NJ license plates
Joyce1 When I used to work at MV, we were always told that plates need to be turned in. It could come down to suspension of registration and license. Also, insurance companies can suspend you. I would turn them in...better safe then sorry.
Lynn 
Josh I was able to "turn in" plates by writing down the plate number and giving it to the clerk. I recommend keeping receipt they give you when you turn your plates in.
RAS 
Christine If you plan on reusing the plates in the future, they are going to hit you with all the registration fees you did not pay during the time that you kept the plates with out turning them in.
The way around that is to have your insurance company write a letter that the specific car with those plates that were registered to it was taken off the insurance policy effective whatever date that is.
Then, you can re register a car with those same plates again, without the penalty. (useful if you have personalized plates that you arent using on a vehicle, but you want to keep them for future use. )
And, always get a receipt if you turn in plates, this way if someone gets ahold of those plates and slaps them on another car and does some traffic infraction, they wont come looking for you, you will have proof you turned them into DMV.
The Rhyme Animal http://archive.northjersey.com/news/turning-in-old-plates-a-big-deal-with-mvc-1.728149
"If the owner doesn't return the old plates to us, we have to assume that he's still driving," Horan explained. "So we send a warning letter saying the owner has 30 days to reinstate his insurance or face license suspension. If he doesn't pay, then we suspend the license."
skippy 
Mark Mc. How can you suspend a drivers license based on someones car registratin/plates? Do you need a license to own and register a car?
I've never turned my any of my 5 plates in, even though I know I should.
Roywhite Actually, I'm pretty sure you do need a license and insurance in order to register a car, but I could be wrong.
ianimal All three of my daughters had their own cars before they got their drivers license. They had their insurance and registration and plates. They all had their permits and the permit number was their drivers license number. They got their license, and on they went.
Ms Fishy There is no problem in New Jersey keeping your old plates.. NJ insurance companies do not report when there is an insurance lapse or cancelation.. Other states do especially New York and Pennsylvania.. The links for the stories that were posted don't say NJMVC.. They just say MVC... I have kept dozens of my plates and so have friends and family.. To be safe you can turn them in so there not used illegally or for your own piece of mind.. If you don't pay the new registration when it is automatically sent the registration in NJ is just canceled.. No penalties are issues.. I have worked for NJMVC.. But that's not to say they won't change that rule in the future..
Driver247 My son had his license revoked on the spot for having unreturned plates.
And the thing is he did turn them in but did not have the proof with him. The officer took his license anyway. He had to then go to either Wayne or Trenton with his proof. He couldn't go to just any Motor Vehicle Office. He did it and was just given an "Oh sorry". I now carry copies of any returned plate receipts in my car.
Parental Unit "And the thing is he did turn them in but did not have the proof with him."
Ahh... good 'ole Jersey, where the burden is on YOU to prove you are *not* criminal.
I guess if you've had a lot of cars over your lifetime you need to keep a file cabinet in all your vehicles with the old paperwork too.
Here is one that Torques my jaw!
We sold a car, and took it off the insurance with a receipt of doing that!
My wife was near the dmv in Randolph, and went in to turn in the plates.
She was with the old plates in hand, and politely approached a man behind the counter, and asked where the section was, to turn in the plates.
He ( as if it was an effort to raise his finger to point ) ; instructed her to get in line he pointed to. She stood in line approx. 8 minutes, and when she got to her turn to speak, the guy just grabbed the plates. No eye contact; no words spoken!
No receipt !
Embryodad Totally ignorant and uncalled for embryodad. That guy was a jerk. I wish she had insisted on getting a receipt. Give him a little tweak ya know?
My son also had his license revoked for not turning in his old plates. He did turn them in but past the 30 days. It cost him $200 to restore his license, a ticket for driving with a revoked license with 3 years of surcharges. Went to court to fight it but since he was behind the 30 days they refused to help. He sold the car and got a new one and the insurance company knew that. So how does that happen?
They are trying to prevent people from just sticking plates on a car without registration and insurance. I have always returned automobile plates but I do have some motorcycle plates from over a decade ago that must be under the radar...
iJay This happened to me. I didn't turn in the plates. Lost them in moving. Years later I received a ticket, which was not mine. The plates probably turned up somewhere and they were used on a stolen car. It's a hassle. Turn them in, get a receipt.
Michele B 
Caged Animal "This happened to me. I didn't turn in the plates. Lost them in moving. Years later I received a ticket, which was not mine. The plates probably turned up somewhere and they were used on a stolen car. It's a hassle. Turn them in, get a receipt."
not necessarily true. There were issues when they changed plate colors but duplicate lettering combinations such as ABC-123 on old yellow and ABC-123 on those ugly blue ones. I had a pick up truck with the blue plates and police tried to tell me they were registered to a 18,000 JCPL truck insinuating I stole them. We finally figured out the JCPL truck had the old yellow plates with the same lettering combo.
Whip For my fourth lease they told me to return the old plates. I forgot/ didn’t think it was important. Then DMV said my registration was suspended. Is that the registration for the old lease or the new lease? I need to know because after turning in the OLD plates the website still says my registration is suspended and it doesn’t say for which car. Should I pay $100 to restore the Registration or is that restoring the Registration on a car I’m not driving ?
Lynn With all do respect; if you are not sure, how is anyone else suppose to know. I am afraid this may require a trip to DMV. Best of luck.
JBJSKJ Registration is vehicle-specific. I don't see how they could suspend the registration of a car for failure to return plates that were never associated with it. But you should definitely at least make a phone call to find out for sure.
Lynn, the last thing you should do is get legal advice via this forum. Call MVC for the official answer.
MusicgalJust figured I'd note here to anyone that if your vehicle is in an accident and is going to be "totalled", it's important to take the plates off your vehicle if possible.
