If you own a car and plan on driving it on public land, you will need to make sure that it’s registered. In the United States, it is illegal to drive an unregistered vehicle, unless you are only driving it on your private land. Registration connects each car to an owner, which means that all abandoned vehicles can be tracked back to a responsible party.
Registration isn’t simply a one-time thing. Once your car is registered, you will have to renew the registration for as long as you continue driving the car. However, the renewal process is different in every state, and the price and method for renewing your registration will vary. To make sure that you always renew your vehicle’s registration correctly and on time, be sure to read up on your state’s registration renewal rules.
Part 1 of 1: How to renew auto registration in each state
Each state has its own specific rules governing the process of renewing your registration. Find your state from the list below for a better sense of what you’ll need to do:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Getting your registration renewed is a vital part of owning a car, so don’t forget to do it at the intervals required by your state. Additionally, if you think your car is having safety issues, be sure to have an inspection performed so both your paperwork and your safety are taken care of.
