The government first required vehicle registration plates in the state of Pennsylvania in 1903 as proof of registered motor vehicles of residence. Until 1906, the registrants provided their own license plates in the form of stickers. After 1907, the state began to issue plates.
Since 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has issued plates through its driver and license services division.
Since its inception, the historical evolution of license plates in PA has been remarkable and worth exploring.
Why Pa Vehicle Registration Renewal after its First Time Registration Should Not Be Delayed?
Besides registration, PA vehicle registration renewal is crucial to avoid any legal consequences of driving a vehicle with expired registration—your first 60 days of registration expiration. The more you delay, the additional fees will keep on increasing.
Also, as fees vary for vehicle type and weight class, checking the latest fee with the PennDOT website is crucial.
Placement Of Plates On Standard Passenger Vehicles
Since 1952, the standard passenger vehicles require only rear plates. The passenger vehicles owned by the state or owned by press photographers should have front plates besides the rear plate.
Content On The Older Pennsylvania License Plates
As per the historical evolution of license plates in PA, from 1906 to 1979 Pennsylvania license plates displayed the issuance year. The staggered registration was first issued in October 1917 and expired in September 1980. The stickers have the expiration month and the year printed on them rather than the issue year.
After 1 January 2017, Pennsylvania ceased issuing expiration stickers, which resulted in no natural registrations with the sticker's expression after November 2017.
Since early 2018, the state of Pennsylvania has relied on law enforcement by using plate reader technology, which can identify plates with expired registration. So, newly registered vehicles were issued plates without expiration stickers after that date.
Since June 2017, vehicle plates were redesigned, with no sticker well and a white outline of the state map where the sticker would have gone to the new registrants.
The revised registration plate design had the number series starting with KLF – 000.
The plate with no expiration sticker has the number series MKx and higher.
Why Is The Registration Plate So Crucial In PA?
Registration plates issued by the state should be visible and unique alpha-numeric identification marks for the motor vehicles registered by the PennDOT authority. It is a uniformly designed plate for each motor vehicle. This plate serves the purposes of law enforcement, motor vehicle, and traffic safety, in addition to uniquely identifying each vehicle.
Pennsylvania residents can also apply for personalized registration plates, as Pennsylvania provides special fund, military, and unique organization registration plates. However, one has to check the availability of customized registration plates online.
Standard registration plate costs include the registration fee when issued for the first time. An additional fee is applicable for specialty registration plates.
When Is A Registration Plate Considered Illegible In PA?
A registration plate is considered illegible if one or more numbers or alphabets cannot be recognized from 50 feet or if it is blistered, peeling, discolored, or has lost reflectivity. Registration plates in such a condition become illegible, and PennDOT can replace it in two ways.
*The vehicle owner can request the authorized representative of PennDOT to replace the registration plate
The PennDOT can order a general re-issuance of the registration plate.
To return the Pennsylvania registration plate, which is no longer valid or required, send it to the address below.
Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Return tag unit
PO Box 68597
Harrisburg, PA 17106–8597
After receiving your invalid or unnecessary plate, the PennDOT marks it as a dead tag on the vehicle record.
If your vehicle registration is nearing expiration, go for PA Vehicle Registration Renewal to avoid any legal aftermath.
