Month: July 2021

I hadn’t driven my car much due to the ongoing pandemic, which started around March of 2020. My license plate renewal was up in April of 2020, which I let lapse. Ongoing maintenance was keeping the car off the road. This year, in March of 2021, I finally renewed:

That’s a $50 increase from previous years, but oh well. Anyway, I received my renewal sticker, and was horrified to see it renewed for the period of April 2020 to April 2021! I just paid $167 for about a month of driving! After some research, I concluded I would not be able to get a refund. The state also sent me brand new plates with newer styling. So I mounted them, and began driving the car again.

For my next renewal, I visited the Secretary of State office to attempt a renewal from July of 2021 to July of 2022. The office explained it wasn’t possible to renew for the desired period until it had lapsed over two years. I had the idea to switch from a standard license plate to an “Expanded-Use Antique License Plate.” The rules state:
“Vehicles displaying these plates during the months of January-March and November-December may only be driven to and from an antique auto show or exhibition, service station or demonstration.
Vehicles displaying these plates during the months of April-October may be driven on the highways without being subject to the restrictions of a standard antique vehicle plate.”

I don’t drive the car much between November and March, and a lower priced plate and renewal fee was appealing. I was also able to start a new renewal period. I chose to use off-the-shelf generic plates, instead of the vanity plates I’ve had since 2007. For the second time this year, I mounted my new plates.