Driving is fun, but driving with expired tags is not. What happens if you drive with expired tags?
If you drive with expired tags, you will be pulled over by the police and fined. A ticket may be issued to you and if it’s more than 6 months since the tags expired, your car may be impounded by the police.
Can You Drive with Expired Tags?
An expired tag, also called a registration ticket is issued when the sticker/tag placed on the license plate has expired.
Many of these tags usually expire on the date of birth of the vehicle’s driver but they might also expire on the date you did the vehicle’s registration.
It all depends on the state where you live. Vehicle tags are designed in different colors to enable the police to know which one is expired and which is active.
In all states in the United States, it is illegal to drive with expired tags. In many states, you will receive a fine for driving with expired tags even if you are not in the car.
The urge to drive with expired registration tags might be high, but the punishment is much higher. Using a vehicle in the country requires it to be licensed and a fee is usually attached to it.
When you pay that fee, you are issued a tag with a date to display on your license plate.
This shows that you have paid the fee. It also shows that you have an agreement with the government to use your vehicle in the confines of the law and not for anything unlawful.
Without this tag, it is a sign to the police officers that you have failed to update the registration of your vehicle and you might have neglected other requirements too.
What Happens if You Drive with Expired Tags?
If you drive with expired registration tags, you risk getting pulled over and fined. If a police officer sees you and observes you are driving with an expired registration tag, you will be issued a ticket.
Even if you are not driving the car at that point, if your car is just parked along the street or in a parking lot, you will still be issued a ticket for the expired registration tag on your car.
If you drive with an expired tag, you might suffer some of these consequences below:
1. You Will Be Stopped By the Police
When you drive with expired tags, you are basically calling for the attention of the Police. When they see you, they will ask you to pull over and you will be issued a citation. That will inconvenience you badly and might be expensive for you and that is not even all.
The police officer who issues the citation might check your vehicle and issue more citations for other things like failure to use the seat belt, no proof of insurance, expired driver’s licenses, and so on.
All these things will lead to more fines and you will be stressed. If you want to avoid this, it is advisable you renew your vehicle’s tag on time so you do not get pulled over by the police.
2. You Incur Fines on Yourself
If you keep on driving with an expired tag, you can be fined as many times as possible. So far you keep on driving with it, the police are permitted by law to stop you and find you.
If you have been issued a citation already, you might be able to talk your way out of another citation by saying you have just received one and you are on your way to renewing it.
However, if you keep driving without getting a new tag, you will be fined by the police and the fines can add up. So, you can expect that in the long run, you will spend more money on paying for tickets than you would have spent paying for the tags.
The cost of renewing your tags depends on the value of your vehicle.
3. Parking Tickets
As earlier stated, even if you are not in the car and your car was just parked in a parking lot without tags, you will be issued a ticket by the police.
As long as your car is in the public, you are liable to pay fines for expired registration tags.
Just like a moving violation, it is possible for the tickets to keep adding up. Your vehicle might even get impounded if you accumulate too many tickets in some places.
4. Arrest Warrants
If you fail to pay a ticket that you have been issued, you risk getting arrested. That you have neglected to pay the fine is a punishable offense. The police can show up at your residence or at your workplace to pick you up over a tag violation.
Driving with expired tags gives police more incentive to pull you over and see if you have been issued tickets for that before.
If they see that you have been issued tickets before and you have not paid the fines, you might get arrested and your vehicle might be impounded as well.
Just a quick piece of information here, when you are caught driving around with an expired tag, you are liable to face different punishments.
Some officers will issue you a citation, which requires you to renew that tag within 30 days, issue you a warning, issue you a citation and impound your vehicle if the registration has exceeded six months, issue a citation and not impound your vehicle even if the registration has exceeded six months.
How Long Can You Drive Around with Expired Tags?
Frankly speaking, as long as your tags expire, you are driving illegally. There is no grace period or time allowance for you to keep driving with expired tags.
If you are stopped by the police the minute your tags expire, you will be issued a fine. So basically, you can drive around with expired tags for as long as the police have not caught you.
Once you are stopped by the police for expired tags, your plates will be run and you will be issued a ticket to pay. But some states actually have a grace period. You need to check the laws in the state where you reside.
States like Iowa, California, and Oklahoma will give you up to one month to renew your tag after it expires but in some states like Texas, you only have up to five days to renew the tag.
How Much is a Ticket for Expired Tags?
Generally, you will have to pay about a hundred dollars ($ 100) to two hundred dollars ($ 200) for the ticket. If you prepare for the expiry of the vehicle’s registration tag properly, you might not have to pay this amount.
The amount you will pay for the ticket depends on the city and the state. But you can expect it to be from twenty-five dollars ($25) to two hundred and seventy-five dollars ($275).
How Much is a Ticket for Expired Tags in Texas?
In Texas, you will be required to be a fee of two hundred and ten dollars ($210) for expired registration tags. This is quite expensive for some people so try not to be caught driving with an expired tag.
How Much is a Ticket for Expired Tags in Florida?
In Florida, you might have to pay up to $500 if you are caught driving with an expired tag for up to 6 months. If it is not up to 6 months, you will pay a lesser fine.
How Much is the Penalty for Late Registration for Vehicles?
Late registration for your vehicle will cost you a fee of $10.00 or more depending on your location.
Final Thoughts
Tags are used as a sign to the police that your vehicle has a license. Failure to renew this tag might lead to several fines and even arrests. It is advisable you renew your tags before the expiry date to avoid being caught.