What to Do With Old License Plates: 2026 Guide

In most states, remove your license plates before handing a sold car to the buyer. Then transfer them to another eligible vehicle, surrender them to the issuing agency, or cancel and recycle them where permitted. Standard plates usually stay with the car in Alaska, California, Hawaii, and Minnesota. Delaware, Oregon, Utah, and some special-plate transactions need a closer check.

2026 update: This guide covers ordinary passenger-vehicle sales and highlights separate rules for unused, personalized, lost, and junk-car plates. Follow the state that issued your plates, even if the buyer lives elsewhere. Plate removal, registration cancellation, reporting a sale, and transferring title are separate steps.

What to Do With Old Plates After Selling a Car

Check your state before delivery. Use the 50-state table below to decide whether the plates come off or normally stay on the car. Check personalized, disability, leased, and commercial plates separately.
Complete the sale paperwork. Fill in the buyer’s details, sale date, and required title information. Keep copies of the signed title, bill of sale, and pickup receipt.
Report the sale yourself where required. A bill of sale or a buyer’s promise to register does not replace your seller notification.
Transfer, surrender, or cancel the plates. Save the official receipt or online confirmation. Do not destroy plates that must be returned.
Coordinate insurance and toll accounts. Complete the required DMV steps before ending required coverage. Remove the sold vehicle from toll, parking, and connected-car accounts and take out your transponder.

Do not lend your plates to the buyer for the drive home. The buyer should arrange valid registration, an appropriate temporary or transit permit, or towing. A signed title or bill of sale is not a universal permission to drive without plates.

Should I Remove the License Plates When Selling My Car?

Usually, yes. Most states require the seller to remove plates before the buyer takes possession. However, “keep your plates” means retain them as the seller, while “leave plates on the car” means they go with the vehicle. These are different instructions.

License Plates After a Car Sale: All 50 States and DC

The table summarizes standard plates on ordinary passenger vehicles. It is not a rule for every trailer, commercial vehicle, family transfer, dealer sale, or salvage transaction. “Remove” does not automatically mean “return to DMV,” and physically keeping a plate does not authorize its use on another car.

