Connecticut license plate requirements start with a simple rule: most registered vehicles must carry two plates, one on the front and one on the rear, and both must be clean, legible, and mounted horizontally so nothing blocks the numbers. Standard passenger registration runs $120 for three years, electric vehicles pay $57, and violations of the display and registration rules are generally $50 infractions.
How Plates Must Be Displayed
If your vehicle was issued two plates, both go on the vehicle whenever you drive on a public road. Vehicles issued only one plate display it at the rear.1Justia. Connecticut Code 14-18 – Display of Number Plates and Stickers
Plates have to be mounted horizontally, fastened so they don’t swing, and kept entirely unobscured with every letter and number plainly legible. When your headlights are on, the rear plate must be illuminated well enough to read from 50 feet away. Connecticut law specifically prohibits attaching anything to the vehicle or the plate that blocks or impairs the visibility of any plate information. Tinted covers, frames that overlap the text, and accumulated dirt all fall under that prohibition. Every violation is an infraction.2Justia. Connecticut Code 14-18 – Display of Number Plates and Stickers
Registration Fees and Renewal
Standard passenger cars, SUVs, and vans register for $120 over a three-year term.3Justia. Connecticut Code 14-49 – Fees for Miscellaneous Registration and Other Fees4Alternative Fuels Data Center. Reduced Registration Fee for Electric Vehicles (EVs)5CT.gov. DMV Fees
You can renew online, by mail, or in person. Miss the deadline and you owe a $25 late fee.5CT.gov. DMV Fees Beyond the fee itself, driving with a registration that lapsed within the last 30 days is a $50 infraction. Once you’re past 30 days, the DMV can suspend your driving privileges until you pay everything owed and get current.6Justia. Connecticut Code 14-12 – Registration Required
Specialty, Vanity, Veterans, and Antique Plates
Beyond the standard issue, Connecticut offers dozens of specialty designs, including the Long Island Sound plate, the Hartford Whalers plate, and the UConn plate. Initial fees run roughly $69 to $159 depending on the design, and most add a $15 to $55 surcharge at each renewal on top of your regular registration.7CT.gov. Get Special and Vanity DMV Plates
Vanity plates let you choose the letters and numbers, subject to DMV screening and availability. Prices fall in the same range as specialty plates. A classic vehicle vanity plate is $96, for example, while a Red Sox Foundation personalized plate is $134.7CT.gov. Get Special and Vanity DMV Plates
Veterans plates are available on any vehicle owned or leased by a veteran for at least one year. Disabled wartime veterans with qualifying VA-rated disabilities get theirs for free. The plates also exempt the vehicle from overtime parking fines, provided it isn’t left in the same spot for more than 24 hours, and a surviving spouse can keep the plates and that benefit until death or remarriage.8Connecticut General Assembly. Veterans’ Benefits
Antique plates go on vehicles at least 20 years old that have been preserved for historical interest and remain unaltered from the original manufacturer’s specifications.9Justia. Connecticut Code 14-1 – Definitions That last condition matters: a swapped engine, modern wheels, or other departures from original specs disqualify the car no matter its age. The upsides are real, though. Connecticut doesn’t require a title for vehicles more than 20 model years old,10CT.gov. Proof of Ownership Requirements for Vehicles and the assessed value of a qualifying antique is capped at $500 for property tax purposes.11Connecticut General Assembly. Assessment Limit on Antique Vehicles
Temporary Registration
Bought a car and need to drive it before permanent plates arrive? A temporary registration from the DMV costs $21 per 10-day period. Commercial vehicles pay more: $27 for those 6,000 pounds or less, $49 for heavier ones.12CT.gov. Get a Temporary Registration The temporary marker has to be displayed visibly.
If you’re buying from a licensed dealer and you already hold a current Connecticut registration on another vehicle, the dealer can issue a 60-day temporary transfer of that registration to the new car, giving you time to finish the paperwork.13Justia. Connecticut Code 14-61 – Issuance of Temporary Transfer of Registration by Dealer
Transferring and Cancelling Plates
When you swap one vehicle for another, Connecticut lets you carry your existing plates over. That’s especially useful if you’ve paid for vanity or specialty plates you want to keep. Any remaining time on the old registration credits toward the new one.14CT.gov. Transfer Your License Plate From One Car to Another
If you’re getting rid of a vehicle entirely, the state doesn’t require you to return the plates. You can discard them.15CT.gov. Cancel Your Registration and Plates Deface them first, though, by bending, cutting, or scratching out the characters so they can’t be reused. And cancel the registration itself within 10 days if you’re not re-registering the vehicle, or you face a $50 infraction.16Connecticut Judicial Branch. State of Connecticut Superior Court Infractions Schedule Penalties
Penalties at a Glance
Public Act 23-40 reclassified several plate-related offenses, and most everyday violations are now infractions carrying fixed fines with no court appearance required. From the Superior Court’s infractions schedule:16Connecticut Judicial Branch. State of Connecticut Superior Court Infractions Schedule Penalties
- Failure to display plates or a valid sticker: $50
- Obscured, illegible, or improperly attached plates: $50
- Operating or parking an unregistered vehicle: $50
- Failure to renew registration: $50
- Failure to cancel a lapsed registration within 10 days: $50
One violation is notably steeper: a Connecticut resident driving with plates issued by another state faces a $250 fine, though a first-time offender can have it suspended by presenting proof of Connecticut registration before the fine is imposed.6Justia. Connecticut Code 14-12 – Registration Required
The serious plate offenses remain criminal. Counterfeiting a license plate, making an unauthorized substitute marker, or forging a registration document is a class D misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $250.17Justia. Connecticut Code 14-147 – Improper Use of Number Plate or Marker, Registration or License18Connecticut General Assembly. Table on Penalties Selling or loaning a plate or registration certificate issued by the commissioner for use on a different vehicle is a separate infraction.