(Texas Scorecard) – As of July 1, Texas will no longer issue temporary paper license plates to new vehicle purchasers. Instead, purchasers will receive new metal license plates.
The transition was first outlined in House Bill 718 of the 88th Legislature’s regular session in 2023, which passed due to concerns that criminals were exploiting the easily counterfeitable paper tag system.
In 2021, officials for the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles estimated that at least 1.8 million fraudulent paper plates were on the roads in Texas.
One year later, a Grand Prairie police officer was killed during a high-speed chase with a suspect driving a silver Chevy Malibu displaying a fake paper license plate, local news reported at the time.
“The launch of the new design will make it more difficult to counterfeit a temporary tag,” DMV Deputy Executive Director Roland Luna told lawmakers at a Senate Criminal Justice Committee hearing in December 2022.
“In those cases where criminals attempt to [counterfeit a temporary tag], it will be easily identified by law enforcement, who will be able to take immediate enforcement action,” he added.
Dealers have begun issuing the new metal temporary tags, which include an enhanced depiction of the tag’s expiration date, vehicle year, make, and the name of the issuing dealer. Some also contain embedded QR codes.
The new tags will fall under four color-coordinated categories:
A notice from the Texas DMV to dealers regarding the implementation of HB 718 assures that the agency is “using all available avenues” to ensure a smooth transition process to the new plates.
“Dealers are responsible for managing and ordering their inventory after the initial shipment,” part of the notice reads. “Once a dealer has used up 50% of their quarterly plate allocation, they can place a new order in the IMS [Inventory Management System].”
For those who purchased a vehicle before July 1 at a dealership that issued a temporary paper plate, there is a 60-day period to comply with the new law. After that, individuals could be subject to fines and penalties.
Private vehicle sales are not affected by the change, and sellers are still expected to remove their plates and submit a vehicle transfer within 30 days.