State	What happens to the plates?	Your next step or important exception
Alabama	Remove	Keep for an approved transfer to another vehicle; contact your local issuing office.
Alaska	Usually leave on the car	Remove personalized or specialty plates; standard plates generally stay with the vehicle.
Arizona	Remove	Submit a Sold Notice within 10 calendar days; arrange a transfer, surrender, or permitted disposal.
Arkansas	Remove	Retain the plates for an eligible replacement vehicle and complete the registration transfer.
California	Usually leave on the car	Standard plates generally stay with the vehicle; file the NRL within 5 calendar days.
Colorado	Remove	The buyer needs their own registration; ask the county office about eligible plate transfers.
Connecticut	Remove	Transfer the registration or cancel it with DMV; save the cancellation receipt.
Delaware	Depends on the transaction	Arrange DMV tag retention before selling if you want to keep the number. Do not assume removing the plate alone retains it.
District of Columbia	Remove	Transfer tags or cancel registration and surrender them; online cancellation allows permanent disposal.
Florida	Remove	Transfer the plate to your replacement vehicle or surrender it; resolve registration before canceling insurance.
Georgia	Remove	Transfer an eligible plate or cancel the registration before ending insurance.
Hawaii	Usually leave on the car	Standard plates generally stay with the vehicle. Ask the county about personalized plates and junked vehicles.
Idaho	Remove	Keep for an approved transfer; submit the release of liability separately.
Illinois	Remove	Keep for an eligible transfer or use the Secretary of State plate recycling program.
Indiana	Remove	Keep for an eligible transfer; BMV does not require sold-vehicle plates to be returned.
Iowa	Remove	Transfer eligible plates or return them to your county treasurer; ask about any registration credit or refund.
Kansas	Remove	Arrange a transfer or surrender through the county treasurer.
Kentucky	Remove and keep	Since 2024, plates with unexpired registration stay with the seller; transfer to another vehicle of the same class. Junking has separate rules.
Louisiana	Remove	Ask OMV about replacement-vehicle transfer eligibility or cancellation; dealer resale has separate plate-destruction rules.
Maine	Remove	Transfer to another vehicle or return plates and registration if you do not intend to renew or transfer within 6 months.
Maryland	Remove	Transfer eligible plates or return them to MVA before canceling insurance; keep the receipt.
Massachusetts	Remove	Transfer an eligible registration or cancel through RMV, then recycle or destroy the plates.
Michigan	Remove	Keep for an eligible transfer; certain immediate-family transfers have exceptions.
Minnesota	Usually leave on the car	Standard plates generally stay with the vehicle; special plates and voluntary removal need DVS guidance. Complete the title transfer promptly.
Mississippi	Remove and surrender	Return the tag to the county tax collector; an unused-registration credit is different from transferring the old plate.
Missouri	Remove	Report the sale within 30 days and arrange an eligible plate transfer or surrender.
Montana	Remove	Plates stay with the owner; have the county treasurer process any transfer.
Nebraska	Remove	Contact the county treasurer about transfer, credit, refund, or plate surrender requirements.
Nevada	Remove	Transfer or surrender plates; standard plates generally have a 60-day window, specialty plates 30 days. Cancel registration before ending insurance.
New Hampshire	Normally remove	Keep for a replacement vehicle; any transfer to the buyer must follow DMV authorization rules.
New Jersey	Remove	Transfer to another vehicle or surrender to MVC; retain proof of surrender.
New Mexico	Remove	Within 30 days, have the plate assigned to another vehicle or return it to MVD for cancellation.
New York	Remove	Transfer eligible plates or surrender them before liability insurance ends.
North Carolina	Remove	Transfer the plate or surrender it immediately when no longer needed; turn it in before canceling insurance.
North Dakota	Remove	The seller keeps the plates; the buyer must arrange their own registration.
Ohio	Remove	Apply for an eligible registration transfer, or arrange cancellation and permitted disposal.
Oklahoma	Remove and keep	The plate belongs to the person rather than the vehicle; the buyer handles their own plate and pre-registration.
Oregon	Removal is optional	You may remove plates before sale; notify DMV within 10 days regardless of what happens to the plates.
Pennsylvania	Remove	Transfer the plate to another vehicle or return it to PennDOT when no longer needed.
Rhode Island	Remove	Transfer eligible plates or cancel registration; after online confirmation, plates may be destroyed or recycled.
South Carolina	Remove	Transfer or deactivate the plate; online deactivation does not require physically returning it.
South Dakota	Remove	Keep for an eligible transfer and report the sale; the buyer needs their own plate or permit.
Tennessee	Remove	Keep for a replacement-vehicle transfer; request cancellation if plates were left on the sold vehicle.
Texas	Remove in a private sale	Remove plates and the registration sticker; file a Vehicle Transfer Notification within 30 days. Dealer transactions follow separate rules.
Utah	Normally remove	Unless a plate transfer is included in the sale, remove the plates and notify DMV of the sale.
Vermont	Remove	Keep for an eligible transfer; DMV does not require unused plates to be returned.
Virginia	Remove	Notify DMV of the sale; transfer plates, deactivate them, or surrender them before ending required insurance.
Washington	Remove	File a Report of Sale within 5 business days; transfer eligible plates or follow DOL disposal instructions.
West Virginia	Remove and retain	Notify DMV and arrange transfer to another eligible vehicle; do not leave plates for an unrelated buyer.
Wisconsin	Remove for an ordinary car	Transfer eligible plates; some vehicle and plate categories follow different rules.
Wyoming	Remove	Plates stay with the owner; ask the county treasurer about transfer and remaining registration credit.

Changes older guides may miss: Kentucky implemented seller plate retention with KAVIS in 2024. Oklahoma plates stay with the person, and North Dakota requires removal on sale. Oregon permits removal rather than imposing a blanket removal requirement. Texas changed dealer plate handling in 2025, so private-sale and dealer instructions should not be mixed.

