Is it really illegal to keep your old license plates in New Jersey?

🚘 There are very specific rules about license plates in New Jersey
🚘 Can you keep your old license plates in New Jersey?
🚘 What do you do if your plates are lost or stolen?

Maybe you sold your car and removed the license plates. Maybe you have old plates hanging on the wall of your garage. Maybe you lost a license plate or had one stolen.

You should know that New Jersey has very specific rules about what you can and cannot do with license plates once they are no longer attached to a legally registered vehicle in the Garden State.

License plates are the tools used by police and the Motor Vehicle Commission to link a vehicle to its registered owner.

They are used not just for identification, but increasingly as markers to pay tolls.

With a rise in home invasions linked to car theft, many towns have installed license plate readers to keep track of who is entering and leaving.

That is why it is critical that you take good care of your license plates and follow the rules when they are no longer attached to your vehicle.

If you have lost your plates or they get stolen, you could be held liable for any crimes and/or charges accrued against those plates if you don't report they are missing.

But is it actually illegal to hold on to your plates?  The answer is at the bottom of this article.

How do I report lost or stolen license plates in New Jersey?

If your vehicle is still in use and the plates were stolen, the first thing to do is file a police report and head to a Motor Vehicle Commission agency.

✔ Bring your police report to a MVC agency
✔ If one or both of your plates were stolen or lost, you must visit a Motor Vehicle Commission agency to obtain a replacement(s)
✔ At the agency, you will need to complete a Vehicle Registration/Plate Status to report the plates as lost or stolen. This form marks the verification status.
✔ You will be given verification of the transaction
✔ Save the verification in a safe place as proof that you notified the MVC the plates were stolen

If you no longer own the vehicle and plates were stolen, you still need to file a police report.

✔ Notify the MVC in writing the plates were stolen and the vehicle is no longer owned by you
✔ Provide a signed statement describing what happened
✔ Include a police report if your plates were stolen
✔ Be sure to include your name, mailing address, license plate number, and signature

Mail to:
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
Customer Advocacy Office
P.O. Box 403
Trenton, NJ 08666-0403

Once the MVC processes your information, you will receive verification of the updated license plate status in the mail.

Save the verification in a safe place as proof that you notified the MVC.

I need to replace the lost or stolen plates. What do I do?

You can either get new plates or have the existing ones remade. Each option requires you to appear at an MVC agency in person.

To replace lost or stolen plates with new ones containing the next available number:

✔ Make an official police report to the municipality where the plates were stolen and obtain a copy of the report for your records
✔ Visit a MVC agency and present the current registration and required identification
✔ Pay the $6 fee for standard plates or the $11 fee for special interest /dedicated replacements

To replace your damaged plates you must:

✔ Visit a MVC agency
✔ Present the current registration and required identification
✔ Pay the $6 fee for standard plates or the $11 fee for special interest or dedicated plates
✔ You will be issued a replacement set
✔ You must surrender your old plates

To obtain duplicate plates with the same plate number, you can do one of the following:

✔ Visit a MVC agency to obtain the Application for Remaking an Existing Plate or,
✔ Download the application (Form SPU-89).
✔ Call the MVC at (609) 292-6500 ext. 5061 to request the Application for Remaking an Existing Plate and a return envelope
✔ Submit the application with a copy of your registration and a check or money order for $11 to the address on the application, or use return envelope if provided.

Duplicate plates will be sent to you through the mail in approximately 10 to 12 weeks.

Can I transfer my current plates to a new vehicle?

Maybe.

The new vehicle must be in the same name as a previous vehicle. For example, leased vehicles almost always require a new set of plates and plate number.

You can transfer your plates to the new vehicle so long as the vehicle is registered in the same name as the previous vehicle and the vehicles are the same class, i.e. car to car, truck to truck.

To complete this transaction, you must visit a MVC agency.

Present the new title and registration you want to transfer as well as proper identification.

I have my plates from a vehicle I no longer own. What do I do with them?

You have two options.

Visit a MVC agency to surrender the plates

If you visit a MVC agency to surrender plates no longer in use, deposit plates in the “drop box” outside of the agency

A receipt will then be mailed to you that will serve as proof the plates were surrendered.

Note: If you need a receipt immediately due to a suspension talk to the MVC staff member at the greeter desk inside the agency office.

You can also mail your plates to:

New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
P.O. Box 129
Trenton, New Jersey 08666-0129

If you want a receipt for the plates, you must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. A receipt will be mailed back to you.

I have license plates for another state, can I return them in New Jersey.

No.

The New Jersey MVC does not accept out-of-state plates.

License plates from other states must be returned to the state that issued the plates.

Can't I just keep my old plates?

Nope.

In New Jersey, it is illegal to keep license plates in New Jersey if you no longer have the vehicle they were issued for.

If your vehicle is sold, junked or destroyed and you do not intend to purchase another, you must turn in the license plates to the MVC for cancellation.

You must follow the procedure for surrendering license plates at a MVC agency or by mail.

What happens if I keep them anyway?

Bad things could happen.

If the plates are stolen or lost, they could be used in an illegal way and you could be held responsible.

This is especially true if the plates are used for tolling. You can be held liable for the toll charges and your license could be suspended for non-payment.

The best course of action is to surrender the plates, get a receipt and keep it in a safe place in case any issue involving those plates arises in the future.

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