once more than 30 days have passed, it becomes 75% of the registration fee or $10.00, whichever is more. |
| New York | New York does not publish a late fee for renewing a registration after it expires. The penalty that does bite in New York is about insurance rather than lateness, and it is a daily one. |
| North Carolina | Renewing after the expiration date adds a late fee of $15.00 if it is less than one month late, $20.00 at one to two months and $25.00 at two months or more. |
| North Dakota | North Dakota does not publish a flat late penalty for renewing a registration, and it prorates the fee monthly when you register partway through the year. |
| Ohio | A $10.00 late fee is charged on certain registrations renewed more than 30 days after they expire. |
| Oklahoma | Renewals get a 30-day grace period. After that most registration classes pay a delinquent penalty of $1.00 a day, up to $100.00 a year, and by law the penalty cannot be waived. |
| Oregon | Oregon does not add a penalty for renewing late; you pay the normal registration fee. Driving with expired registration can still get you cited. |
| Pennsylvania | PennDOT's schedule of fees has no late fee for renewing after the expiration date, but driving on an expired registration is a summary offense under section 1301 of the Vehicle Code: the fine is $75 or double the registration fee, whichever is greater, which is $96 for a passenger car, or $25 if the car was registered in Pennsylvania within the previous 60 days. |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island does not publish a separate late renewal fee on its fee table, but driving on an expired registration carries an $85 fine. |
| South Carolina | Renewing late adds a penalty that steps up with time: $10.00 at 1 to 14 days, $25.00 at 15 to 30 days, $50.00 at 31 to 90 days and $75.00 beyond 90 days. |
| South Dakota | We found no published state late fee for renewing after your registration month ends, so none is shown. |
| Tennessee | We read through the Department of Revenue's published registration guidance and it sets no state late fee for renewing after your month is up, so we are not showing one. |
| Texas | On the tax itself, the Comptroller adds a 5% penalty if you pay 1 to 30 days after the due date, and 10% if you pay more than 30 days late. |
| Utah | Utah does not publish a flat late-registration penalty we can point to. Registration is delinquent the day after it expires, there is no grace period, and driving on expired registration can get you cited; if the car is impounded for it, the release fee equals the registration fee. |
| Vermont | Vermont has no grace period: once the registration expires, the car cannot legally be driven until it is renewed. |
| Virginia | Virginia charges a $10.00 vehicle registration late fee. |
| Washington | Washington does not list a late fee for renewing tabs. It treats driving on expired tabs as the offense instead: failing to renew before driving is a traffic infraction, and a car parked on a public street with tabs more than 45 days out of date can be impounded. |
| West Virginia | West Virginia does not publish a flat late penalty for renewing a registration. Driving on an expired registration can get you fined, and because you must show a paid personal property tax receipt to renew, letting either lapse holds up the whole renewal. |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin charges a $10.00 late fee on a car, light truck, motorcycle or moped renewal that reaches the DMV after the expiry date. |
| Wyoming | Wyoming charges no late fee for renewing late, but the registration keeps its original expiration month, so the months it sat expired are simply lost, and there is no grace period: plates expire on the last day of the month and you can be cited the day after. |
What to do if yours has expired
- Stop relying on the car until it is renewed, if you can.
- Renew online if your state allows it. Most do for a routine renewal, and the late fee is added automatically.
- Check for anything that blocks renewal, such as an unpaid property tax bill, an overdue emissions test or a lapse in insurance. These are the usual reasons an online renewal is refused.
- Keep the receipt until the new sticker or card arrives, so you can show it was paid.
Questions people ask
Do you pay a late fee for car registration?
In many states, yes, once you renew after the expiry date. A few give a short window first: Connecticut 5 days, Oklahoma 30 days and Colorado a month. Some charge nothing for renewing late, including Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wyoming, but driving on the expired registration can still get you a ticket.
How much is the penalty for late registration?
It depends on the state and how late you are. A flat $10 is common: Virginia, Michigan and Wisconsin all charge it. Some step up with time, like North Carolina at $15 under a month, $20 at one to two months and $25 after that. Others take a percentage: Georgia charges 25% of the tag fee plus 10% of any ad valorem tax due. A ticket for driving on it is a separate cost.
Is there a grace period for expired registration?
In some states, and it is usually short. Connecticut gives five days after the expiry date before a $10.00 late fee is added. Oklahoma gives 30 days. Colorado allows a month before it starts charging $25 a month, up to $100, whether or not the car was driven. Many states publish no grace period at all. Where one exists, it usually only delays the late fee at the counter. It is not a promise that you will not be ticketed on the road.
How long can you drive with expired registration?
Legally, in most states, not at all once it has expired. A grace period mostly decides when the late fee starts, not whether the car is legal to drive. If your registration has run out, renew it before you rely on the car.
What happens if your registration expires?
You owe the renewal plus any late fee your state adds, and the longer you leave it the more some states charge. If you drive on it you can also be ticketed, and a ticket is a separate cost from the late fee. In some states an expired registration for long enough means starting over as a new registration.
Can you get a ticket for expired registration while parked?
Often yes. An expired registration is usually a violation whenever the car is on a public road, including parked on the street. Rules on enforcement vary by city, so the safe answer is to keep a car with an expired registration off the street until it is renewed.