How to Get Rid of Old License Plates

Before recycling or throwing away a license plate, decide which of these situations applies. A plate that has expired, a plate replaced with the same number, and a plate removed after a sale may have different requirements.

Your situation	What to do
You want the plates for your next car	Store them securely and ask the issuing agency to transfer the registration or retain the number. Do not attach them to the next car without authorization.
Your state requires surrender	Return the plates using that agency’s office, drop box, or mail procedure. Include required forms and keep the receipt.
Your state permits cancellation and disposal	Cancel or deactivate the registration if required, save confirmation, then render the plates unusable and recycle as locally accepted.
You received replacement plates	Follow the replacement notice. Some agencies want the old plates back; others direct you to destroy or recycle them.
The plates are lost or stolen	Report the circumstances to the issuing agency. Use its lost/stolen-plate procedure instead of claiming you physically surrendered them.

How to Destroy and Recycle Old License Plates

Where disposal is allowed, remove or invalidate the month and year stickers, then bend or cut the plates so they cannot be displayed as valid plates. Follow your state’s specific method. If cutting metal, use suitable tools and protect yourself from sharp edges; an accepted DMV recycling service may be easier.

Check whether a local metal recycler or plate collection program accepts them. Do not assume plates belong in your curbside bin. Never burn them or leave intact active plates in an open trash container. Destroying the physical plate does not cancel registration, settle unpaid tolls, or notify the state that you sold the car.

What to Do With Old License Plates in Florida

Remove your Florida plate when you sell the vehicle. It does not pass to the buyer. You can transfer it to an eligible replacement vehicle through a motor vehicle service center. If you will not use it, surrender it for cancellation and recycling instead of keeping an active plate without the required insurance.

How Do I Return Florida License Plates by Mail?

Contact your county tax collector or motor vehicle service center for its current plate-surrender mailing address and requirements. Florida counties may request different supporting documents.
Include the plate and a signed request to cancel and recycle it. Provide the plate number and the information the office requires; include its surrender form or affidavit, registration copy, and ID copy if requested.
Keep copies and mailing proof, and request a surrender receipt. Follow up to confirm that the cancellation was processed.

What happens if you do not return Florida plates? An active registration without required insurance can lead to a driver license suspension and reinstatement costs. If you are keeping a plate for a replacement vehicle, ask the tax collector how to record the sale and handle coverage correctly. Do not treat a possible transfer window as permission to cancel insurance while registration remains active.

Florida sellers must also submit a Notice of Sale, generally using form HSMV 82050, within 30 days. This is separate from signing the title and surrendering a plate. If the plate is lost, stolen, or destroyed, ask the service center for the appropriate affidavit procedure.

What to Do With Old License Plates in Pennsylvania

Remove your Pennsylvania plate before the buyer takes the car. Transfer it to another eligible vehicle through the appropriate registration process, or return it to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) when it is no longer needed. Do not substitute home recycling for a required return.

PennDOT’s return address is: Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Return Tag Unit, P.O. Box 68597, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8597. Keep a record of the return. Pennsylvania law requires plates to be returned within five days when a statutory return requirement applies, including when the registrant no longer has a vehicle titled in Pennsylvania; this is not a universal 30-day grace period.

What to Do With Old License Plates in Ohio

Remove the plates when selling your car. You may apply to transfer an eligible registration to another vehicle you own. The transfer must be processed through Ohio BMV; simply moving the plate is not enough.

If you are not transferring the registration, ask BMV about cancellation and the permitted surrender or disposal route. Keep sale records, and do not leave the plate on the buyer’s vehicle as a temporary solution.

What to Do With Old License Plates in Illinois

Remove and keep the plates when you sell the vehicle. Ask the Secretary of State about transferring them to an eligible replacement vehicle. For obsolete plates, Illinois offers recycling through Secretary of State facilities; confirm that your location accepts them before visiting.

