Every state in the US has road regulations and rules unique to them, and the state of Virginia is no exception. As a driver, you are required to register your vehicle to drive legally on the road, and car tags prove that your car is registered. If you don’t have them on your vehicle, this means you are driving on the road illegally and could be penalized.
A car tag is the registration sticker given to you each year and has to get displayed on your vehicle as a driver. Car tags display the last two digits of the year your registration will expire. Your car tag should be placed on your car's plate or windshield, depending on state laws.
As a driver, you are solely responsible for registering your vehicle yearly. It is necessary to occasionally check your car tags before the expiration date is due to avoid legal repercussions. When caught driving with expired registration tags, the penalties can range from a small fee to your car getting impounded.
It is illegal to drive with expired car tags. However, in 2021, there was a grace period instituted. Police officers aren’t allowed to pull you over for the sole purpose of your expired car tags until four months after they expire. If you renew your car tags after it has expired, you may have to pay a $10 fine.
Virginia offers three ways to renew expired car tags: online, by mail, or in person at the DMV. You will pay less if you renew your registration online or by mail, but If you owe money to the DMV for any reason, such as an unpaid ticket, you may be unable to renew your expired car tags.
Virginia Code 46.2-1157 states that “no law-enforcement officer shall stop a motor vehicle due to an expired vehicle inspection sticker until the first day of the fourth month after the original expiration date.” It is also worth noting that once you have been ticketed for your first expired car tag offense, every day “after failing to comply with this law shall constitute a separate offense.”
You can get pulled over for expired, missing, or non-visible registration tags on your car or motorcycle by a police officer only after the four-month grace period. You will be fined based on the non-moving violation act by a police officer.
Failure to have your motor vehicle inspected is a traffic infraction and is penalized as a Class 3 misdemeanor. However, the court may dismiss the charge based on the discretion that the offense was amended before the court hearing.
If a police officer notices you driving with expired or missing license plate tags, they will pull you over and give you a fine. You can also get fined even if you are not driving and they notice your expired tags in a parking lot or on the street.
Remember that your car registration tags go on your license plate. Do not leave them in your glove compartment or your wallet after renewal, or you risk getting pulled over and fined.
Car tags are equally important as having car insurance. A car tag is the registration sticker given to you each year and has to get displayed on your vehicle, either on the license plate or windshield of your car, depending on state laws.
When caught driving with expired registration tags, the penalties can range from a small fee to your car getting impounded. It is necessary to occasionally check your car tags before the expiration date is due to avoid driving with expired car tags.
In Virginia, police officers aren’t allowed to pull you over for the sole purpose of your expired car tags until four months after they expire, according to the state of Virginia Code 46.2-1157. If you renew your car tags after the registration expires, you may pay a $10 fine.
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