Selling a car with expired registration is legal in all 50 states: the title transfers ownership, and registration only governs driving on public roads. What changes by state is who pays the lapsed fees and penalties, and whether anyone can legally drive the car to the buyer. Both answers, with the agency source for each state, are below.
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No state writes current registration into the title transfer. Registration law is about driving. New York's reads: "No motor vehicle shall be operated or driven upon the public highways of this state without first being registered" (VTL 401). Texas puts the duty on the buyer, not the seller: within 30 days of buying a car the new owner "shall apply for the registration of the vehicle" for each year it is used on a public highway, operating an unregistered car is the offense, and the fine is up to $200 (Transportation Code 502.040, 502.472, 502.471).
The agencies take these sales for granted. Alaska's DMV warns buyers that the full two-year fee runs from the old expiration month "even if you recently purchased the vehicle." California's registration manual has a whole section on what a "transferee" owes when fees "accrued prior to the transferee's date of purchase." Our buying partner's help page on registration that is not current opens with two words: "Not a problem!"
Three other things change the picture, and only one of them stops a sale. A missing title narrows the field: a private buyer wants it signed over in your name, while the instant-offer form asks about it and, in many states, a car with a salvage, rebuilt or missing title "may still be eligible for sale" (what to do without one). A registration that is suspended rather than expired carries penalties of its own, aimed at you as the registrant (its own section below). And a loan still on the car, which our instant-offer partner will not buy until it is paid off (selling with a loan).
Three patterns cover the country. In the first, the lapsed fees or taxes ride on the car: the agency will not register it for the next owner until they are paid, so the buyer pays, or you do before closing. In the second, the debt belongs to the person who let it lapse: Kentucky puts the lien on the seller's other cars, Massachusetts blocks the seller's own license and registrations, and Wisconsin says in terms that a car owned by someone else in between owes nothing. In the third, the state never bills past years at all, so there is nothing to argue about. The amounts live on our fee table for every state; this table answers the one question that page does not: who ends up paying.
| State | Follows the car to the buyer? | What the agency or statute says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Yes | The ad valorem lien "follows the vehicle" and no plate issues, and no transfer is made, until it is paid. | ALDOR Rule 810-4-1-.18 |
| Alaska | Yes, under one year | The full two-year fee runs from the old expiration month "even if you recently purchased the vehicle"; over a year, the period starts over. | Alaska DMV |
| Arizona | Partly | Back vehicle license tax is never collected from a new owner; the registration fee and its penalty "are a lien on the vehicle." | ARS 28-5807 / ARS 28-2162 |
| Arkansas | No | The penalty clock runs "from the date of the title assignment," so the buyer starts fresh. | Arkansas DFA |
| California | Yes | Past-due fees and penalties stay with the car; the buyer pays at transfer unless the DMV waives them for a buyer who did not know. | DMV manual 3.080 / Assembly analysis |
| Colorado | Not published | Prorated back taxes bill the owner who let it lapse; nothing published says they pass to a buyer. | CRS 42-3-112 |
| Connecticut | No | DMV denies registration to the person a town reports delinquent, not to the car. | Connecticut DMV |
| Delaware | No | The $20 late fee "may not be imposed if a transfer of ownership on the vehicle has taken place." | 21 Del. C. 2151 |
| Florida | Not published | The department may withhold registration from an owner "who has failed to register it" for a previous period; the statute names the owner who let it lapse and says nothing about a buyer. | FS 320.18 |
| Georgia | Not published | Annual ad valorem tax "is a prerequisite to receiving a tag or renewal decal," but the page says nothing about a transfer, and most cars bought March 1, 2013 or later owe the buyer's own one-time title tax (TAVT) instead of the yearly tax. | Georgia DOR |
| Hawaii | Maybe | The county finance director "may require" delinquent tax and penalty "as a condition precedent to the registration, renewal, or transfer of ownership." | HRS 249-10 |
| Idaho | No | No back years exist; a re-registration simply keeps its month. | Idaho Code 49-402 |
| Illinois | No | No back years; at most a $20 delinquent renewal fee before a sticker issues. | 625 ILCS 5/3-821.2 |
| Indiana | No | No back years; a flat $15 administrative penalty. | Indiana BMV |
| Iowa | Yes | The applicant for a new title "shall be required to pay the delinquent fee from the first day" it was due, prorated. | Iowa Code 321.46 |
| Kansas | No | Registration "shall expire" at transfer; the buyer applies within 60 days on their own clock. | K.S.A. 8-135 |
