Verified N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. §261:40 · Checked October 2026 · 27 sources
What an expired-registration ticket costs in New Hampshire
First offense N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. §261:40
$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
Verified October 2026 against the sources on this page
New Hampshire has no grace period. A registration held by an individual expires at midnight on the last day of the owner’s birth month (RSA 261:62, II; one held by a business or other entity expires at the end of the renewal month the DMV director assigns, RSA 261:62, I). From the next day the vehicle is no longer registered, and the section that covers driving it is RSA 261:40, which makes it a violation to drive, or for an owner to knowingly let someone drive, a vehicle on the ways of the state unless it has been registered and the fee paid. The statute fixes the amount itself: “The fine for a violation of this section shall be $100.” That figure is set statewide, not by county or court, and RSA 261:59-a, which limits arrests under RSA 261:40 when a computer check shows a registration as expired, treats an expired registration as an RSA 261:40 matter. On top of the fine, RSA 106-L:10 requires a penalty assessment of 24 percent (or $2, whichever is greater) on every fine for a violation of Title XXI, the motor vehicle title, so the $100 fine becomes $124 in total. The charge written on your ticket decides the amount, though, because two plate sections also reach expired decals: RSA 261:75, II requires every vehicle driven on a way to display its plates together with any current validation sticker, and RSA 261:77 says no expired number plates shall be displayed. Neither sets a fine of its own, so a ticket under either one falls under the general penalty in RSA 262:41: $50 plus penalty assessment for a first offense. No statute says which section an officer must use, so check the RSA number on your ticket. Under RSA 262:44 and RSA 502-A:19-b, the summons comes with a notice of fine showing the fine plus penalty assessment for that charge, and you can plead guilty or nolo contendere and pay that amount to the Division of Motor Vehicles within 30 days of the date of the summons; the NH Judicial Branch says that when you do, the court will have no record of the ticket, and that the fine amount can be found in the bottom right corner of the ticket. For cause, a court may refuse a mail plea and order you to appear (RSA 262:44, V), and if paying the assessment would be a hardship, the court may suspend all or part of it (RSA 106-L:10, V).
By Mario Bailey
What to do now
- 1
Renew at your town or city clerk
Renewal starts with the municipal permit fee at your town or city clerk, and most clerks can finish the state portion too. There is no late fee, but a late renewal costs the full 12-month fee and still expires at the end of your birth month.
- 2
Respond within 30 days
Plead guilty or nolo contendere and pay the amount on your notice of fine ($124 for an RSA 261:40 charge) to the DMV online, by phone or by mail, or plead not guilty to get a court date. Missing the deadline adds a $50 administrative fee and suspends your license.
- 3
Weigh a not-guilty plea if you have renewed
No rule requires dismissal, but at the pre-trial conference the prosecutor can amend the ticket or decide not to prosecute. Paying instead posts the conviction and its demerit points.
- 4
Carry the new registration and put on the decals
RSA 261:59-a bars an arrest under RSA 261:40 based only on a computer check showing an expired registration if you show a current certificate and matching current decals.
New Hampshire at a glance
- Grace period
- None; expires end of birth month
- Misdemeanor?
- No, a violation (not a crime)
- Dismissed if you renew?
- None written; prosecutor’s discretion
- Late renewal fee
- None; you pay for the lapsed months
First offense, ordinary passenger vehicle. Each label compares New Hampshire with every verified state.
Repeat offenses
RSA 261:40 sets a single fine of $100 with no step-up for a second or later offense, so a repeat ticket under that section is again $124 with the penalty assessment. (The escalating general penalty in RSA 262:41 applies only where a statute sets no fine of its own, and RSA 261:40 does.) If a ticket cites RSA 261:75 or 261:77 instead, RSA 262:41 does apply: $50 plus penalty assessment for a first offense, rising to $100 plus penalty assessment for a subsequent offense committed in the same calendar year. What builds up either way is your driving record: each RSA 261:40 conviction adds two demerit points under Saf-C 212.03 (an RSA 261:75 or 261:77 conviction adds three), and a driver 21 or older who reaches 12 points in one calendar year faces a suspension of up to 3 months, according to the DMV’s demerit point schedule.
