how many tickets can I get for expired tags?

July 5, 2006 5:50 PM

I have gotten two tickets now for expired registration tags on my truck. When I got the first ticket, I removed it from the windshield. The next day, there was a new one. I am late with the renewal but it's in the mail). Can I be hit again and again for this? It's $25 every time, and could get expensive. I'm in Berkeley, CA.
posted by scarabic to travel & transportation (14 comments total)

Call your local DMV and ask them for a temporary moving permit, which will allow you to drive for a period of time while waiting for your tags. I've heard stories about slow turnaround times if you've ordered them through the mail... You might be able to visit the DMV and have it expedited, but I doubt that.
posted by disillusioned at 6:15 PM on July 5, 2006

I don't really have an answer to your question, but here's something that might be helpful, even though it's too late now: if you renew online they update the database within a day (though you won't get tags for a bit) -- presumably this means that your car actually has a valid registration even if you don't have the sticker.
posted by advil at 6:17 PM on July 5, 2006

I have no idea if it would actually work, but have you tried leaving the old ticket in place? I'm sure they COULD give you another ticket, but if they were in a good mood, perhaps they'd realize that someone already beat them to it and leave it alone. (Obviously, you'd want to remove it to drive.)

Can you easily park in a less conspicuous place? I can't imagine that the police truly have nothing better to do than peruse parking lots looking for expired registrations.
posted by fogster at 6:29 PM on July 5, 2006

I also live near berkeley and this happened to me. In fact, I got 3 tickets for the same offense. If you get 5 or more tickets, the city can legally tow your car at any time.

However, if you look at the back of your ticket, you will see that you can reduce your ticket(s) to 10 dollars each with a proof of correction (late registration is a correctable offense). But this is a pain in the ass because you have to correct it within 3 weeks and
a) flag down an officer or
b) visit the DMV and have the ticket signed and
c) mail the check to the city of Berkeley.

You can however, go to the DMV and get a temporary registration placard for display in your car. This will prevent them from ticketing you further while you wait for the official registration.
posted by |n$eCur3 at 6:41 PM on July 5, 2006

Can they legally get you for expired tags if you aren't driving when they issue the ticket? IANAL, but it seems to me that it is not illegal to own a car with expired tags persay, just illegal to drive said car on public roads. Where are you parking?
posted by jtfowl0 at 6:47 PM on July 5, 2006

jtfowl0 is close ... is there any way you can park somewhere that is not on a public road? They can't ticket you for this if you're on private property.
posted by anastasiav at 6:51 PM on July 5, 2006

Indeed, it's a type of poverty tax. It happens in Los Angeles all the time. If you have expired tags and no garage, you get a horrifying stream of tickets, probably ending in your car getting towed. If you have expired tags and a garage, you get one ticket when you're out shopping and then you take care of it. Like many other vehicle-related situations in California, it's ridiculous but real.
posted by bingo at 6:55 PM on July 5, 2006

Can they legally get you for expired tags if you aren't driving when they issue the ticket?

Chicago tickets you for parking a vehicle with expired tags on city streets. I'm sure that this was originally designed to keep people from dumping their nonfunctioning beater cars on the street for months at a time until they fix (and relicense) them, but it has proven to make money off of procrastinators like myself.
posted by MrZero at 6:55 PM on July 5, 2006

"They can't ticket you for this if you're on private property."

yes, they absolutely can, and they most certainly will. This is Berkeley, too. Unless you hide the vehicle in the garage, you can get nailed. I used to get tickets for expired tags in Sacramento all the time. Even though my registration was *not* expired, I had 'expired' tags because some asshole came by and stole mine. Well, they tried to steal them, and only succeeded in scraping enough of the tag off to expose most of the previous year. As a result, I kept getting parking tickets for them until I went down to DMV with the car, proof of insurance, and my current registration.

I still had to pay the stupid tickets. Getting parking tickets tossed out is a daunting task.

The BEST thing that you can do is go to DMV and get a temporary registration form filled out. Then stick it in the window. The parking droids in Berkeley don't care otherwise. They make the city a ton of money.
posted by drstein at 8:01 PM on July 5, 2006

I had the same problem in Colorado years back and when I called the DMV, they said that I couldn't get ticketed on private property. So this may vary from state to state.
posted by bevedog at 8:47 PM on July 5, 2006

Note the CA DMV has a special class of non-operating registration tags which cost significantly less and allow you to park a car long term with valid tags.

Also every non-registration ticket I've ever gotten has been a fix-it ticket usually only involving some form of a processing fee.
posted by bitdamaged at 10:10 PM on July 5, 2006

Can they legally get you for expired tags if you aren't driving when they issue the ticket? - jtfowl0

Depends where you are. Where I live, they can ticket you for having expired stickers displayed on a parked car, even if the acutal registration and insurance is current. Not only do you have to be paid up, you have to have the little licence plate sticker that says you're paid up.
posted by raedyn at 9:37 AM on July 6, 2006

This exact thing happened to me in MN. They can ticket you as often as they like - I am pretty sure I got two tickets in a twelve-hour span, from the same cop.

What happens is, the cop notices your car out of compliance one day, tickets you, and makes a note to come back later and do it again. By the time I got around to placing my already-purchased stickers on my plates, he had hit me with FIVE tickets for expired tabs totaling nearly $700. Fortunately I was able to contest most of the tickets and only had to pay one.

Either work with your local DMV to find a temporary solution or, failing that, find a place to hide your car where the cop can't find it. Any parks nearby, neighbor's garage, friend's place? It's best if it's off the street, but even if you parked it on the street some distance away, the cop may not bother to look too hard for it.
posted by BigLankyBastard at 10:07 AM on July 6, 2006

Can they legally get you for expired tags if you aren't driving when they issue the ticket? IANAL

In my area, yes. They hold you responsible for the automobile whether you are actually driving it or not. It makes some modicum of sense... the car is full of some hazardous materials and could present a big hassle or disposal cost if abandoned, etc. Which is why...

the CA DMV has a special class of non-operating registration tags which cost significantly less

Yep. You can pay a modest fee for "non operation" of your vehicle. But I do use it sometimes. I'm just going to have to expedite my registration. Thanks for all the tips, folks!
posted by scarabic at 5:56 PM on July 6, 2006