I’m visiting Ohio and I got a car when I got here about a month ago. I’m a Nevada resident, so I took the title in, got the registration, and a 30 day tag so that I can get new Nevada plates when I go back.
Which was originally the plan. But I ended up having to stay longer, exceeding my 30 day tags by a few days. So I went up to the BMV and asked for a new temp tag - and they couldn’t issue it. One tag only when you get a title transfer. I explained my situation to them and they said there was nothing they could do - one tag is it. I couldn’t even buy a full plate if I wanted to, since I don’t have an Ohio address.
Now I do have the original Ohio plates that came with the vehicle. They aren’t expired - but they also don’t belong to the car. I think. I think the original driver is supposed to keep their plates, but in this case it was my grandma who gave up driving and wouldn’t be using them anyway, so I still have them. Are these plates good for anything? As I said, they’re still valid in terms of expiration date, but are they registered to her, rather than the car? Could I drive home with that plate without legal complications if I were to be pulled over?
If not, what are my options? Am I basically forced to drive on expired plates and hope I don’t get pulled over? What are the likely consequences if I am? I still have a valid title and registration, so is this the sort of offense they can impound my car over, or am I most likely just looking at a ticket?
Put the original plates on the car and drive back to Nevada. If you get pulled over, they don’t care about whose car it is (or tagged to) as long as it’s not reported stolen and the tags aren’t expired. Make sure that you have an insurance card with you, as most states do care about that.
In Ohio it’s a 4th Degree Misdemeanor to have the wrong plates on your car, and can get you 30 days in jail.
You already have registered the car to you, and the original plates are NOT registered to you. So if you get stopped, your registration WILL NOT match the plates, and you will likely get let go, but with a court summons.
OHP and other agencies in Ohio have cameras on their cars that automatically run plates of cars in front of them to check for stolen, expired, and obviously mismatched plates (ex: registered to a grey civic, not a red ford). So don’t keep the temp tags on their.
If you were so inclined, go to a not-so-clean used car lot, and you can likely get someone to print up a bill of sale showing you “just” bought the car, and issue you a new temp tag.
But, if those plates were registered to that car, and are not expired, and your grandma doesn’t have warrants, as long as you do not get pulled over, no one will be the wiser.
You might be able to have the car shipped as freight on one of those big car-carrying trucks you see once in a while. I don’t know how much that costs or how long you’ll have to wait for it to arrive, and then there’s the matter of getting home (rent a one-way car? Fly? Train?)
Then I assume you can transfer the car to someone else and they can get a temporary tag? Is there someone you can trust to transfer it back to you later? Like your grandma for example?
As has already been suggested, I would call the Nevada motor vehicle department and ask if there is anything that they could issue you.
I’m an Ohio cop and here’s my advice: do NOT put your Grandma’s old plates on the car. If you did, a casual glance by a cop wouldn’t garner extra attention. Even if they ran your tags, it would show the car as belonging to your Grandma, and I’m sure the cop would just think you borrowed it from her. BUT if you happen to get pulled over for some reason, it’s going to look really bad that you have the wrong plates. The violation is called Fictitious Plates and there is a real possibility the car could be impounded.
I would just leave on the expired Ohio temp tags and take my chances. It would cost much more to ship the car than the cost of an Expired Plates ticket (it’s not a moving violation). If it really has been only a couple days over expiration, just explain your situation to a cop and you stand a better than 50/50 chance of being let go with a warning; especially if you are on the freeway heading west. And if you get a ticket and then get pulled over again, show him the ticket you just got and he shouldn’t write you another.
Just remember that out-of-state temp tags stick out like neon sign.
Can’t you transfer it back to Grandma, have her renew her plates, and then get new plates back in Nevada?
I would guess that would be the cheapest option to be 100% in compliance with the law. (Of course, if Ohio has a transfer tax between family members then it might not)
I would also double check with another person in BMV. I know that in my state of Colorado, you can get another 30 day extension for extenuating circumstances as long as you pay for the second set of temp tags (but not a third). In my case, it was because the dealer hadn’t sent in the right paperwork.