Is driving on expired tags a crime in New Hampshire?
A violation, not a crime. RSA 261:40 itself calls the offense a violation, and RSA 625:9, II(b) says a violation does not constitute a crime and a conviction of one does not carry the disabilities of a criminal conviction. Under RSA 651:2, III-a, a person convicted of a violation may be sentenced only to a conditional or unconditional discharge or a fine, so no jail is authorized. RSA 261:40 covers both a vehicle that was never registered and one whose registration lapsed, and the DMV’s demerit rule lists the offense as “RSA 261:40, unregistered vehicle.” The plate sections that can also reach expired decals, RSA 261:75 and 261:77, are violations too: neither names a penalty, RSA 262:41 punishes them with a fine only, and RSA 625:9, V makes any offense outside the criminal code with no penalty other than a fine a violation. The neighboring charge that is a crime is different: driving a vehicle after the DMV director has suspended or revoked its registration is a misdemeanor under RSA 261:178.
Can it be dismissed?
No written dismissal path was found. No statute or court rule found requires or allows dismissal of an RSA 261:40 charge (or an RSA 261:75 or 261:77 charge) because you renewed after the stop, and the 48-hour rule in RSA 261:59 does not help: it only spares a driver who forgot to carry a registration that was valid at the time. The one route is discretionary. If you plead not guilty, the NH Judicial Branch says your case is set for a pre-trial conference, your opportunity to resolve it with the prosecutor, which may mean you change your plea or the prosecutor amends the ticket or chooses not to prosecute, depending on the circumstances. Bringing proof that you have since renewed is a reasonable thing to show the prosecutor there, but nothing obliges a reduction. Pay only once you have decided not to try: paying requires a guilty or nolo contendere plea, and the DMV says the conviction is posted to your driver record once payment is accepted.
What happens beyond the fine
An RSA 261:40 conviction adds two demerit points to your driving record (Saf-C 212.03(b)(1), “RSA 261:40, unregistered vehicle”); a conviction under RSA 261:75 or 261:77 adds three (Saf-C 212.03(c), “misuse of plates”), and when two convictions come from one incident, only the offense with the higher point value is counted (Saf-C 212.03(e)). Points shown on your record count toward a suspension: for a driver 21 or older, 12 points in one calendar year means up to 3 months, 18 in two years up to 6 months, and 24 in three years up to 1 year; the thresholds are lower for drivers under 21. The ticket itself does not suspend your license; ignoring it does. If you do not respond within 30 days, the DMV says a $50 administrative fee is added to your fine and your license is suspended effective 30 days after the failure, without further notice (RSA 263:56-a). Getting your license back then costs a $100 fee to the DMV on top of the fine (RSA 263:56-a, III), and a court may issue a civil bench warrant for a defaulted fine (RSA 502-A:19-b, III).
Frequently asked questions
Is there a grace period for expired registration in New Hampshire?
No. A registration expires at midnight on the last day of the owner’s birth month (RSA 261:62), and from the next day driving the vehicle is a violation of RSA 261:40. Neither the registration chapter of the RSA nor the DMV’s registration pages give any grace period; the only extension in the statute is one the DMV director may grant when the governor declares an emergency (RSA 261:63).
Will a New Hampshire expired registration ticket be dismissed if I renew?
Not automatically. No statute or court rule provides for dismissal on proof of renewal. If you plead not guilty, the pre-trial conference is your chance to show the prosecutor your new registration, and the NH Judicial Branch says the prosecutor may amend the ticket or choose not to prosecute, but that is discretionary.
Can you go to jail for expired tags in New Hampshire?
No. RSA 261:40 makes it a violation, which RSA 625:9 says is not a crime, and RSA 651:2 allows only a fine or a discharge for a violation. Ignoring the ticket is what creates real trouble: a license suspension, a $100 restoration fee, and possibly a civil bench warrant.