Keep a copy of the completed title and seller’s notice. If the buyer already has your plates or they are being misused, contact the Secretary of State for the appropriate registration or plate action rather than assuming ordinary recycling has canceled the record.

What to Do With Old License Plates When Selling a Car in Texas

For a private sale, remove your plates and registration sticker before delivery. You can request an approved transfer to another vehicle you own through your county tax assessor-collector. Do not promise the buyer use of your plates, or assume that a transfer has no fees.

2025 changes that matter in 2026: Texas replaced dealer-issued paper temporary tags with metal plates beginning July 1, 2025. Dealers must remove general-issue plates from acquired vehicles and may reassign them to an appropriate vehicle within the applicable 10-day period; plates not reassigned must be destroyed. Ask the dealer how your specialty or personalized plates will be handled.

Submit a Vehicle Transfer Notification within 30 days to document a private sale. That is a sale-notification deadline, not a deadline for returning plates. If you keep your plates, the buyer must arrange lawful transport, such as an eligible Vehicle Transit Permit or towing.

What to Do With Old License Plates in California

Standard California plates generally remain with the car when you sell it. Personalized and certain special plates follow separate retention, release, or transfer rules. Use the appropriate application for your plate type; a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability does not itself transfer a personalized plate to another car.

File the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL) within five calendar days of the sale. You can submit it through the online services of the DMV. Keep the confirmation and completed sale records. An NRL records your seller notification; it does not finish the buyer’s title transfer.

How to Cancel Car Registration in California

For a sold car, start with the NRL and properly assigned title rather than a generic request to “unregister” it. If you still own a car that will be stored, dismantled, or junked, ask DMV about the specific non-operation or dismantling procedure. Planned Nonoperation (PNO) is not a substitute for reporting a sale.

What to Do With Old License Plates in Arizona and Kentucky

Arizona: Remove the plate and complete a Sold Notice within 10 calendar days after selling, trading, donating, or otherwise transferring the vehicle. Arrange plate transfer, surrender, or permitted disposal with MVD. The Sold Notice and a registration-credit request are separate from transferring the title.

Kentucky: Under KAVIS, when a vehicle is transferred with unexpired registration, the seller retains the plate and may apply it and the remaining registration to another vehicle they own of the same class. This has been implemented since 2024. If the vehicle is being junked, follow the county clerk’s junk-title and plate-return procedure rather than applying the normal resale rule.

Can I Use My Old License Plate on My New Car?

Often, but only through an approved transfer. Requirements depend on the registered owner, vehicle class, plate type, expiration, and any retention period. Some states allow a registration credit, which is not always the same as keeping the physical plate. Mississippi, for example, requires the old tag to be surrendered even when unused registration value can be credited.

Have the old registration, plate number, ID, new vehicle’s title or application, and required insurance information ready. Confirm fees and eligibility with the issuing agency before mounting the plates. Do not assume every state prohibits a car-to-pickup transfer; classification rules differ.

How to Cancel License Plates Online

“Cancel license plates” usually means canceling or deactivating the registration linked to them. Online cancellation does not always eliminate the need to return the physical plates. Use the official state service and save the completed transaction receipt.

Connecticut: Use the Connecticut DMV's registration cancellation service. Save the receipt for your insurer and, if needed, your municipal tax assessor.
Massachusetts: The Registry of Motor Vehicles offers online cancellation. After cancellation, recycle or destroy the plates.
Georgia: Owners can cancel their registration online before canceling required insurance.
South Carolina: The SCDMV offers online plate deactivation. If you complete that service, you do not need to physically return the old plate; recycle it afterward as directed.
Rhode Island: After receiving online cancellation confirmation, plates may be destroyed or recycled. Keep the confirmation; do not return plates already canceled through the online service.
DC: Online tag cancellation permits permanent disposal of the tags after the transaction. Follow the separate surrender instructions if using an in-person or mail route.

If the system cannot locate your record, the plate is lost, or the registration is suspended, contact the agency for the appropriate alternative. Do not submit inaccurate information to force an online cancellation through.

