Jefferson City, Missouri – With a proposed plan that would see violators having their vehicles seized, Missouri legislators are adopting a severe posture against the abuse of temporary vehicle tags. Often due to the high expenditures related with vehicle sales tax, Representative Brad Pollitt (R-District 52) is leading the push to target drivers who extend the usage of temporary plates outside their expiry without proper registration.
Under current Missouri law, a car purchase results in temporary tags that are valid up to 30 days. The new owner is supposed to register the car with the Department of Revenue or DMV within this period, a process including sales tax payment. For example, in some cities a $10,000 car will incur about $1,000 in sales tax. Some people choose to risk fines by driving with expired tags rather than finishing their registration given high taxes.
In response, Rep. Pollitt, who represents Sedalia, has been aggressively pushing laws allowing law enforcement to stop vehicles just to verify temporary tags. Though past attempts failed, his latest legislation, HB 378, is expected to inflict harsher fines to discourage non-compliance.
Set to be included to Missouri Law 301.140, the 2025 bill modification will still let police stop vehicles depending on “reasonable suspicion” that the temporary tag of a vehicle has expired. The new law states that the driver will be fined $250 should a temp tag be discovered to have been changed or expired by 60 days or more.
However, the bill does offer an olive branch to those willing to comply after a violation. Should the vehicle be registered within 30 days after a ticket is issued, the fine and court fees will be dismissed and the infringement will not show up on the driver’s record. Failure to register the car during this grace period, however, will cause the director of revenue to suspend or restrict the owner’s driving privileges. Only when the car is formally registered will these rights be reinstated.
Should a driver keep breaking the law and get subsequent tickets for the same infraction, the proposed law enables the confiscation of the car until registration is finished. This strict rule seeks to underline the need of following car registration rules and to reduce the number of drivers dodging the system because of monetary reasons.
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Public reading of the entire wording of HB 378’s new clause will help to emphasize the state’s dedication to upholding vehicle registration rules and guaranteeing that every motorist using Missouri roadways is running their car legally.
The full text of HB 378’s new provision can be read below:
- Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a person may be stopped, inspected, or detained by law enforcement, based on reasonable suspicion that a temporary permit violation has occurred, in order to determine whether a temporary permit is current or valid. Upon a determination by law enforcement that a temporary permit is expired by at least sixty days, or that a temporary permit has been altered, the law enforcement officer conducting the stop shall issue a citation and such person shall be fined in the amount of two hundred fifty dollars. If the person properly registers the vehicle within thirty days of the issuance of a citation, the prosecutor shall nolle prosequi the citation, court costs shall be waived, and the offense shall not be registered as a violation on the person’s driving record. If the person fails to register the vehicle within the thirty-day period, without good cause, the court with jurisdiction shall inform the person by ordinary mail at the person’s last known address that the court is ordering the director of revenue to suspend the person’s driving privileges. Upon such suspension, the director of revenue shall issue limited driving privileges for purposes identified under subdivision (2) of subsection 3 of section 302.309 unless the director determines that the person is otherwise ineligible for such privileges. Once a person properly registers the vehicle, his or her driving privileges shall be restored. If the person receives a second or additional citation for a temporary permit offense with respect to the same vehicle, the vehicle shall be impounded until such time as the vehicle is properly registered.
Proposed addition to 301.140 via HB 378
This legislative action marks a major step toward resolving the problems related to temporary tag abuse, which not only influences state income but also causes difficulties to law enforcement and public safety.