If you can take them off, then you should do so and either transfer them to your replacement vehicle or turn them in at the MVC and get a receipt. If they were lost somehow or torn off, etc. then go to the MVC and fill out a "Lost/Missing" Plate form to notify them that you are no longer in possession of those plates.
That way if someone found them or took them from the car, you don't have to worry about trying to "fix" any issues arising from that, such as someone illegally using those plates on another car to make it look as though that car is registered. The State always assumes the worst, so it's a good idea to make sure you're covered.
Phil D. You only need to surrender 1 of the two plates. So if you have vanity plates you can still keep 1. Make sure you get your receipt you turned it in.
CJ. CJ.
Do you have a link stating you need to turn in only one plate?
The official MVC websites states "plates" must be surrendered, whether they're damaged or you sold the car and aren't using them on a new vehicle, etc., not just a "plate". It also continuously states "sets of plates" as well:
https://www.state.nj.us/mvc/vehicles/aboutplates.htm
It looks as though the only way out of that is to lie on the form and state that one was "lost", since otherwise you'd also need to file a police report stating that they were stolen (which would then be filing a false report - things get even stickier).
That is as per this, also on the official MVC website:
"If one or both of your plates were stolen or lost, you must visit a motor vehicle agency to obtain a replacement(s).
At the agency, you will need to complete a Vehicle Registration/Plate Status (Form BA-1 found only at motor vehicle agencies), to report the plates as lost or stolen. This form marks the verification status."
Of course you can ignore all that and do whatever you feel or think is correct via "Tribal knowledge", rumor or whatever, but I personally don't like having the State breathing down my neck for anything I screwed up on since they always say "ignorance of the law is no defense".
"ignorance of the law is no defense"
Always disliked that phrase. There’s not a single person on the planet who knows every law. Not one, thus it’s use is for reasons other than ignorance...
justintime The last thing I was thinking about when my car got totaled and was being put on a flatbed was the license plates. Smh.
3wbdwnj 
PBM justintime
I agree with that. Even the police need "cheat sheets" too and sometimes don't know the full law, only an overview of certain main ones. Title 39, for example, changes all the time and some things that were legal for many years have been changed with no notification in the press, drivers' manual or in the news.
I once had a discussion with a town clerk (not Hackettstown, btw) where I was looking for an official document which they tried to tell me I legally wasn't allowed to have a copy of. I produced a copy of the law AND the Governor's Order showing that I did, having underlined the appropriate section.
They told me that not only did I "cherry pick" the section, but that it didn't say what I claimed it did. They also said that they underwent training twice a year in Trenton, whereas my "internet research" meant nothing, to which I replied that they had better have Trenton fix the Official NJ website then, because what I produced was on that website, not some random internet source! When the Senior Clerk sensed there was an issue and called over to ask what the problem was, she stated "This guy is trying to get this record" as if I was trying to commit a crime, and he just said "Oh."
They said they would call me back the next week and that they would check with Trenton in the meantime, since I was insistent, while not being a jerk to them. When I called back later the next week since they never called me, the assistant that was there said I could come pick up the official records I had requested. When I asked if the Clerk would be giving me an apology for having insulted and belittled me while not knowing her duties and the law herself, I was told that she was "on vacation". I later picked up the records. What punishment do THEY get for ignorance of the law that THEY should know fully. This particular thing wasn't particularly difficult, I had a copy of it in black and white and I'm sure that if they checked their own references or official training book, it would also be right there.
3wbdwnj
I know the feeling. It's happened to me a few times for various reasons and I learned from getting a citation in the mail years after an accident due apparently from someone having used my plates. I'd been taken by ambulance after the accident to the hospital and when I was released a couple of days later and went to the yard didn't know as a youth that I should take the plates off and turn them in. After that I took them off as soon as I was able to access the car.
PBM
Again from another official NJ MVC webpage:
https://www.state.nj.us/mvc/vehicles/standplates.htm
"License plate display
When you title and register a vehicle, you will receive two license plates – one for the front and one for the rear of the vehicle. Trailers, motorized bicycles, motorcycles and autocycles receive only one license plate."
Some people are trying to make a statement that NJ should save money and "make it easier" for people (mainly with higher end cars, but some claim it hurts aerodynamics/MPG and/or engine cooling) by requiring only a rear plate like many other states, including PA and are only putting one on the rear as a way of protesting. Technically it's illegal, but some "get away" with laying it on their dash and are lucky to have a cop think they're just from a state that doesn't require one or give them a break because they have it on the dash, even though it isn't technically allowed.
"Why do some NJ vehicles not have front license plates?"
1. To avoid laser speed enforcement, as the "reflectorized" plates were made that way just for that purpose.
2. To avoid license plate readers.
Just put the plate on and drive like a normal human being. Make life easy.
dodgebaal I don't have a front plate on my car because it ruins the look of the front of the car. Seriously, there are so many other states that don't require it - I think a front plate is un-necessary.......
Luca Phil D,
when i turned in two sets of vanity plates i said i wish i could keep them the lady at the desk said i only had to produce 1. She scanned the bar code at the bottom of the one and gave me my returned receipt and one plate. The other she manually entered and did the same.
CJ.
She apparently did you a favor by doing that and bypassing the system, possibly by entering it as if you'd filed the "Lost" paperwork and returned one. As you can see by the official links I provided the law says you have to return the set/pair or provide them with the proper paperwork to explain why you're missing one or both of them.
Why would one ever turn in "vanity" plates, rather than transferring them to your new vehicle? I mean, I can think of a few reasons... like if it referred to a "vette" that you traded in for a Viper, but generally...?
The Vanity plates were for the specific model they were on. So now plate is with a picture on the wall.
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