License plate transfer: what moving your plates to another car costs in every state
License plate transfer is cheap almost everywhere, because in most of the US your plates belong to you, not the car. Sell the car, keep the plates, and moving them to your next one usually costs between nothing and about $15, with the unused registration often coming along. 42 states and DC work that way, Texas only since 2025. Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii and Minnesota leave standard plates with the car instead, Utah lets the seller decide, and Mississippi lets them go with neither. Replacing a lost or damaged plate runs from a few dollars to $82 in Washington.
Do plates stay with the car or the owner?
With the owner in 42 states and DC. When you sell, the plates come off with you, and the buyer gets their own. The rest:
- With the car: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii and Minnesota, for standard plates. Personalized and special plates usually stay with you even there.
- Seller's choice: Utah. If the plates are part of the sale, the buyer applies to have them assigned; if not, the seller has 20 days to return them or put them on another car.
- Neither: Mississippi. The old tag cannot go on a new car; it goes back to the county Tax Collector.
- Changed recently: Texas used to leave plates on the car. Under SB 1902, passed in 2025, the seller now removes general-issue plates on a private sale.
Nebraska publishes the rule only for special and personalized plates, which stay with the owner.
How much does it cost to transfer license plates?
The fee itself is small almost everywhere. What changes the bill is the gap between the two cars:
- A heavier or pricier car costs the difference. Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and West Virginia all add it on top of the transfer fee.
- A cheaper car rarely earns a refund. Arkansas and Virginia say so outright, and Michigan charges $15 rather than $10 to move down.
- Leftover registration often travels with the plates. Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, North Dakota, New York and Oregon credit it in some form, which is the real reason a transfer beats new plates.
- There is usually a deadline. Georgia allows 7 business days, Ohio and Iowa 30 days, Utah 20.
Plate transfer and replacement fees in every state
Checked on 2026-11-01. "Not published" means the state gave no figure we could verify, so ask before you go. Each state links to its registration page, where the yearly cost is.
| State | Plates stay with | Move to your next car | Replace a lost or damaged plate | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | You | $1.25 state fee, plus any county fee | Set by your county licensing office | Take the plate off when you sell. A late transfer adds a $15 penalty and interest. Source |
| Alaska | The car (standard plates) | Personalized or special plates only, $5 | $5 standard; personalized pays its plate fee again | Standard plates are not transferable at all. Plates for disabled veterans, Gold Star families and a few others move for free. Source |
| Arizona | You | No fee listed for standard plates; $12 for special or personalized | $5, plus postage by mail | Take the plate off before the buyer drives away, and file a sold notice. Source |
| Arkansas | You | $1, plus the difference if the new car is in a heavier class | Personalized $6.50 picked up or $11.50 mailed; theft needs a police report | No refund when the new car is in a lighter weight class. Source |
| California | The car | Only personalized and special plates move | $28 for plates and/or stickers (REG 156) | Standard plates stay on the car when it is sold. Source |
| Colorado | The car (standard plates) | Personalized or specialty only, at the county office, with credit for unused registration | At the county Clerk and Recorder; stolen plates need form DR 2283 | Standard plates expire when the title changes hands. None of this can be done online. Source |
| Connecticut | You | Allowed, with unused months credited; three-year transfers add $24 for Passport to the Parks | $25 regular or vanity | Vanity plates move too. Source |
| Delaware | You | Retention $35 ($55 with a lien), then $20 to release it | Not published | A retained plate is held for 365 days after it expires. Source |
| District of Columbia | You | $12, same owner and vehicle class | $15 | Tags you do not move must be surrendered. Expired tags cannot move. Source |
| Florida | You | No state fee between private cars or trucks up to 5,000 lbs; $4.50 for other types, plus local service charges | $28 plus service charges | Florida law keeps the plate in the owner's name, not the car's. Source |
| Georgia | You | $5, within 7 business days of buying the new car | $8 plate or decal | Permanent trailer plates never transfer. Source |
| Hawaii | The car, usually | $5, at the county's discretion | Set by county (Hawaii County $5.50 plates and emblem) | A replacement needs a current safety inspection. Source |