| Kentucky | No | The January 1 owner owes the tax, and a lien "shall not attach to any motor vehicle transferred while the taxes are due." | KRS 134.810 |
| Louisiana | Not published | Registration is refused "when the tax and fees required therefor by law have not been paid": the fees on the application in hand. The section says nothing about a prior owner's lapse. | R.S. 47:515 |
| Maine | No | Excise is paid by the person registering, where that person lives. | 36 M.R.S. 1484 |
| Maryland | No | Renewal prices apply "regardless of when renewal takes place"; the uninsured penalty stays with the old owner once the title moves and the plates are returned. | Maryland MVA / Transp. 17-106 |
| Massachusetts | No | Excise "shall be assessed to the owner ... registering the same"; the RMV blocks that person, not the next owner. | MGL c.60A s.2 / s.2A |
| Michigan | No | No back years; a late renewal adds $10 and is not prorated. | Michigan SOS |
| Minnesota | Yes | Unpaid tax and penalties are "a first lien upon the vehicle taxed" as well as the owner's personal debt. | Minn. Stat. 168.31 |
| Mississippi | Not published | We found no state rule on this; the Department of Revenue's motor vehicle pages do not address it. | Mississippi DOR |
| Missouri | No | The property-tax receipt must be the applicant's own; a car bought after the receipt date is excepted. | RSMo 301.025 |
| Montana | No | Fees "do not accrue after ownership of the motor vehicle has been transferred." | MCA 61-3-501 |
| Nebraska | No | When ownership has transferred, the registration period begins "from the date of title." | Nebraska DMV manual |
| Nevada | Yes | The governmental services tax and any penalty "constitute a lien upon the vehicle"; DMV may waive the penalty for a buyer who did not know. | NRS 371.190, 371.180 |
| New Hampshire | Not published | The statute is written around the registrant; nothing says a buyer inherits the old rate. | RSA 261:141 |
| New Jersey | No | No back years; an expired registration is renewed in person at the usual price. | New Jersey MVC |
| New Mexico | No | A plate-to-owner state; the buyer's own 30-day clock starts at the sale. | New Mexico MVD |
| New York | No | No back years; expired more than a year means registering the car again as new. | New York DMV |
| North Carolina | Not published | Renewal requires paying "the taxes for the motor vehicle's tax year that begins after the registration expires," the year ahead. Nothing says a buyer owes the seller's missed year. | G.S. 105-330.4 |
| North Dakota | No | A car bought while expired pays one annual fee with a new anniversary month. | NDCC 39-04-14.1 |
| Ohio | Yes, one year | Registration "shall be refused" if the fees "for the motor vehicle, for the preceding year" are unpaid. | ORC 4503.10 |
| Oklahoma | Yes | The new owner pays "any delinquent taxes, fees, interest and penalty associated with the plate." | OAC 710:60-3-28 |
| Oregon | No | A late renewal costs "the same fee"; nothing carries over. | ORS 803.455 |
| Pennsylvania | No | Renewal is "the applicable fee or fees"; no arrears exist (a suspension is different, below). | 75 Pa.C.S. 1309 |
| Rhode Island | No | A flat registration fee "for each year of registration"; no back fees. | R.I. Gen. Laws 31-6-1 |
| South Carolina | Not published | No registration "until the ad valorem tax is paid for the year for which the registration is to be issued": the buyer's own year, not the seller's. Nothing says the lapse passes. | SC Code 12-37-2610 |
| South Dakota | No | "All fees are assessed from purchase date regardless of when an applicant applies." | South Dakota DOR |
| Tennessee | No | Renewed 91 or more days late, the registration simply starts a fresh term for whoever applies. | Revenue Rule 1320-8-17-.02 |
| Texas | No | A delinquent applicant "shall register the vehicle for a 12-month period"; no back years. | Transp. Code 502.045 |
| Utah | No | No back years; a renewal expired over six months is done in person at the usual fee. | Utah DMV |
| Vermont | No | "Registrations may be renewed up to three years past expiration" at the normal fee. | Vermont DMV |
| Virginia | No | Over 12 months expired restarts with no late fee; local tax debts follow the taxpayer, not the car. | DMV VLIC-4.110 / Va. Code 46.2-752 |
| Washington | No | The buyer applies for renewal at transfer and is credited the seller's unused excise tax. | RCW 46.16A.110 |
| West Virginia | No | The DMV asks for the applicant's own property-tax receipts, not the car's history. | West Virginia DMV |
| Wisconsin | No | The back fee applies only to a car "previously registered in this state by the applicant," and never if it "has been owned by another person" in between. | Wis. Stat. 341.28 |
| Wyoming | Not published | No state late fee; what a long-lapsed car costs a buyer is not published. | W.S. 31-2-206 |
Every row links the state's own fee page on this site, where the arithmetic and the non-operation affidavits (the usual way out of a stacked bill) are set out. "Not published" means we read the statute and the agency site and found nothing either way; treat the fees as yours to settle.