What States Require You to Return Your License Plates?

Physical surrender commonly applies when plates will not be transferred in states such as Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Mississippi requires surrender to the county tax collector when the vehicle or owner changes. Nevada requires unused plates to be transferred or surrendered within its applicable period. Maine also has return requirements when the owner does not intend to renew or transfer.

This is not an unconditional list for every situation. Some jurisdictions allow online cancellation followed by disposal, while others distinguish active plates, replacement plates, and specialty plates. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and DC illustrate why “registration must be canceled” does not always mean “mail the metal plates back.”

Before canceling insurance: Check the issuing state’s cancellation, transfer, or surrender procedure. New York, Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida are particularly important examples where an active registration without required coverage can trigger penalties. Keep the official receipt rather than relying only on a mailing receipt.

How Long Do You Have to Turn in Your License Plates?

There is no nationwide 30-, 60-, or 90-day deadline. A deadline may relate to surrender, transferring a plate, reporting a sale, claiming a refund, or canceling insurance. Use the correct action and trigger below.

State or situation	Timing	What the timing applies to
New York	Before required liability insurance ends	Surrender plates and registration unless completing a valid transfer. Do not rely on a supposed 90-day return window.
Maryland	Before canceling required insurance	Return plates unless they are being transferred; retain the MVA receipt.
North Carolina	Immediately when surrender is required; before canceling insurance	Plate surrender when selling without transferring the plate, or when other surrender conditions apply.
Florida	Resolve plate and registration status before ending required insurance	Surrender unused plates or arrange the permitted transfer process; Notice of Sale is separately due within 30 days.
Pennsylvania	Within 5 days of the event requiring return	Statutory plate-return requirements; arrange a permitted transfer instead if eligible.
Nevada	Generally 60 days for standard plates; 30 days for specialty plates	Transfer or surrender; insurance cancellation has its own registration requirements.
New Mexico	Within 30 days	Assign the removed plate to another vehicle or return it to MVD for cancellation.
California	Within 5 calendar days of sale	NRL seller notification, not a standard-plate surrender deadline.
Arizona	Within 10 calendar days	Sold Notice, not a universal plate-return deadline.
Oregon	Within 10 days	Seller notification whether plates are removed or remain.
Texas	Within 30 days	Vehicle Transfer Notification; not a private seller’s plate-surrender deadline.
Washington	Within 5 business days	Seller’s Report of Sale; remove plates before delivery.

If your state is not in this timing table, do not infer a grace period. Check your plate type and transaction with the issuing agency before delivery or ending insurance. Mailing a plate and having a cancellation processed may occur on different dates.

What Happens If You Don't Return License Plates?

The consequence depends on the state and why surrender was required. Possible outcomes include registration or driver license suspension, insurance-lapse penalties, reinstatement fees, or losing a registration credit. Suspension is not an automatic nationwide consequence of keeping any old plate.

Separately, a plate still associated with you may generate toll bills, parking notices, or questions about a sold vehicle. Keep proof of sale, report the transfer as required, and contest incorrect notices with the issuing authority. Do not assume liability is settled merely because the plate has expired or been cut in half.

What to Do If You Forgot to Take License Plate Off When Selling a Car

Check whether removal was required. Standard plates legitimately remain on sold vehicles in some states.
Contact the buyer promptly. Ask for safe return of the plates if you should have retained them. Do not authorize further use.
Notify your issuing agency. Explain that you sold the vehicle with plates attached and ask how to cancel, flag, or replace the plate record if you cannot recover them.
File the required sale notice. Keep the buyer’s details, signed documents, and confirmation. Remove the car from toll and parking accounts.
Respond to bills or suspected misuse. Send proof of sale to the relevant authority; report theft or fraud to police where appropriate. Describe what actually happened instead of reporting a consensually delivered plate as stolen.

Leaving plates on a sold car is not the same as title jumping. Title jumping concerns an improper chain of ownership or resale without the required title transfer; removing plates does not replace accurate title paperwork.

