Expired Registration: what the ticket costs in every state
There is no single national price for an expired tags ticket. Depending on the state, it can be a fixed statewide amount (Florida charges $30 for the infraction, plus county court costs), an amount set by a court or county schedule, or a ticket designed to go away once you renew: Arizona must dismiss its $300 civil penalty once you complete late registration. The table gives the first-offense answer for every verified state, with the grace period and whether renewing gets the ticket dismissed.
By Mario Bailey
Driving on expired tags is one of the most common tickets in America, and one of the most fixable. What it costs depends on the state: some give a grace period, some dismiss the ticket once you renew, and some add a DMV late fee on top of the fine. Each state page covers the fine, the grace period if any, and whether the ticket can be dismissed, verified against statutes, court rules and DMV fee schedules.
| State | First offense | Grace period | Dismissed if you renew? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | A $20 or $25 fine in most courts checked ($100 in one city if you never renew), plus court costs: $194 to $283 total in the three county courts checked | None; expires end of renewal month | No state rule; some courts dismiss |
| Alaska | $90 bail plus a $20 surcharge ($110) on the statewide schedule, payable without going to court | None; expires end of the tab month | State: none; Anchorage city: correctable |
| Arizona | $300 civil penalty, dismissed if you register | None | Yes, mandatory once registered |
| Arkansas | Set by the court: up to $500 (up to $3,000 if cited for an unpaid registration fee), plus $50 to $100 on a failure-to-register conviction, $75 or $100 in court costs, and a DFA late penalty | None; late penalty starts day one | No rule; some courts cut the fine |
| California | $281 total bail, or $25 if cited correctable and you fix it | None; no stop for it alone until month 2 | Yes, if cited correctable ($25 fee) |
| Colorado | $35 to $75 plus surcharges, set by how long it has been expired | Renewal month; driving in it unsettled | May dismiss if renewed by court date |
| Connecticut | $117 total if you pay it ($50 fine plus $67 in statutory fees and surcharges), no court appearance | None; first 60 days still an infraction | No rule; a prosecutor may nolle it |
| Delaware | $50 to $200 fine plus costs; paid without court, the $50 minimum plus costs and assessments comes to about $141 by our estimate | None | No written path; PBJ possible |
| District of Columbia | $100 civil fine for expired tags, parked or stopped; $200 for each month or part of a month lapsed, up to $2,400, if charged as an unregistered vehicle | None | Parking fine waived if cured in 15 days |
| Florida | $30 fine plus court costs (≤6 months expired) | Until end of your birth month | No; renewing waives fine ($25 costs) |
| Georgia | Misdemeanor, fine set by county court | None (most expire on your birthday) | No renewal-dismissal rule found |
| Hawaii | A civil traffic infraction: the amount on your notice comes from the district court schedule, with the fine capped by statute at $500 (HRS §249-11) or $1,000 (HRS §286-61) | None; due by end of the emblem month | None; mitigation can cut the amount |
| Idaho | $67 to $101 with court costs, fixed statewide but set by the section on your ticket; $101 under 49-456(1), the figure ITD quotes | None | None found; penalty can't be waived |
| Illinois | $164 if you plead guilty by mail, more if you go to court | None (30-day receipt rule if renewed) | No; supervision in some counties |
| Indiana | Class C infraction, up to $500 | None, except closed-branch days | No written path found |
| Iowa | $70 scheduled fine, $135.50 with surcharge and court costs, and no ticket in the month after expiration | One month after expiration | No written dismissal path found |
| Kansas | A misdemeanor with no statewide fine: the court sets it, up to $2,500, and adds court costs | None; 10-day receipt rule if renewed | No statute; some city courts do |
| Kentucky | A fine of up to $250 set by the judge, plus $130 in statewide court costs if convicted; not on the courts' prepayable list | None; expires end of birth month | No statute or court rule found |
| Louisiana | A fine of up to $100 set by each court ($175 if cited under Title 32), plus court costs: $119 to $195 to pay in the four local schedules checked | None | No written path found |
| Maine | A warning only in the first 30 days, then $85 to pay ($145 once 150 days expired), and dismissed if you renew by your answer date | 30 days: warning only, no ticket | Yes, if renewed by the answer date |
| Maryland | $70 to prepay the §13-411 expired-plate or no-current-tags charge, $290 if the citation charges an unregistered vehicle | None | No; PBJ possible at a hearing |
| Massachusetts | $100 civil assessment plus a $5 surcharge, no criminal record | None | No; statute bars dismissal |
| Michigan | Civil infraction, court-set fine | None | No written path found |
| Minnesota | $105 to pay under §169.79 or §168.09, subd. 4 ($30 fine plus $75 surcharge), $175 or $375 under other sections, plus any county law library fee | None; 10 days only to put on new tabs | No; defense only if DVS sent no notice |
| Mississippi | A $10 to $100 fine set by the court, plus costs that may include a $121.75 state assessment; Pearl River County Justice Court lists $203.75 in all | None; 15 days to renew before penalty | No; nonadjudication may dismiss it |
| Missouri | $50.50 fine plus court costs if you pay without trial | Unclear: statute and DOR differ | No written path found |
| Montana | $85 recommended bond ($50 plus $35 in surcharges); a court can fine up to $500 | Decal month; driving in it unsettled | None found |
| Nebraska | $25 fine plus $49 or $95 in court costs ($74 or $120) if you plead by waiver | None after the expiration month | No state rule; some cities, counties do |
| Nevada | A misdemeanor fine set by each court, up to $1,000 by statute; Las Vegas city court lists $208 bail, less with proof of renewal | None; expires on the date listed | No state rule; up to each court |
