What to do with your license plate after you junk a car in Pennsylvania.
The tow truck is gone, but your plate is still yours. In Pennsylvania the plate and your insurance are tied together, and a plate that reaches PennDOT late can mean a three-month registration suspension. Here is the order that keeps it simple.
Remove the plate yourself The 30-day insurance rule Where to mail it
Quick answer: After the title is transferred, take the plate off the car and either move it to another vehicle you own or mail it to PennDOT's Return Tag Unit, P.O. Box 68597, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8597. PennDOT then marks it as a "dead tag" on the vehicle record, which helps protect you from vehicle fraud.
The deadline most sellers miss: If you cancel the insurance and do not replace it, PennDOT's insurance rules say the plate and registration card must reach PennDOT within 30 days of the cancellation date. Later than that, the registration gets a three-month suspension. So remove the plate before pickup, not after.
- Take the plate off before the car leaves. A plate left on a sold car is harder to deal with.
- Return it by mail to Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Return Tag Unit, P.O. Box 68597, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8597.
- Insurers must tell PennDOT when a policy is cancelled, so PennDOT will know the day yours ended.
- Plate and registration card must be received within 30 days of the insurance cancellation date to avoid a three-month registration suspension.
- Plate left on the sold car? Send PennDOT a copy of the front and back of the title, or a bill of sale showing the new owner.
Your situation, your next step
Which plate step fits you?
| Your situation | What PennDOT says | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Plate is off the car, no new vehicle | A plate that is no longer needed can be returned by mail. PennDOT marks it as a dead tag. | Mail the plate (and the registration card) to the Return Tag Unit. |
| You are cancelling insurance and not replacing it | Plate and card must reach PennDOT within 30 days of the cancellation date. | Mail them the same week. Keep proof of the date you mailed. |
| You are buying another vehicle | A plate can be transferred to another vehicle through the registration application. | Ask the tag service or dealer to transfer it. Fees are on PennDOT's schedule (Form MV-70S). |
| The plate went away on the sold car | PennDOT asks for proof of the sale instead. | Send a copy of the front and back of the title, or a bill of sale showing the new owner. |
| The owner has died | Only certain close relatives can receive the plate. | See our guide on selling a deceased owner's car in Pennsylvania. |
Sources: pa.gov Return a Registration Plate; PennDOT Insurance Law FAQs; Types of Insurance Letters from PennDOT; Form MV-141 (5-26). No page we read gives a fee for returning a plate. This is general information, not legal advice.
The part that costs people
Why the plate and your insurance go together.
When you junk a car, the natural next move is to cancel the insurance on it. PennDOT's own pages explain the catch: insurance companies are required to notify PennDOT when a policy is cancelled, whether by you or by the insurer. PennDOT then writes to the owner and, if no new coverage is shown, can suspend the registration.
For an owner who is not going to insure the vehicle again, PennDOT's letter guide says the registration plate and card must be returned within 30 days from the insurance cancellation date. Its Insurance Law FAQs say the same: plates and cards received after 30 days result in a three-month registration suspension, and the 30 days run from the cancellation date, not from the date of PennDOT's letter.
For a car you have sold or junked, PennDOT's letter guide also covers the case where the plate stayed with the vehicle: send PennDOT a copy of the front and back of the Certificate of Title, or a bill of sale, showing the new owner. The address it lists is PennDOT Bureau of Motor Vehicles, P.O. Box 68674, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8674.
The simple rule: take the plate off on pickup day, mail it that week, and write down the date you cancelled the insurance. If a PennDOT letter shows up anyway, answer it and attach the same proof.
The order that works
Four steps on pickup day.
None of these needs a trip to a PennDOT center. Most take a few minutes.
- 01
Take the plate off before the car leaves
Unscrew it yourself and keep the registration card from the glove box. Take the rest of your belongings out at the same time.
- 02
Keep a copy of the sale paperwork
Photograph the signed title or bill of sale. If the plate ever stays on the car, PennDOT asks for exactly this proof.
- 03
Decide: new vehicle, or mail it back
If you are getting another car, a plate can be transferred to it through the registration application. If not, mail the plate and card to the Return Tag Unit.
- 04
Mail it within 30 days of cancelling insurance
Count from the date the policy ended. Use a trackable service so you can show when PennDOT received it.
Before you seal the envelope
Mailing checklist for your plate.
- The plate itself, removed from the car.
- The registration card, if you still have it.
- A note with the vehicle's title number or VIN and the plate number.
- The date your insurance was cancelled, written down.
- The address: Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Return Tag Unit, P.O. Box 68597, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8597.
- A tracking number or receipt for your records.
PennDOT's Return a Registration Plate page does not list a form or a fee. PennDOT also has a Surrender of a Registration Plate form, MV-141, which lists "Vehicle Sold" as a reason and says the plate must be attached. Check pa.gov to see which fits your case.
Related situations
If your situation is different.
Not sure what else to take off the car? Use our pre-pickup checklist. Still paying a loan on the car? Read our guide to selling a car with a lien first. If you cannot find the title, see how to junk a car without a title in Pennsylvania. If the owner has died, see how to sell a deceased owner's car in Pennsylvania.
For the full picture of selling a junk car in the state, start at our Pennsylvania junk car page.
Common questions