In Tennessee, you generally do not have to return your license plates to the state. When you sell, trade in, donate, or scrap a vehicle, you remove the plates and either keep them for your next vehicle or destroy them. The state only requires you to surrender plates in specific circumstances, mainly when your registration has been revoked, suspended, or cancelled under the financial responsibility laws. Specialty and personalized plates follow a separate set of rules.
What to Do With Your Plates After Selling a Vehicle
The moment you transfer ownership, the registration on that vehicle expires by operation of law, and you are required to remove the plates before handing the car over.1FindLaw. Tennessee Code Title 55 Motor and Other Vehicles 55-4-118 After that, you have two practical choices: put them on another vehicle you own, or destroy them so no one else can use them. There is no requirement to mail them back or drop them off at the county clerk.
The same holds if you trade the car to a dealer, donate it, or send it to a scrapyard. Take the plates off first.
Why You Should Never Leave Plates on a Car You Sold
Plates in Tennessee are tied to you, not the vehicle. If you leave them on a car after selling it, they remain registered in your name. Toll violations, red-light tickets, parking citations, and worse can come back to you first, and clearing your name takes time and sometimes money.
If the plates are already gone with the vehicle and you cannot recover them, cancel the registration. Download the Vehicle License Plates Cancellation form, fill in your information along with the vehicle identification number, plate number, and the reason, and email it to VS.CallCenter@tn.gov.2TN.gov. Vehicle License Plates Cancellation Form The form lists accepted reasons: sold or traded with plate attached, lost or destroyed plate, stolen plate (police report required), deceased owner (death certificate required), divorce changing ownership (decree required), owner moved out of state, and vehicles that were towed, scrapped, donated, or repossessed with the plate still on.
When Tennessee Legally Requires You to Surrender Plates
If your registration is revoked, suspended, or cancelled under Tennessee’s financial responsibility or motor vehicle insurance laws, you must immediately surrender the registration to the commissioner of revenue. This is not optional. If you refuse, the commissioner of safety can direct a peace officer to come take the plates and registration from you.3Justia. Tennessee Code 55-12-127 – Surrender of License or Registration Upon Revocation, Suspension or Cancellation
This mandatory surrender is limited to registrations cancelled under those specific chapters. It does not sweep in ordinary situations like selling a car, moving away, or letting a registration lapse on its own.
The Penalty for Failing to Surrender
Willfully failing to return a revoked, suspended, or cancelled registration within 20 days is a Class C misdemeanor in Tennessee. The maximum punishment is 30 days in jail, a fine of up to $50, or both.3Justia. Tennessee Code 55-12-127 – Surrender of License or Registration Upon Revocation, Suspension or Cancellation4Justia. Tennessee Code 40-35-111 – Authorized Terms of Imprisonment and Fines
There is also a financial consequence. If you could not show proof of financial responsibility at the time of cancellation and you also fail to surrender within 20 days, you owe a $75 reinstatement fee to the Department of Safety before your license or registration can be restored, on top of any other reinstatement requirements.3Justia. Tennessee Code 55-12-127 – Surrender of License or Registration Upon Revocation, Suspension or Cancellation
Specialty and Personalized Plates
Specialty and personalized plates are handled differently. If you stop meeting the eligibility requirements for a specialty plate while your registration is still active, you must destroy it immediately. The same goes for any plate that is mutilated or worn to the point that it no longer meets legal requirements.5TN.gov. Surrendering a License Plate
If the plate is still in acceptable condition and you simply want to give it up or no longer qualify, you surrender it at your county clerk’s office when your registration comes up for renewal. You can exchange it for a regular passenger plate at that time.5TN.gov. Surrendering a License Plate
Transferring Plates to Your Next Vehicle
Because plates follow the owner, you can transfer your current plate to a new vehicle at the county clerk’s office instead of buying a new one. The catch: the new vehicle must be titled in exactly the same name as the old one. Adding or removing a co-owner breaks the transfer.6Williamson County, TN – Official Site. Vehicle Title and Registration
Transfer fees vary by county but usually run about $17 to $21. Bring your current registration. Transferring the plate also lets you skip the emissions test on the new vehicle until your next renewal.
Moving Out of Tennessee
Tennessee does not chase you for old plates when you move away. Your new state will handle registration on its end, and most states require you to surrender or destroy the Tennessee plates as part of registering there. Even so, cancel your Tennessee registration using the same cancellation form; “registered owner moved out of state” is one of the listed reasons.2TN.gov. Vehicle License Plates Cancellation Form That closes the loop and keeps an old Tennessee record from causing problems later.
How to Cancel a Plate’s Registration
The process is the same regardless of the reason. Download the Vehicle License Plates Cancellation form from the Tennessee Department of Revenue, complete it with your name, address, VIN, plate number, and reason for cancellation, attach any supporting document the form requires (a death certificate, divorce decree, or police report, depending on the situation), and email everything to VS.CallCenter@tn.gov.2TN.gov. Vehicle License Plates Cancellation Form If the plate is no longer in your possession, canceling is the step that severs your name from whatever happens with it next.