I Received a Ticket for a Suspended Tag

Now What?

One of the most common traffic tickets that police issue is Driving on a Suspended Registration. The full name of the law is “Operating motor vehicle while registration of such vehicle is suspended, canceled or revoked”. If you get a ticket for this offense, the ticket will usually say simply ‘Suspended Registration’ or ‘Suspended Tag’. For a number of reasons, the state may suspend the tag of a motor vehicle leaving the driver in violation of the law and subject to a ticket. More often than not, the owner receives no notice of this and has no knowledge that their tag has been suspended until they get pulled over.

Two Reasons Why Your Motor Vehicle Tag May Be Suspended

Reason One:

If you let your automobile insurance lapse, the insurance company sends a notice to the state and your tag is suspended. Even after you go to the insurance company and renew the policy, the tag remains suspended until you go to the local county tag office and get the suspension lifted.

Reason Two:

If you change insurance companies and do not let the old company know that you are leaving them, they assume you have missed a payment and your tag is suspended. Before you change insurance companies, be sure to let your current company know you are leaving them.

What to do if you get a ticket for a suspended tag

Take it seriously.

A guilty plea or conviction carries a minimum fine of $500 and a maximum fine of $1,000 and can suspend your driver’s license!

Unless you have paperwork from the county showing that the suspension was a mistake or something from your insurance company that there was never a lapse, you may want to discuss the ticket with an attorney.

We are making this post to inform as much as possible. It is not our intent to give legal advice or to create an attorney/client relationship. If you need legal advice, please consult an attorney. If you have questions about your particular situation, please give us a call, send us an email, or request a video conference.