Pa. drivers say goodbye to vehicle registration stickers; hello to higher fees and new license plate
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The days are now numbered for those little registration stickers attached to the corner of Pennsylvania license plates.
The last sticker will be issued on Dec. 30 as a result of a transportation funding law that passed three years ago. But starting Dec. 31, a sticker will no longer have to be displayed.
This move - one of several changes impacting motorists in the coming months - is expected to save the state Department of Transportation $3 million annually between the cost of producing the stickers and mailing them out to drivers.
For a bit of historical PennDOT trivia, those stickers have been around 74 years.
According to PennDOT, they came about in 1942 in an effort to conserve metal during WWII. A decision was made to issue a 2x2 inch red or black metal keystone, which would be affixed to the 1942 license plate, instead of issuing new plates in 1943 as was done annually until then. The keystones eventually evolved to the stickers we now know.
The need for these visual indications that a vehicle is registered no longer exists, thanks to technological advances. Law enforcement agencies have electronic access to PennDOT's database from their patrol vehicles, which allows them to verify the status of a vehicle registration and auto insurance.
A Penn State research study further concluded that eliminating the registration sticker would have no impact on vehicle registration compliance, so as part of a 2013 transportation funding law the stickers are to be eliminated at the end of this year.
PennDOT spokesman Alexis Campbell said just because the stickers are going by the wayside doesn't change the requirement for vehicles to be registered.
"The only difference is you don't need a sticker," she said.
Going forward, motorists who have an expired sticker - or a stack of stickers from applying one on top of others over the years - on their plates should just leave them there. She said removing them by scraping them off could damage the plate, which could lead to having to replace the plate and they cost $11 for a standard plate.
Speaking of license plates, Pennsylvania is coming out with a new one. By the middle of 2017 once the supply of the current one runs out, PennDOT will begin distributing them.
They look similar in design to the current one but the indentations where registration stickers were placed has been removed and they include an outline of Pennsylvania on them.
Also coming to make life easier for most motorists starting on Dec. 31 is the option of renewing a vehicle registration for two years instead of just one although one-year registrations will remain an option.
There is no discounted rate for buying the longer registration. The fee is simply two times what it costs for a one-year registration. Motor vehicles registered under the International Registration Plan, and those with a seasonal registration or circus carnival plate are not eligible for a two-year registration.
Also new, starting on Dec. 31, is the ability to register your vehicle online and print out a permanent registration card. Currently, online registration allows for a temporary document to be printed and a card and registration sticker is mailed within a week.
And if you thought that was all the changes in store for Pennsylvania drivers in the coming months, not so fast. There's more.
The state gas tax is rising by about 8 cents, to 58 cents a gallon. Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls are increasing by 6 percent. And, by mid-2017, the privilege of being a Pennsylvania driver and owning a vehicle registered in the commonwealth will cost more too. Here is a rundown of those changes.
Vehicle registration fees: On July 1, the annual cost of registering a passenger car rises by $1, to $38; a motorcycle registration also rises by $1, to $20; and a pickup truck's annual fee will rise by $2, to $62.
Antique, classic and collectible vehicle registrations will rise by $3, to $80.
Vehicle inspection stickers: Those little stickers that go in the corner of your windshield will cost $7, starting on July 1. That represents a $1 increase from the current charge.
Driver's license fee: The base license fee, not including the cost of the photo that goes on licenses, will rise by a dollar as well to $23 as of July 1, 2017.
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I’m from Pennsylvania but have been living in Virginia for the last 20 years. Here they have 2 license plates, one on the front and the back. We also have the yearly sticker, but 2 of them for front and back. I always thought that virginia could save money too. We also have personal property tax that we have to pay on our vehicles every year. The cost depends on the value of the car. There are other differences in taxes in each state also. No school tax here. Gas tax is less. This is a few of the differences.