The Legislature's analysis of California's current rule says outstanding registration fees and penalties "remain with the vehicle when vehicle ownership is transferred" and used car buyers must "pay any past due registration fees and penalties before the vehicle can be registered." The DMV may waive the penalties, and sometimes the fees, when "the transferee was not aware that the registration fees for the current or prior registration years were unpaid and due" (Vehicle Code 9562). If it does, the Assembly's 2025 analysis notes the unpaid amount becomes "the personal debt of the transferor of the vehicle" and can be collected in a civil action. A bill to make the waiver automatic for private-sale buyers from 2030, SB 76, passed both houses and was vetoed in October 2025, so the rule above still stands.
The number is steep: more than two years late, the penalty is 160% of the vehicle license fee plus $100 registration and $100 CHP late fees (DMV fee page). Work out your own car on our California back-registration calculator, then either clear it before you list or write the deduction into the sale. The change of ownership must be reported within 10 days, and you have five days to file the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (DMV; REG 138).
An expired tag means the car cannot lawfully be driven on a public road in any state, by you or by the buyer, until someone registers it or buys a short permit. Usually the buyer does this: a handful of states let a new owner drive for a few days on a dated bill of sale, and most of the rest sell a short moving permit. Below are the permits for the states whose agency page or statute we could read when this guide was written. A state that is missing is one we could not verify, not one with no permit; ask the agency before anyone drives it.
| State | What lets the car move legally | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | A 20-day grace period after purchase, with the temporary tag, title application or bill of sale kept in the car. | ALDOR Rule 810-5-1-.211 |
| Arizona | Restricted Use 3-Day Permit, $1, to reach emissions, inspection or the MVD; a 30-Day General Use Permit is $15. | ADOT fee list |
| California | One Trip Permit (REG 402T): moves an unregistered car, unladen, on one continuous trip. | DMV manual 25.040 |
| Colorado | 36 hours after a private purchase made on a weekend, holiday or between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m., straight to storage, with a timed bill of sale and insurance; otherwise a temporary registration of up to 60 days. | CRS 42-3-115, 42-3-203 |
| Connecticut | Temporary registration, $21 per 10 days, for a safety inspection or emissions test. | Connecticut DMV |
| Florida | A 30-day temporary tag for a "casual or private sale," $2 plus the agent's service charge; no more than two per person per vehicle. | FS 320.131 |
| Georgia | No private-buyer permit on the DOR page; title and registration are due within 7 days of purchase. | Georgia DOR |
| Illinois | A Temporary Registration Permit, no longer than 90 days, for a buyer who has applied for title and registration. | 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1010.420 |
| Indiana | A 96-hour temporary delivery permit from any BMV branch, to a place of storage or an inspection station. | Indiana BMV |
| Kansas | No driving in the 60-day window "without having applied for and obtained temporary registration from the county treasurer." | K.S.A. 8-135 |
| Kentucky | County clerk temporary tag, $3, valid 60 days from delivery. | KRS 186A.100 |
| Maine | Transit plate for one trip, up to 10 days, $12. | Maine BMV |
| Maryland | One 30-day temporary registration, only to get the safety inspection (form VR-129). | Maryland MVA |
| Michigan | Three days to drive it home by the most direct route with the assigned title and proof of insurance; never on the seller's plate. | Michigan SOS |
| Minnesota | A 60-day temporary vehicle permit for a resident buyer. | Minn. Stat. 168.092 |
| Missouri | A temporary permit of up to 30 days from purchase, from any license office with the signed title; one per vehicle. | Missouri DOR |
| Nevada | Three days after purchase with proof of ownership and insurance in the car; then a moving permit, $1 online. | Nevada DMV |
| New Mexico | A temporary registration permit of up to 30 business days while the title application is pending. | NMSA 66-3-6 |
| New York | An in-transit permit, $12.50 for 30 days, from a DMV office with the title and insurance. | New York DMV |
| North Carolina | A 10-day temporary plate, $10. | G.S. 20-50 |
| Ohio | A 45-day temporary tag; $2 plus a $13 fee and the registrar's service fee. | ORC 4503.182 |
| Oklahoma | Five days without plates with a dated, notarized bill of sale in the car. | OAC 710:60-3-28 |
| Oregon | A light vehicle trip permit, $35 for 21 days; two per vehicle in 12 months. | Oregon DMV |
| South Carolina | A temporary plate from the DMV or county, $10, valid no more than 60 days (raised from 45 on October 6, 2026), with the bill of sale or title kept in the car. | SC Code 56-3-210 |
| Tennessee | A Temporary Operation Permit, 30 days, $10 plus county fees, in person at the county clerk. | Tennessee Revenue form |
| Texas | A Vehicle Transit Permit, free for 5 days when the seller keeps the plates; a 30-Day permit is $25 plus $4.75. | TxDMV |
| Utah | A 96-hour in-transit permit, $2.50, with proof of ownership and insurance. | Utah DMV |
| Virginia | A trip permit, $5 for three days; a prospective buyer can get one too. | Va. Code 46.2-651 |
| Washington | A trip permit, $36 for 3 consecutive days, up to three in 30 days, bought in person. | Washington DOL |
| Wisconsin | A plate must be on the car within two business days of purchase; titling online prints a temporary plate good for 90 days. | Wisconsin DOT |
If the car cannot move legally, or cannot move at all, a buyer who collects it solves the problem: a tow truck does not need your registration. That is one reason an instant-offer sale suits a long-parked car (next section).
