Verified M.G.L. c. 90 §9 · Checked October 2026 · 19 sources
What an expired-registration ticket costs in Massachusetts
First offense M.G.L. c. 90 §9
$100 civil assessment plus a $5 surcharge, no criminal record
Verified October 2026 against the sources on this page
Massachusetts has no separate offense for an expired registration. Once the registration lapses, the vehicle is no longer “registered in accordance with” chapter 90, and driving it is cited under M.G.L. c. 90 §9 as offense code 90/9/B, “Unregistered motor vehicle.” The RMV's own regulation says the same thing: whoever drives a vehicle that “has no current registration” is subject to the chapter 90 penalties, including §9 (540 CMR 2.05(5)(c)). There is no grace period: c. 90 §2 says a number plate is valid only until the expiration date on the certificate of registration unless the Registrar extends the time. Because §9 carries only a fine (up to $100 for a first offense), it is a civil motor vehicle infraction under c. 90C, and the amount is set statewide, not by county or court: the table of citable offenses issued jointly by the District Court and the RMV under District Court Administrative Regulation 2-86 (revised January 14, 2022) sets a $100 civil assessment for a first offense, plus the $5 public safety surcharge required by c. 90 §20, so $105 in total if you simply pay. You have 20 days from the citation to pay the RMV or request a hearing. Asking for a hearing costs a $25 court filing fee, refunded if you are found not responsible for every violation on the citation.
By Mario Bailey
What to do now
- 1
Renew before you drive again
Renewing does not dismiss this ticket, but every new drive on the lapsed plate can bring another citation. Clear any unpaid parking tickets, excise tax, or E-ZPass violations first, because the RMV blocks renewal until they are paid.
- 2
Pay or request a hearing within 20 days
Paying the $100 assessment plus the $5 surcharge closes the case with no criminal record. Contesting it costs a $25 court filing fee, refunded only if you are found not responsible for every violation on the citation.
- 3
Contest only if the registration was valid that day
A hearing can succeed if RMV records show the registration was current on the citation date. Proof that you renewed afterward does not help, because the magistrate must find you responsible or not responsible and is barred from dismissing.
- 4
Do not miss the deadline
After 20 days the RMV adds a $45 late assessment and a $10 release fee, and it suspends your license or registration if you still have not paid within 30 days of its default notice.
Massachusetts at a glance
- Grace period
- None
- Misdemeanor?
- No, civil motor vehicle infraction
- Dismissed if you renew?
- No; statute bars dismissal
- Late renewal fee
- None in RMV fee schedule
First offense, ordinary passenger vehicle. Each label compares Massachusetts with every verified state.
Repeat offenses
Section 9 allows a fine of up to $1,000 for any subsequent offense, and the joint District Court and RMV schedule sets the civil assessment for a subsequent 90/9/B citation at that full $1,000, plus the $5 surcharge. It is still a civil motor vehicle infraction with no jail.
Is driving on expired tags a crime in Massachusetts?
Not a crime. G.L. c. 90C §1 makes any automobile law violation whose maximum penalty does not include imprisonment a civil motor vehicle infraction, and c. 90 §9 provides only a fine, so the official table marks 90/9/B as civil rather than “Criminal.” Paying closes the case, and no record of it goes into any criminal or probation record, though the payment counts as an admission of responsibility and operates as a conviction for RMV actions and the Safe Driver Insurance Plan (c. 90C §3(A)(3)). Three limits on that: the civil label does not apply to a juvenile who holds no valid operator's license (c. 90C §1); driving after the registration was suspended or revoked, rather than merely expired, is the separate crime in c. 90 §23, with a first-offense fine of $500 to $1,000, up to 10 days in jail, or both; and driving uninsured is its own criminal charge under c. 90 §34J. If a civil §9 citation is written alongside a criminal charge, it stays civil but cannot be paid to the RMV until the criminal charge is decided (c. 90C §3(C)(1)). Aside, different offenses: a missing registration decal on a registration that is still valid is a display violation scheduled at $35 for a first offense (540 CMR 2.05(6)(a)), and an expired inspection sticker is cited under c. 90 §20 (code 90/20/B) at $50 plus the $5 surcharge; neither is the expired-registration offense.
Can it be dismissed?
No. Massachusetts law rules it out: after a civil infraction hearing the magistrate or judge must find you responsible or not responsible, and G.L. c. 90C §3(A)(4) says such matters “shall not be continued without a finding, dismissed, or filed” (Trial Court Rule VII(b)(2) repeats that no other disposition is permitted). The one carve-out needs a criminal charge on the same citation: a judge who finds you guilty of that charge and sentences you on it may file the civil infraction without an assessment (c. 90C §3(C)(3)). Renewing after the stop does not erase the ticket; the question at a hearing is whether the vehicle was registered on the date of the stop. If you are found responsible, the assessment cannot exceed the scheduled $100 (c. 90C §3(A)(4)), and the District Court's table of citable offenses says the magistrate or judge must impose the scheduled amount except where District Court guidelines authorize a reduction. Nor can the magistrate swap the ticket for a warning: the courts' hearing guide says only the ticketing officer can do that. If you lose before the clerk-magistrate, an appeal to a judge costs a non-refundable $50.