Can I Actually Sell My Car License Plates?

Inactive collectible plates can sometimes be sold if state law allows you to keep them. Do not sell plates that must be returned, active plates for another driver to use, or a personalized number as if ownership of the metal alone transfers the registration right.

Collector-market rules and state law are separate. Check the marketplace’s current policy before listing; there is no universal plate-age rule that makes every sale legal. If you want to transfer the right to a desirable plate number, use the issuing state’s authorized process where one exists.

What to Do With License Plates When Junking or Donating a Car

Before pickup, confirm whether plates must be removed for your state’s salvage, junking, or donation process. In most states, take them off and handle transfer or surrender yourself. States where standard plates usually follow an ordinary used car may have different instructions for dismantling or permanently retiring it.

Keep the buyer’s or recycler’s receipt, VIN, sale date, and any junking or salvage documents. Complete the required seller notice and registration action, then coordinate insurance cancellation. Do not assume a tow-away pickup automatically closes your DMV record or returns your plates.

Sell Your Car Fast and Easy With JunkCarsUs

JunkCarsUs can help you sell your car with a mechanical problem or a vehicle with other damage. Before pickup, tell us where the vehicle is registered so we can discuss the paperwork needed for your sale.

Request an offer. Call (855) 547-1550 or submit an online application with your vehicle’s year, make, model, location, and condition. Our junk car value calculator can also help you explore an estimated value.
Review the details. Confirm the offer, ownership documents, included towing, and payment arrangements before scheduling.
Prepare for pickup. Remove personal belongings and toll devices, handle plates according to your state’s rules, and keep your sale receipt. Pickup availability and paperwork requirements depend on your location and vehicle.

For help arranging a sale, call (855) 547-1550 or complete an online application. You remain responsible for any seller notice, plate surrender, or registration cancellation your state requires.

FAQ

How do I dispose of old license plates?

First check whether your state requires surrender or allows a transfer. If disposal is allowed, complete any required cancellation, remove or invalidate registration stickers, and make the plates unusable before recycling them through a facility that accepts them. Cutting up a plate does not cancel its registration.

What should I do with old plates after selling my car?

Follow the rules of the state that issued the plates. In most states, remove them before handing over the vehicle, then transfer, surrender, or dispose of them as permitted. Standard plates usually stay with the car in Alaska, California, Hawaii, and Minnesota; other exceptions apply. Report the sale separately.

Is it legal to sell old license plates?

Sometimes, for inactive collectible plates that you are allowed to keep. Do not sell plates that must be surrendered or offer active plates for use on another vehicle. State law and marketplace rules both apply; selling the metal plate does not transfer registration or a personalized-number entitlement.

Can you throw away old license plates?

Only after confirming that surrender is not required and completing any required cancellation. Make the plates unusable and follow local waste or metal-recycling rules. Do not put intact active plates in household trash, and do not assume every curbside recycling program accepts them.

Can you keep old license plates?

In many states you can retain plates for an approved transfer, and some allow inactive plates as keepsakes. Other states require unused plates to be returned. Personalized plates may also need retention paperwork or fees. Expiration alone does not settle every surrender or insurance requirement.

Can I cancel license plates online?

Some states offer online registration or plate cancellation, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Georgia, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and DC. Complete the correct transaction and save confirmation. Whether you must mail the physical plates depends on that state and the service used.

Can I throw away old car registration documents?

Keep copies of the completed sale documents, registration cancellation, plate surrender receipt, and any report of sale. Once an old registration document is no longer needed for a transfer, tax issue, insurance matter, or recordkeeping requirement, shred it rather than discarding your personal information intact.

Should I remove license plates before junking or donating a car?

In most states, yes. Confirm the rules for your issuing state and the type of transaction before pickup; scrap, salvage, and donation procedures can differ from a normal used-car sale. Keep the pickup receipt and complete any required title, sale-notice, registration-cancellation, and plate-surrender steps.

What to Do With License Plates When Selling a Car: 2026 Guide