License plates (surrender/transfer)
What to do with your plates after selling a car: keep, transfer, return or destroy them, depending on the state.
Depending on the state, license plates stay with the owner or stay with the vehicle. When you sell or junk a vehicle, your state decides whether you keep the plates for another car, return them to the DMV, or leave them on the vehicle.
Getting this right protects you. Plates left on a junk car can be misused, and in some states cancelling insurance before returning plates triggers penalties.
Maryland requires owners to return plates when they sell, trade or junk a vehicle, and advises keeping insurance active until the plates are confirmed cancelled.1 Texas lets sellers keep plates for transfer and advises defacing plates you don’t keep with permanent black ink to prevent fraudulent use.2
References
-
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, “Returning Maryland License Plates”, https://mva.maryland.gov/title-registration/license-plates/returning-your-license-plates ↩
-
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, “License Plates”, https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/license-plates ↩