So, if I forgot to register my car last year archived

We missed re-registering one of our cars for a few months last year and we just had to pay the fee. I think that fines only kick in if you are ticketed for the lack of current registration.

Thanks sac. Fingers crossed I don't get a ticket on my way there in the AM.

If you get caught driving an unregistered car, they will impound it. The cops have a device that automatically checks registration of cars as they drive by. You've been lucky! I learned this when a lady was pulled over in front of my house for expired reg. The cop let her leave the car in my driveway so she could take a cab home and to DMV to renew. Otherwise he would have had to call a tow truck. Must be off the streets immediately.

posted by kthnry: "If you get caught driving an unregistered car, they will impound it"
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Absolutely not true, at least in NJ.
Speaking from experience here. Most towns have fines around $50-$60 for failure to register. Some towns do have the device that automatically flags the expired registration. But all you need to do to remediate is pay your ticket and go register your car. Unfortunately, once you've missed your registration expiration, you need to register in person at DMV. That could be almost as unpleasant as having the vehicle impounded.

I agree.

Last year I was stopped for expired registration, 5 months expired, and the officer wrote me a ticket and let me drive home. They informed that they COULD impound my car, but let me drive it home. The impound line is waaay shorter than the registration line! LOL

kthnry said:

The cop let her leave the car in my driveway so she could take a cab home and to DMV to renew.

With your permission, I hope
;-)

ice said:

posted by kthnry: "If you get caught driving an unregistered car, they will impound it"
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Absolutely not true, at least in NJ.

Actually, I believe it is true. Even if it is parked unoccupied, but on a public, street they can still tow it if it is not registered. If someone gets a ticket but is allowed to drive it home, they probably met a really nice officer and also were probably just a few days out of date.

a couple of years ago my neighbor was driving her husband to the south orange train station and the car's registration had expired.
the car was impounded and she had to walk, with her toddler and 2 dogs, to hertz to rent a car to get home.

that was a d!ckhead move.

OK, I stand corrected - from NJ vehicle code:

39:3-4. Except as hereinafter provided, every resident of this State and every nonresident whose automobile or motorcycle shall be driven in this State shall, before using such vehicle on the public highways, register the same, and no automobile or motorcycle shall be driven unless so registered.
...
No person owning or having control over any unregistered vehicle shall permit the same to be parked or to stand on a public highway.
..
Any police officer is authorized to remove any unregistered vehicle from the public highway to a storage space or garage, and the expense involved in such removal and storing of the vehicle shall be borne by the owner of the vehicle, except that the expense shall be borne by the lessee of a leased vehicle.
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That said, i think impoundment for expired registration is, in practice, the exception and not the rule. Like a lot of other similar situations, the attitude of the vehicle operator may end up having a lot to do with it. When the spouse got pulled over for a +6month expired registration recently, the officer stated it was no big deal, just get it registered (oh and of course - 'here's your ticket')

ice said:

OK, I stand corrected - from NJ vehicle code:

Wait! You can't go putting real facts on MOL!
;-)

ice said:

That said, i think impoundment for expired registration is, in practice, the exception and not the rule. Like a lot of other similar situations, the attitude of the vehicle operator may end up having a lot to do with it.

I think it actually varies by town more than by officer. Some towns have a near zero tolerance policy, and if an officer wrote an expired registration ticket for a car that was 6 months out of date, and didn't impound the car, they would have a LOT of explaining to do to their supervisors.

I was stopped in Union. 5 months expired, no impound. It was a lady officer and my million dollar smile probobly had something to with it :-D

They will impound it only under certain conditions, like if you are a complete *sshole to the cop when he pulls you over. Be advised, they can now check your registration without pulling you over. The Wife Unit was driving by the Kemper Insurance building a few weeks ago. There was a police cruiser just observing traffic (or so I thought). She made her way to Morris Avenue and made a right. The cop followed her, and pulled her over for an expired registration. She had a few strategic PBA cards which were very subtley shown to the cop, who then stated she should get the registration fixed as soon as possible (we did it the next). Anyway, I asked him how he knew about our registration being expired, and he stated they now take pictures of license plates, and get an almost instantaneous reply showing if the plates belong to that vehicle, and if the registration is up to date.

You may want to bring the title and your expired registration to the mv office. You will also need the information on the insurance card, company code #, Insurance company name and policy number.

I was stopped in Newark, years ago, while headed to pick up family at the airport. It was newly expired, and the car was impounded. It was awful!

Expired registration = a hook (tow) in Maplewood. From what I understand, that is SOP.

There is typically zero tolerance for towing unregistered vehicles, whether parked legally on a public street or an officer discovers its unregistered on a traffic stop. The town becomes liable if the PD allows an unregistered vehicle to drive away and there is a subsequent incident, i.e. accident, involving that vehicle.

the 18th letter, you were very lucky - the officer took a big professional risk by writing the ticket and then letting you drive away. In MW it is an automatic ticket and tow, no questions.

