Pennsylvania to Eliminate License Plate Registration Stickers for High-Tech Scanners
Starting next year, Pennsylvania no longer will issue vehicle registration stickers for motorists to affix to license plates, state transportation officials announced.
The last vehicle registration sticker will be issued Dec. 30, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said.
Vehicle owners will still be required to register their vehicles and produce a registration card when their vehicles are inspected or if they are pulled over by police, PennDOT said.
The change to a no-sticker registration policy is part of Act 89 of 2013, a bill ratified by the state Legislature three years ago. The change will save the state about $3.1 million next year, based on reduced mailing costs and eliminating the cost to produce the stickers, according to PennDOT.
Starting next year, vehicle owners who renew their registration online will be able save a copy of and print their registration card. Future plans include allowing customers to upload their registration cards to their smartphones and eliminate the requirement to print a copy, PennDOT said.
Law enforcement officers will have access to a new tool called Automated License Plate Reader that will allow police to verify expired registrations.
The plate reader technology will be an improvement over the visual inspection of registration stickers — which can be counterfeited, sold, affixed to dead plates or applied to plates for which they were not intended, PennDOT said.
Information can be viewed online at www.dmv.pa.gov, under Vehicle Registration.