| New Hampshire | $124 if the ticket cites RSA 261:40 (the $100 fine plus a 24% penalty assessment); $50 plus the assessment if it cites RSA 261:75 or 261:77 instead | None; expires end of birth month | None written; prosecutor’s discretion |
| New Jersey | $55 payable, plus up to $33 court costs | None, void on the expiration date | No renew-and-dismiss path |
| New Mexico | $25 (§66-3-18) or $50 (§66-3-1) as a set-fine penalty assessment, plus MVD’s late penalty when you renew; a §66-3-19 charge is not on the set-fine list and goes to court | None; expires end of sticker month | None; only proof it was valid when cited |
| New York | $75 to $300 fine ($40 minimum if it lapsed within 60 days), plus $88 in surcharges and fees ($93 in town and village courts) | None; $40 minimum fine in first 60 days | No state rule; a county DA may offer it |
| North Carolina | Class 3 misdemeanor, fine of up to $200 | To the 15th of the next month | DA may dismiss once renewed |
| North Dakota | $20 noncriminal fee, up to $40 on a city ordinance ticket | None; delinquent on expiration | None found; fee may be waived at hearing |
| Ohio | Minor misdemeanor, up to $150 | None | No written path found |
| Oklahoma | $294 in fine and costs in state court, and no ticket at all in the month after your registration expires | One month; no citation may be issued | No state rule; some city courts do |
| Oregon | $115 on the ticket statewide ($120 where a county adds the $5 courthouse surcharge); the court may dismiss it if you renew before your court date | None | Court may dismiss if renewed first |
| Pennsylvania | $25 if lapsed under 60 days; else $75+ | None | No written path found |
| Rhode Island | $100 fine set statewide, plus a few dollars in court fees if you pay by mail or online, more if you go to court and admit it or lose | None | No; clean-record dismissal possible |
| South Carolina | Up to a $100 fine, $232.50 with the state assessment and surcharge | Unclear; 30 days under §56-3-840 | No written path found |
| South Dakota | $132.50 if you pay the ticket ($54 fine plus $78.50 in court costs); a judge can impose up to $500, 30 days in jail, or both | None | None found |
| Tennessee | Up to $50 fine (Class C misdemeanor) | None | No state rule; Knox County dismisses |
| Texas | Up to $200, dismissible if you renew | 5 working days | Judge may dismiss once renewed |
| Utah | $50 suggested statewide, and no fine at all if you were cited within 2 months of expiring and register within 14 days of the ticket | None | Yes if renewed in 14 days (2-month cap) |
| Vermont | $70 or $162 to pay without a hearing, depending on which section the officer cites; at most $5 on the carry-registration charge if you are cited within 14 days of expiring | None; $5 cap on §307(a) for 14 days | None found for renewing |
| Virginia | Prepayable, $76 total statewide | None; no stops for it before month 4 | Court may dismiss on proof |
| Washington | $150 total if expired 2 months or less, $242 if longer | None | No; deferred finding may dismiss it |
| West Virginia | A misdemeanor fine of up to $500 set by the magistrate, plus court costs; Berkeley County lists $206.48 in all for a guilty plea by mail | None; expires end of its month | No statute or court rule found |
| Wisconsin | $30 forfeiture, $175.30 total deposit in circuit court ($205.80 from November 1, 2026) | None; legal once renewal is filed | No; court orders you to renew |
| Wyoming | $100 or $150 bail on the statewide schedule, set by the section on your ticket ($70 of either is costs and fees), if the officer lets you forfeit; a judge can fine up to $750 | None; expires last day of the month | None found |
Compare one rule across states
Grace period by stateDismissal once you renewLate renewal fees by stateMisdemeanor or not
Can you go to jail for expired tags?
The direct answer, state by state, with the statutes. Read the full answer →
Guides for this ticket
- Va. Code 46.2-646, plainly: what Virginia's expired registration law says and costs
The statute on your summons, walked through plainly: the $25 prepayable fine, the dismissal path, DMV's late fee, and how it differs from 46.2-613.
- How to Get an Expired Registration Ticket Dismissed
In Texas, Arizona, and California, renewing can erase an expired-tags ticket by statute. Step by step, plus the 11 states where it only helps.
- How much is a ticket for driving without registration? Eight states, from the statutes
Never registered, no plates, or past the new-resident deadline is a different ticket from expired tags. Fines from $25 to $300 by state, plus dismissal rules.
- Pulled over on expired tags: the ticket, the late fee, the tow, and the points
The ticket is the small part. What an expired-tag stop costs after the officer leaves: DMV late fees in 8 states, tow rules, points, grace periods, dismissal.
- ARS 28-2532: Arizona Expired Registration Law, Explained
A.R.S. 28-2532 sets a $300 civil penalty for expired Arizona registration, but the statute forces dismissal if you register first.
Each state links to a full penalty file with citations. Figures are the statutory frame, courts and counties can add costs and surcharges.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a ticket for expired tags?
It depends on the state and sometimes the county. Some states fix the amount statewide (Florida’s is $30 plus county court costs), some leave it to court or county schedules, and some dismiss the ticket once you renew. Find your state in the table above; its page breaks down the fine, court costs and any DMV late fee.
Can you go to jail for expired tags?
It depends on how your state grades the offense. Where it is an infraction, a civil violation, or a misdemeanor punishable by fine only, the statute allows no jail. Some states use a misdemeanor grade that authorizes jail on paper even for a first offense. The jail page shows the grade and jail exposure for every verified state.
Will the ticket be dismissed if I renew right away?
In some states, yes. Arizona must dismiss once you complete late registration, and Texas lets the judge dismiss if you renew within its window and pay the delinquency fee. In others there is no written dismissal path. The dismissal page lists the rule in every verified state.
General legal information, not legal advice. Every figure above traces to the sources cited on its state page.