It is important to keep your registration card / paperwork in the vehicle, especially when you acquire a new vehicle because DMV can screw it up or there may be a lag in the system. But showing an officer proper paperwork on scene will have you on your way, assuming that was the only reason you were stopped.

Sounds like I need to hide my car in the garage until I make my way to the DMV tomorrow to resolve this.

DEFCON_Creator said:

They will impound it only under certain conditions, like if you are a complete *sshole to the cop when he pulls you over. Be advised, they can now check your registration without pulling you over. The Wife Unit was driving by the Kemper Insurance building a few weeks ago. There was a police cruiser just observing traffic (or so I thought). She made her way to Morris Avenue and made a right. The cop followed her, and pulled her over for an expired registration. She had a few strategic PBA cards which were very subtley shown to the cop, who then stated she should get the registration fixed as soon as possible (we did it the next). Anyway, I asked him how he knew about our registration being expired, and he stated they now take pictures of license plates, and get an almost instantaneous reply showing if the plates belong to that vehicle, and if the registration is up to date.

There are license plate readers available to PDs but they are expensive and not all towns have them. However, most if not all police vehicles have computers in them these days and an officer can run a plate as a routine check for a valid registration and a valid DL for the registered owner.

I was stopped a few years ago and realized my company did not send me a new registration. The car was impounded.

ice said:

posted by kthnry: "If you get caught driving an unregistered car, they will impound it"
_________________

Absolutely not true, at least in NJ.
Speaking from experience here. Most towns have fines around $50-$60 for failure to register. Some towns do have the device that automatically flags the expired registration. But all you need to do to remediate is pay your ticket and go register your car. Unfortunately, once you've missed your registration expiration, you need to register in person at DMV. That could be almost as unpleasant as having the vehicle impounded.

WRONG. We were driving in Montclair, and a cop came up behind us at a light. I hadn't even realized we didn't register the previous year, because we had moved and the reminder didn't get forwarded.

The cop made us get out, the car was towed to a pound in Montclair, and we had to get a taxi home. We had to wait a weekend to get the car back, because the place wasn't open, but they charged us for an extra day.

If you are pulled over or a copy runs your plates for any reason (this cop was simply sitting behind us at a light and ran our plates just for the hell of it!) you WILL be asked to leave your car, it will be towed, and you will have to pay to get it out of the pound where it is stored.

If you can, I'd say drive another car until you get this rectified.

I meant to type "cop," not "copy."

I had my car towed when I was stopped by auto scanner 2 houses away from my house. Cops let me drive to my house to take the carseats out. I was extremely nice to them, especially because I had no idea my registration was expired. They towed the car anyway, and told me "it's a danger to have unregistered cars on the road or even in your driveway." So. Yeah, stick it in the garage.
And please, get to the DMV early and with ALL DOCUMENTATION.

pappabear said:

the 18th letter, you were very lucky - the officer took a big professional risk by writing the ticket and then letting you drive away.

I don't doubt that I was at ALL! Hell if the driver the officer stopped someone before me, and he/she was an azzhole I might not have been so lucky. Dealing with police officers is tricky, as they are human too and subject to having a bad day.

You will also have to pay the registration fee for every year that you were unregistered. Imagine how happy I was to re-register a motorcycle that had been in cold storage for 6 years before I decided to see it.

It may very well be town by town. My experiences in Millburn and Livingston indicate that the officers (at least the ones we dealt with) are not anxious to impound vehicles for expired registrations. They treated it as a purely administrative matter.

In the incident I mentioned above, with the lady in front of my house who left her car in my driveway, the officer told me that if their automatic scanner device detects the expired registration, they have no choice but to impound the car because all expired registrations are reported to the shift commander and the officer has to document the disposition of each case. He was really glad we worked out the arrangement with my driveway. He wasn't looking forward to impounding someone's car.

I had my parked car impounded in Millburn for expired registration. (But it was 3 years expired, and from a different state. I was spoiled by living in DC, where there are cars from so many different states coming and going all the time that they don't even bother checking out-of-state cars.)

Bazza, they towed from your driveway?!?!

mammabear said:

Expired registration = a hook (tow) in Maplewood. From what I understand, that is SOP.

Not for me it wasn't.

I suggest contributing to the Maplewood PBA and include your vehicle types with the check.

ctrzaska said:

mammabear said:

Expired registration = a hook (tow) in Maplewood. From what I understand, that is SOP.

Not for me it wasn't.

me either , several times in maplewood and the only questions I ever get are either "whats under the hood?" or "what kind of car is this?" (no logos or badges anywhere).

I'm stupid careful now, I renew in person about a month early and make copies of everything.

ice said:

Unfortunately, once you've missed your registration expiration, you need to register in person at DMV.

That was not my experience. I was able to register my car online several months late.