How much is an expired registration ticket in New Hampshire?
$124 if the ticket cites RSA 261:40 and you plead guilty or nolo contendere by mail: that section fixes the fine at $100 statewide, and RSA 106-L:10 adds a 24 percent penalty assessment. The charge on the ticket decides the amount: if it cites RSA 261:75 (current validation sticker) or RSA 261:77 (expired plates displayed) instead, neither sets its own fine, so the general penalty in RSA 262:41 applies, $50 plus penalty assessment for a first offense. Your notice of fine shows the amount for your charge. Renewing late adds no late fee: neither the state fee statute (RSA 261:141) nor the municipal permit fee statute (RSA 261:153) imposes one, the DMV’s registration pages list none, and town clerks such as Chesterfield’s say there is no fine at the clerk’s office. The cost of waiting is different: under RSA 261:141, VI a renewal within 12 months of expiration is charged the full 12-month fee at the rate that applied when it was due, while the new registration still expires at the end of your birth month, so you pay for the months the vehicle sat unregistered (the Weare town clerk says late renewals are not prorated).
Sources
This summary was checked against the following sources on the date shown above. Fines and fees change, verify before relying on specifics.
- RSA 261:40, registration required, violation, $100 fine, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 261:59-a, no arrest under RSA 261:40 solely on a computer check showing expired registration, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 261:59, possession of registration certificate, 48-hour rule, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 261:62, expiration of registration at the end of the birth month, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 261:63, emergency extension of registration, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 261:141, state registration fees, including VI (late renewal charged a full 12-month fee), official text with 2026 session laws (NH General Court)
- RSA 261:153, municipal permit fees, searched for any late fee, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA chapter 261, full text searched for grace, late fee, delinquency and dismissal provisions (NH General Court)
- RSA 261:75, number plates, II: plates displayed with any current validation sticker, no fine of its own, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 261:77, use of plates: no expired number plates shall be displayed, no fine of its own, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 261:178, suspension of registration, driving after suspension a misdemeanor, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 106-L:10, 24 percent penalty assessment and hardship waiver, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 262:41, general penalty where a statute sets no fine: $50 plus penalty assessment first offense, $100 plus penalty assessment for a subsequent offense in the same calendar year, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 262:44, plea by mail, notice of fine, 30 days, default, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 502-A:19-b, pleas by mail, uniform fine schedule, civil bench warrants, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 263:56-a, suspension for default or nonpayment, $100 reinstatement fee, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 625:9, classification of crimes, violation not a crime, official text (NH General Court)
- RSA 651:2, sentences and limitations, official text (NH General Court)
- Saf-C 212.02 and 212.03, suspension thresholds and demerit points (two for RSA 261:40, unregistered vehicle; three for RSA 261:75 or 261:77, misuse of plates; one offense counted per incident), NH Code of Administrative Rules (NH General Court)
- Demerit Points, points per violation (two for RSA 261:40, three for RSA 261:75 or 261:77) and suspension thresholds (NH Division of Motor Vehicles)
- Respond to a Motor Vehicle Ticket, 30-day response, $50 administrative fee, suspension (NH Division of Motor Vehicles)
- Respond to a Motor Vehicle Ticket Frequently Asked Questions: paying requires a guilty or nolo plea and posts the conviction to your record (NH Division of Motor Vehicles)
- Vehicle Registrations, renewals through the town or city clerk (NH Division of Motor Vehicles)
- Vehicle Registration Frequently Asked Questions, no late fee or grace period listed (NH Division of Motor Vehicles)
- Motor Vehicle, District Division: preset-fine tickets, fine amount printed on the ticket, pre-trial conference, prosecutor may amend or not prosecute (NH Judicial Branch)
- Municipal example: “Do I pay a fine if I’m late registering my car?” (Town of Chesterfield Town Clerk)
- Municipal example: Vehicle Registration Info, late renewals not prorated (Town of Weare Town Clerk)
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.