Michigan Expired Tags Ticket: Court-Set Civil Fine (2026)

What an expired-registration ticket costs in Michigan

Citation data · First offense MCL 257.255

Civil infraction, court-set fine

Driving a non-commercial vehicle without a valid current-year registration plate is a civil infraction in Michigan (MCL 257.255), not a crime, with the fine amount set by the district court’s schedule rather than the statute.

Verified July 2026

What to do now

1

Renew your registration

For an ordinary passenger vehicle this is a civil infraction under MCL 257.255, not a crime; renewing addresses the missing current-year plate.
2

Check your district court’s schedule

The statute sets no dollar amount for the civil infraction; district courts publish their own fine-and-costs schedules, so the total varies by court.

Civil infraction (same) Repeat offense

None stated License / registration

Note: amounts vary by district court fine schedule, the figures above are the statutory frame, not a quote.

Repeat offenses

For commercial vehicles registered by elected gross vehicle weight, the same conduct is instead a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days, a fine of up to $500, or both.

Is driving on expired tags a crime in Michigan?

For ordinary passenger vehicles, no, it is a civil infraction. For covered commercial vehicles it is a misdemeanor with up to 90 days and a $500 fine on the statute’s face.

Frequently asked questions

Is an expired plate a misdemeanor in Michigan?

Not for ordinary passenger vehicles, it is a civil infraction under MCL 257.255. It is a misdemeanor (up to 90 days and/or $500) only for commercial vehicles registered under the elected gross-weight schedule.

How much is an expired-registration ticket in Michigan?

The statute doesn’t set a dollar amount for the civil infraction; district courts publish their own fine-and-costs schedules, so the total varies by court.

Sources

This summary was checked against the following sources on the date shown above. Fines and fees change, verify before relying on specifics.

Other tickets in Michigan

Expired Registration: other states

General legal information, not legal advice. Statutes and penalty schedules summarized from the sources above as of July 2026.