JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri – When you buy a car in Missouri, you will get temporary tags after signing the papers. You need to go to a Department of Revenue office or the DMV within 30 days to pay the sales tax and get your license plates.
Some drivers might choose to use outdated temporary tags because they find the sales tax too costly to pay all at once.
For example, if a car is priced at $10,000 in the city, you might pay about $1,000 in sales tax. Some drivers might choose to take the risk of driving with outdated tags instead of paying a $100 or $200 ticket.
Missouri State Rep. Brad Pollitt (R-District 52) wants to crack down on drivers.
For the last two legislative sessions, the congressman from Sedalia has been advocating for bills that would allow police in the state to stop any car with a temporary tag to check if it’s still valid. Pollitt’s progress in 2024 stopped in the Missouri House. His new bill, HB 378, aims to fix this by adding stricter sanctions.
The 2025 law being added to Missouri Law 301.140 lets police stop and check cars if they have a good reason to believe that a driver’s temporary tag is expired. If the temporary tag has been changed or has been outdated for more than 60 days, the driver will receive a ticket and a $250 fine.
If the person registers the car within 30 days of getting the ticket, the local prosecutor will cancel the ticket, court fees will be removed, and it won’t show on the person’s driving record.
If the owner or driver does not register the car, the director of revenue will take away or restrict the owner’s driving privileges. You will get your driving rights back once the vehicle is registered.
If this doesn’t happen and the driver gets another ticket for a temporary tag, the car will be taken away until it is registered.
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