| Idaho | You | $5, plus any higher registration fee | New plates, where needed, $3.75 each | The unused registration on the old car is credited to the new one. Source |
| Illinois | You | $25 ($190 with a title transfer) | $6 one plate, $9 a pair; $26 or $29 with a sticker | Plates can never go to the buyer. Lose both and you get a new number unless you ask. Source |
| Indiana | You | $9.50 | $9.50 | Passenger, light truck and motorcycle plates can move online. Source |
| Iowa | You | Fees on the new car, within 30 days; unused fee credited within 6 months | $5 a set | Plates may stay with a car going to a spouse, parent or child. Otherwise turn them in. Source |
| Kansas | You | $1.50, plus the gap when the new car's registration fee is higher | County fee (Johnson County $8) | Report a stolen plate to the police where it was taken. Source |
| Kentucky | You | $11 one time | Through the county clerk; fee not published | Since January 2024 a plate cannot pass to a new owner. Source |
| Louisiana | You | $3, plus an $8 handling fee | Not published | A plate you cancel has to come off and be destroyed. Source |
| Maine | You | $8, plus any higher registration fee | $5 a plate | Credit for the old car: the full fee in the first 8 months, up to half after that. Source |
| Maryland | You | $15, plus any fee difference | $40 | Only between passenger cars, trucks and multipurpose vehicles. Owing MVA money blocks it. Source |
| Massachusetts | You | $25 | $10 a plate | Stolen plates get a new number at a Service Center; one lost plate can be ordered online. Source |
| Michigan | You | $10, or $15 to a cheaper vehicle; a pricier one adds prorated fees | $5 plate and tab | Selling to close family, the plate can stay on the car. Plates 10 years old are swapped automatically. Source |
| Minnesota | The car | Special or personalized plates, $5 | $15.50 a pair, $13.50 single | The plate and the registration tax pass to the buyer, with some exceptions. Source |
| Mississippi | Neither | Not allowed | $10 tag and decal (form 76-903) | The old tag cannot go on a new car. Take it off and surrender it to the county Tax Collector. Source |
| Missouri | You | $2, if the new car is no heavier or more powerful | $17.50 a plate, including $9 processing | Up to two sets a year replace stolen plates free, though processing is still charged. Source |
| Montana | You | No plate fee; registration due if the new car is not registered | $12 a set at the County Treasurer | Personalized plates cost $10.30 for each transfer. Source |
| Nebraska | Not stated for standard plates | Special or personalized, $3 within 30 days | $4.10 a plate | Unused months on a special plate are credited. Source |
| Nevada | You | $5, plus registration on the new car | $16 standard, including a $5 substitute fee | Plates move, credits do not. Stolen plates get a new number, in person. Source |
| New Hampshire | You | $10, plus any higher fee | $4 a plate, $8 both (RDMV 125) | Done at your town or city clerk. Credit only if the main owner's name stays the same. Source |
| New Jersey | You | $5 ($11 if new plates are needed) | $6 standard pair; $11 special or remade | Replacements come as a pair with a new number. Appointments are required. Source |
| New Mexico | You | Standard plates are simply reissued; the first plate is free | $15 standard; $17 prestige or special | The seller should take the plate off at the sale. Source |
| New York | You | $10, same registrant only | $25 a set; free for stolen plates with a police report | You cannot transfer a set with a plate missing. Source |
| North Carolina | You | $25.50, same vehicle category | $25.50 (MVR-18) | Insurance on both cars and an inspection on the new one. Surrender a plate you do not move. Source |
| North Dakota | You | $5 credit transfer (none if the credit is under $5) | $5 | The credit can only go to one replacement vehicle. Source |
| Ohio | You | $9, within 30 days | $15 one plate, $16.25 two; $10 more to keep the number | A different vehicle class means new plates. Source |
| Oklahoma | You | Moved when you title the new car; no separate fee published | Iconic plate $4 at renewal, $9 otherwise | Since July 2019 a plate cannot stay on a car that is sold. Source |
| Oregon | You | $30 | $25 one plate, $38 two (includes the $12 replacement fee) | The registration time goes with the plates only if you were on the old car's title. Source |
| Pennsylvania | You | $11, plus any higher class fee | $14 standard (MV-44) | Report a lost or stolen plate to police. Replacements take 7 to 10 business days by mail. Source |
| Rhode Island | You | Registration transfer; fee not published | $23.50 one plate, $43.50 two (new number); $33.50 same number | Replacement stickers are free. Source |
| South Carolina | You | Noted on Form 400; specialty plates $10 | Not published | A plate cannot pass to someone else unless they are on the title. Surrender one you do not move. Source |
| South Dakota | You | $5 | $10 duplicate (affidavit at the county treasurer) | South Dakota calls itself a plate-with-owner state. Source |
