Is there a grace period for expired tags in North Carolina?
Before 2016, vehicle users in the North Carolina State (NC) enjoyed a grace period of up to 15 days after the expiry of the tags. For example, if you had a license sticker for April, it would expire on the 15th day of May, the following year, which includes the grace period of 15 days.
However, after 2016, the Division of motor vehicles (DMV) in North Carolina (NC) revoked the grace period of 15 days. Now, if your license plate sticker was stated for June, it expires on the last day of June. However, it can be renewed with a late fee penalty payment. If you recently moved to the state, you will usually need to register your vehicle within 30 days and pay all relevant fees.
Technically, there is no grace period for expired tags in North Carolina; what only exists is the ability to renew your expired tags after paying the late fee penalty. The late penalty fee typically ranges between $15 and $25.
Many vehicle users in North Carolina tend to mistake the period attracting penalty fees as the period of grace, as it had been before 2016.
If the vehicle registration expires about one month or less, you would be expected to pay a $15 late fee penalty. If the expiry period exceeds one month but is less than two months, a late fee penalty of $20 will be paid. When the expiry period lasts for two months or more, a fee of $25 will be paid.
How to go about registration renewal in North Carolina
Registration renewal is a fairly straightforward process in North Carolina. There are several methods to pay for renewal, including payment at any license plate agency, by mail, or online.
Before renewing your vehicle’s registration, it is expected to undergo a safety and emissions inspection. The inspection should be carried out within three months before the license plate’s expiration. Vehicle owners should also ensure that their vehicles are continually insured by the North Carolina liability insurance before registration can be renewed.
About 60 days or two months to the expiration of your previous registration, the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV) will send mail to your residential address. The mail will contain the due vehicle property taxes and the vehicle’s registration renewal fees; these two fees are usually due at the same time and should be renewed annually.
You can walk into any local license plate agency to renew your license. You can also mail the payment to the address listed in the notice. You can also pay online through a service called PayIt. PayIt takes away all the hassle of going to the physical license plate agency.
The convenience of paying online comes at a cost. PayIt charges an extra fee of $3 for its services. Though PayIt is a payment portal adopted by the NCDMV, it is worthy of note that the NCDMV does not benefit from this charge in any way.
Before paying through the PayIt portal, you would be required to provide the five last digits of the vehicle title number and the vehicle’s license plate number. These two numbers can be gotten on the renewal notice sent via mail.
Registration blocks or stops in NC
For some reason, some persons may not be able to complete the registration or renewal of license plates; this phenomenon is known as blocks or Registration Stops. There are several reasons for registration blocks, some of which are:
- Failure to pay child support
- Owing NCDMV, and is tagged “Bad Debt.”
- Failure to pay County tax on the vehicle
- When there is a problem with the registration of your vehicle
- When the vehicle does not pass the safety and emissions inspection
- When the vehicle has been seized by law enforcement because the driver - which could be you or someone else was driving while impaired (DWI)
- Failure to pay the penalty for passing a stopped school bus
Reasons for registration blocks or stops are not limited to these; there are other reasons which have not been listed above.
Registration renewal in Florida
To operate a vehicle in Florida, its registration has to be valid. Renewal of registration can be purchased for a period of one or two years before it can be renewed. Vehicle registration expires on the midnight of the date of birth of the first user of the vehicle; unless it was registered by a business.
Registration can be renewed at most three months before the expiration of the present registration. In Florida, the governing body is the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV). Registration renewal Florida can be carried out online, through a mobile app, or at any FLHSMV’s physical office.
To renew your license in a physical office, all you need to do is locate the nearest motor vehicle service center, present them with the required documents, and you will get your license renewed. You can get your registration on the same day if you visit a physical office.
You can also register online via platforms like swiftags. Then the owner has to provide personal identifying information before registration can be completed. It attracts a processing fee, and the vehicle’s registration comes in the mail in 7-10 working days from the day of the transaction.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is no longer a grace period for the expiry of registration in North Carolina. Back in 2016, there was a grace period of 15 days. In recent times, renewing your registration after expiry attracts a late renewal fee which could range from $15 to $25, depending on the duration after expiry.
In North Carolina, registration lasts for a year and should be renewed annually. In Florida, for example, residents have the opportunity to renew their registration for a period of one or two years. In North Carolina, registration renewal can be carried out at the office of the DMV or online through the PayIt platform. Renewal through the Payit portal attracts a processing charge of $3.