What happens beyond the fine
Ignoring the ticket is what costs you. If you neither pay nor request a hearing within 20 days, a $45 late assessment is added (G.L. c. 258B §8, which caps it at $75 when several infractions arise from one incident), and the RMV's fee schedule adds a $10 release fee for a non-speeding citation. The RMV then mails a default notice, and if you still have not paid within 30 days, your license or right to operate (or, for an owner violation, the vehicle's registration) is suspended by operation of law until you pay (c. 90C §3(A)(6)). At the stop itself, the RMV's regulation makes the plates on a vehicle with no current registration subject to immediate confiscation by the officer (540 CMR 2.05(5)(c)). Separately, the RMV will not let you renew a registration while you owe unpaid parking tickets, excise tax, or E-ZPass violations.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a grace period for expired registration in Massachusetts?
No. G.L. c. 90 §2 says a number plate is valid only until the expiration date on the certificate of registration unless the Registrar extends the time, and c. 90 §9 contains no grace window. From the day after expiration, driving the car can be cited as 90/9/B, “Unregistered motor vehicle.”
Will a Massachusetts expired registration ticket be dismissed if I renew?
No. G.L. c. 90C §3(A)(4) says civil motor vehicle infractions shall not be continued without a finding, dismissed, or filed: the magistrate can only find you responsible or not responsible. Renewing afterward does not change that, so the choice is to pay the $100 assessment plus $5, or contest it if the registration was actually valid on the date of the stop.
Can you go to jail for expired registration in Massachusetts?
No. A lapsed registration is a civil motor vehicle infraction, punishable only by a civil assessment, and paying it leaves no criminal record. It turns criminal only in different situations: driving after the registration was suspended or revoked (c. 90 §23, which allows up to 10 days in jail for a first offense) or driving uninsured (c. 90 §34J).
Is there a late fee to renew an expired registration in Massachusetts?
No. The RMV's Schedule of Fees (revised May 2025) and its online fee list show a $60 two-year renewal for a standard passenger plate and no late-renewal or delinquency fee. The only late fees they list are for unpaid citations ($45 for one, $75 for several infractions on one citation) and a $20 fee to lift a non-renewal flag for late excise tax.
Sources
This summary was checked against the following sources on the date shown above. Fines and fees change, verify before relying on specifics.
- M.G.L. c. 90 §9, operation of unregistered vehicles, official text (Massachusetts Legislature)
- M.G.L. c. 90C §1, definition of civil motor vehicle infraction and scheduled assessment, official text (Massachusetts Legislature)
- M.G.L. c. 90C §3, citations, hearings, no dismissal, default, official text (Massachusetts Legislature)
- M.G.L. c. 90 §2, plates valid only until the registration expiration date, official text (Massachusetts Legislature)
- M.G.L. c. 90 §20, $5 surcharge and inspection-sticker fine, official text (Massachusetts Legislature)
- M.G.L. c. 90 §23, operating after registration suspension or revocation, official text (Massachusetts Legislature)
- M.G.L. c. 90 §34J, operating uninsured, official text (Massachusetts Legislature)
- M.G.L. c. 258B §8, $45 assessment for failing to pay or request a hearing, official text (Massachusetts Legislature)
- Table of citable motor vehicle offenses, revised 1/14/22, 90/9/B and 90/20/B rows (District Court and RMV, mass.gov)
- District Court Administrative Regulation 2-86, schedule of assessments for civil motor vehicle infractions, amended January 14, 2022 (mass.gov)
- Trial Court Rule VII, uniform rules on civil motor vehicle infractions (mass.gov)
- RMV Schedule of Fees, revised May 2025, PDF (Massachusetts RMV)
- Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Fees (Massachusetts RMV)
- Renew your vehicle or trailer registration (Massachusetts RMV)
- Appeal your traffic ticket, $25 filing fee and refund (Massachusetts RMV and courts)
- Pay your traffic ticket, 20-day deadline and default (Massachusetts RMV and courts)
- What to expect at a traffic ticket hearing (District Court and Boston Municipal Court)
- Who can appeal a traffic ticket decision, $50 appeal fee (District Court and Boston Municipal Court)
- 540 CMR 2.00, motor vehicle regulations, §2.05(5)(c) no current registration and plate confiscation, §2.05(6) registration stickers, dated July 18, 2025 (Massachusetts RMV, mass.gov)
Read next
- Va. Code 46.2-646, plainly: what Virginia's expired registration law says and costs
- How to Get an Expired Registration Ticket Dismissed
- How much is a ticket for driving without registration? Eight states, from the statutes
- Pulled over on expired tags: the ticket, the late fee, the tow, and the points
Expired Registration: other states
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General legal information, not legal advice. Statutes and penalty schedules summarized from the sources above as of October 2026.