How Long Can License Plates Be Retained After Scrapping a Vehicle?
3 Answers
How long license plates can be retained after scrapping a vehicle depends on different circumstances: 1. If the scrapped vehicle has been used for more than one year, the plates can be retained for two years; 2. If the scrapped vehicle has been used for less than one year, the plates can be retained for one year. License plates refer to vehicle registration plates, which are plates hung at the front and rear of a vehicle. They are made of materials such as aluminum, sheet iron, plastic, or paper. The primary purpose of license plates is to identify the region to which the vehicle belongs, and they can be used to trace the vehicle's owner and registration information. License plates are the abbreviated term for vehicle registration plates and vehicle driving licenses. They are standardized in format and style as stipulated by national vehicle management regulations. After the vehicle management authority reviews, inspects, and registers a vehicle that has applied for plates, they issue hard-numbered plates with registration codes.
I've specialized in studying license plate policies, and the original plate from a scrapped vehicle can be retained for one year. The count starts from the day the vehicle is deregistered at the DMV, and you have a full 12 months to apply to continue using this old plate. However, there are two strict conditions: first, you must have used this plate for at least one year, and second, there must be no traffic violations or accident disputes before scrapping. An experienced driver neighbor once learned this the hard way—his car was scrapped in July, but he didn't buy a new car until August the following year. When he went to the DMV, he was told it was two weeks past the deadline, which was particularly unfortunate. Now, he always reminds others to pay close attention to the timeline and suggests preparing the new car paperwork at least six months in advance to be safe.
Just helped a friend with this a few days ago, and the process is actually quite straightforward. After scrapping the old car, the license plate can be retained for one year, with the start date being the day the deregistration is recorded in the DMV system. The key point is that when you buy a new or used car, you must proactively request to use the original plate—the staff won't ask you about it. My friend didn’t clarify this when buying a new car and ended up selecting a new plate, making it too late to change later. It’s advisable to regularly check the status on 12123 during the retention period. Some regions require confirming the retention intention every six months, something many people aren’t aware of.