Expired means the term ran out. Suspended means the state cancelled the registration, almost always because insurance lapsed while the car was still registered, and a suspension can attach to the car.
The lesson for a car that is going to sit: surrender the plates, or file non-operation where your state has it, before the insurance ends. Our guide to what happens to the plates in each state covers the surrender step.
A private buyer usually pays the most for a car that runs and looks after itself, even after a California-sized back bill comes off the price, because after one DMV trip they own a car they can register. Put the lapse, and who pays it, on the bill of sale in words. In a "follows the car" state expect the buyer to deduct the agency's figure; in a "stays with the seller" state it is yours whatever the price.
Dealers and the big online buyers each set their own rule on lapsed registration. Ask before you drive over; you may need one of the permits above to get there.
An instant-offer buyer is the route for a car that will not move or whose back bill swallows the private-sale gap. Our partner Peddle takes expired registration (its help page: "Not a problem!"). A missing title changes the offer rather than ending it: the offer form asks about the title, and the title help page says "We have many buyers that buy cars without a title"; answer "Not sure, I can't find my title" and the system works out a new offer. Loans must be paid off first ("all liens and loans must be paid in full before we can buy your vehicle"), and leased cars, motorcycles, RVs and boats are out. The online offer is free and carries no obligation, you have a week to accept it, the driver checks the car at pickup and hands you a check for the online figure if the car matches what you described, pickup and towing cost nothing, and the sale usually takes a few days. For a running car with a small lapse, a private sale will beat it; for a car that has sat for years, see the instant offer and set it against what a private buyer would net you after the lapse and the tow.
No state requires it. The question is money. In the eight states where the lapse follows the car (ten, counting Arizona's registration-fee lien and Hawaii's county option), the buyer pays it at registration, so renewing first only moves the same bill to your side of the ledger; and in California, if the DMV waives it for a buyer who did not know, it can pursue you for the same money. Where the state bills no back years, there is nothing to renew for.
Depends on the state. Alabama, California, Iowa, Oklahoma and, for the preceding year, Ohio will not issue the buyer's registration until the old balance is paid; Minnesota and Nevada make the unpaid tax a lien on the car, and Nevada may waive only the penalty for a buyer who did not know. Kentucky, Wisconsin and Delaware say outright that the lapse does not pass with the car. Texas, New York, Pennsylvania and most of the "No" rows never bill the missed years, so the buyer simply registers.
Not where the plates stay with the seller. Michigan's Secretary of State is blunt: "Do not use the seller's license plate on the vehicle while driving it home." Texas lets a seller keep the plates and gives the buyer a free five-day Vehicle Transit Permit instead. Use the permit table for your state.
Find out why before you list. An insurance-lapse suspension in Pennsylvania sits on your registration: PennDOT will not restore it or move the plates to your next car until the penalty is paid and insurance is proven. In Maryland and New York the penalty stays with you, not the buyer, provided the plates were surrendered in time. Clear it or disclose it in writing.
Peddle will; its help page on registration that is not current opens with "Not a problem!" A title is not required in hand either: the offer form asks about it, and Peddle's title page says "We have many buyers that buy cars without a title." A loan has to be paid off first, and leased cars are not bought. Pickup is free, which matters when the car cannot be driven.
Only by what it costs the buyer to make it legal, plus the hassle. In a no-back-years state that is one ordinary registration. In California it can be 160% of the license fee plus $200 in flat late fees after more than two years, which is why California buyers deduct it; run the calculator before you set a price.