Out of state tags

[TrekLove]

I currently go to school in Missouri (Mizzou) but my car is registered to my home state, which is 15 hours away. My inspection tags expire in October, I was going to drive home during a long weekend in October to get them renewed but my parents decided that I shouldn't and should just wait for when I come home for winter break in December. Now their reasoning is that if I get pulled over, a MO police officer/trooper cannot give me a ticket for the expired tags.

Is this true? I would rather just suck it up and take the car home for the long weekend in October and not chance getting a ticket.

[Ispbear]

It doesn't matter what state your from, if you tags are expired you still get a ticket for operation without registration. Your parents are wrong, why dont you just have them pay for the tags and mail them to you?

[TrekLove]

Sorry I guess I should of clarified, my home state, PA, requires yearly emissions and safety inspections, which I believe are the stickers on my front windshield. I also have the little sticker on the back of my license plate, is that the registration sticker? Is that completley separate from the ones on the windshield? Could I just get my registration renewed and hold off on the inspection until December? Could a MO officer ticket me for not have the safety and emissions inspections up to date?

Even so, I live on the Eastern side of PA, which means that I would have to drive through the whole state and I would rather not have any expired sticker on my car when I'm driving through my home state.

[G35 Mass]

Generally a vehicle can be re-REGISTERED in absentia, and often online. It may require you signing a "Power of Attorney" to have a parent register your car in-person at a DMV branch if your wonderful state requires it. I know in my state, Tinker Bell can renew my registration with nothing other than the $ in hand.

The vehicle will have to be present in it's home-state to be INSPECTED.


Registration issues can be enforced nationwide (as far as I know).

Inspection sticker issues vary from state to state. (Ex, In Mass, I can't enforce an expired out of state inspection. I know other states can enforce an expired Mass inspection).

If it's just your inspection, I imagine you could do it at ANY inspection station in your state, not just one near home. You could go to one in the western side of the state, correct?

[retdetsgt]

You have to do whatever you have to do to keep current tags on your car. If it entails going back home or registering your car in the state where you're going to school, so be it. Being inconvenient isn't an excuse nor a defense in court to drive with expired license tags.

[DeltaV]

If Missouri doesn't require inspections then you won't get cited if the car doesn't have a current inspection sticker. You still will get cited if the registration is expired, as every state has laws requiring vehicles to be currently registered.

[greg72982]

You also need to have an updated registration to get inspection/emissions...Since you're from PA just renew your plate online. I've been doing it for years and I live here. Have your parents mail the updated sticker to you.

As far as getting cited in MO for expired inspection that depends on MO law...

[mcsap]

PA Vehicle Code section 4703 ,c Inspection of Vehicles reentering this Commonwelath Vehicles subject to registration and inspection in this Commonwealth which have been outside this Commonwealth continously for 30 days or moreand which , at the time of reeentering this Commonwealth , do not bear a currently valid certificate of inspection shall not be required to be inspected until 10 days after reentering this Commonwealth.

Bottom line ....as long as your registration is current ( can be renewed online ) you can have expired inspection as long as you have been outside of PA for 30 continous days or more.

Find this law on-line. Print it out and carry it with you. But you must still get your license plate renewed. And when you do drive back to PA , you get 10 days to get it done.