| Tennessee | You | $1 at the county clerk | $10 regular or personalized | Specialty and personalized plates can also be swapped for regular ones there. Source |
| Texas | You, since 2025 | At the county tax office, same vehicle class | $6.50 (VTR-60); the county may waive it | Under SB 1902 the seller takes general-issue plates off and moves, keeps or defaces them within 10 days. Source |
| Utah | Your choice | Within 20 days if you keep them; fee not published | $18.75 standard or personalized | If the seller includes the plates in the sale, the buyer applies to have them assigned. Source |
| Vermont | You | $30, plus any higher fee | $15 single, $29 pair | Can be done by mail. Source |
| Virginia | You | $2, plus any higher fee | $10 with decals | Never between owners, and antique plates do not transfer. Source |
| Washington | You | $10 standard plates | $82 car or truck; $32 motorcycle; $20 more to keep the number | Stolen plates get a new number, and the request needs a notarized affidavit. Source |
| West Virginia | You | $10.50, plus any higher fee | $10 | Both cars must be titled to the same owner. Source |
| Wisconsin | You | Free, same vehicle type | A fee applies; $5 more at a counter | The other car can be in your spouse's or domestic partner's name. Source |
| Wyoming | You | New registration cost less your unused credit | $8 new number; $30 same number | Registration ends at the sale and the plates come straight off. Source |
Replacing a lost, stolen or damaged plate
Replacement is cheap in most states: $5 in Alaska, Arizona, Iowa, Michigan and North Dakota, $10 in Tennessee, Virginia, Massachusetts (a plate) and West Virginia. It gets expensive in Washington at $82 for a car, Rhode Island at $43.50 for two, Maryland at $40 and Oregon at $38 for two. Three things are worth knowing first:
- Stolen means a new number. Nevada, Massachusetts, Washington and New Jersey will not reissue a number that was stolen, and Illinois gives a new one when both plates are lost unless you ask otherwise.
- Keeping the old number can cost extra. Ohio adds $10, Washington $20, and Wyoming charges $30 for a duplicate against $8 for the next number.
- A police report can save the fee. New York replaces stolen plates free with a police report, and Missouri covers up to two stolen sets a year apart from its processing fee. Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Mississippi require the report either way.
Looking for what a brand new plate costs with a first registration? That is part of the registration bill, broken down on each state's registration fee page.
Questions about transferring and replacing plates
How much does it cost to transfer plates from one car to another?
Usually less than $15. Tennessee and Arkansas charge $1, Alabama $1.25, Kansas $1.50 and Missouri and Virginia $2, while Wisconsin charges nothing at all. The dearest are Oregon and Vermont at $30, then Illinois and Massachusetts at $25 and North Carolina at $25.50. Many states add the difference when the new car costs more to register.
Is it cheaper to transfer plates or get new ones?
Transferring nearly always wins, because the unused part of your registration usually comes with the plates. Iowa, Idaho, Maine, Connecticut and North Dakota all credit it, and New York lets you apply it to the new registration. Starting fresh means paying a full year again, and the plates themselves cost extra in some states, such as $3.75 each in Idaho and $4.10 each in Nebraska.
Can I give my license plates to the person buying my car?
In most states, no. Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, Missouri and South Carolina all say outright that plates cannot pass to another owner. The exceptions are the states where plates stay on the car, Utah when the seller chooses to include them, and Michigan and Iowa when the buyer is close family.
How long does a replacement plate take?
It depends on the state and on whether the plates are mailed. Pennsylvania mails standard replacements in 7 to 10 business days after it processes the request. Some cases have to be handled in person, such as stolen plates in Nevada and Massachusetts, and New Jersey requires an appointment for any replacement.
Can you transfer license plates online?
In a few states. Indiana moves passenger, light truck and motorcycle plates through myBMV, and Nevada lets you pick Transfer while registering online. Colorado says plainly it cannot be done online, and most other states want a counter visit or a mailed form.
What should I do with my plates after selling my car?
Take them off before the buyer leaves, then move them to your next car, keep them for later where allowed, or turn them in. Texas wants unused plates defaced within 10 days, Louisiana wants a cancelled plate destroyed, and Mississippi, Iowa and North Carolina expect them back at the county or the DMV.
Related: temporary plates while you wait, front plate laws by state, and title transfer costs.