Peeling license plate? Here's how to get it replaced

A person can be pulled over and fined $100 for having a license plate that is deemed 'illegible,' according to the Department of Motor Vehicles

A person can be pulled over and fined $100 for having a license plate that is deemed 'illegible,' according to the Department of Motor Vehicles

REPLACEMENT. LILY: IT IS SOMETHING YOU MAY NOT HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT BEFORE BUT IF YOUR LICENSE PLATE LOOKS LIKE THIS OR MAYBE EVEN THIS, IT IS PROBABLY TIME TO GET A NEW ONE. PEELING PAINT. >> YOU RIP IT OFF IN ONE PIECE. LILY: CRUMBLING LETTERS, EVEN MISSING NUMBERS. >> IT IS PEELING OFF. THE NEXT SNOWFALL IT MIGHT SCRAPE OFF. LILY: YOU MAY HAVE SEEN IT ON THE ROADS OR EVEN IN YOUR DRIVEWAY. >> WE SEE A TON. LILY: CORPORAL CHRIS FABIAN SAYS PEELING PLATES LIKE THIS ONE ARE MORE OF A PROBLEM THAN PEOPLE REALIZE. >> IF YOU CAN’T READ THEM, PEOPLE GET NERVOUS. WE DON’T WANT TO SEE PEOPLE GET PULLED OVER OR STOPPED. LILY: A LICENSE PLATE IS DEEMED LEGIBLE WHEN ONE OR MORE LETTERS OR NUMBERS CANNOT BE RECOGNIZED FROM 50 FEET AWAY. OR IF THE LICENSE PLATE SHOWS ANY BLISTERING, PEELING, DISCOLORATION OR LOSS OF REFLECTIVITY. >> I TRIED TO MAKE IT READABLE FOR THEM, BUT THAT IS A BIG NO-NO, SO I DON’T RECOMMEND THAT. LILY: SO WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU NEED YOUR PLATE REPLACED? HEAD TO THE PENNDOT WEBSITE AND LOOK FOR THE FORM. YOU CAN THEN TAKE THE FORM TO YOUR LOCAL DEPARTMENT AND HAVE THEM INSPECT THE PLATE. YOU WILL FILL OUT THE FORM AND THEN SEND THAT FORM TO PENNDOT WHERE YOU WILL GET A NEW PLATE IN THE MAIL. ON THE WEBSITE, YOU CAN ALSO ASK FOR A FORM AT ANY OFFICIAL PENNSYLVANIA INSPECTION STATION. >> AND MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO TO FIX IT. LILY: YOU CAN ALSO LOOK FOR AN EVENT LIKE THIS ONE THAT WILL WALK YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS STEP-BY-STEP. YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO GET OUT OF YOUR CAR. >> YOU PUT IT ON THE CAR AND BRING YOUR OLD ONE BACK. LILY: REPRESENTATIVE BROWN SAYS THEY PLAN TO DO MORE EVENTS LIKE THIS IN THE FUTURE, BUT IF YOU DON’T LIVE IN THE NEWCASTLE AREA , WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR YOU A

Peeling license plate? Here's how to get it replaced

A person can be pulled over and fined $100 for having a license plate that is deemed 'illegible,' according to the Department of Motor Vehicles

You may have seen them on the road and not even given it a second thought. But did you know that a license plate that is peeling or hard to read can get you pulled over and even fined? "We see a ton," explained Corporal Christopher Fabian with the city of New Castle Police Department. "I know working on the street when you are following a car, you can't read the plate. People get nervous, and we don't want to see anyone get stopped or pulled over."A person can be pulled over and fined $100 for having a license plate that is deemed "illegible," according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says a plate is considered illegible when one or more letters or numbers cannot be recognized from 50 feet away. If the license plate shows any blistering, peeling, discoloration or loss of reflectivity, it is also considered illegible."We have a series out there now, where a lot of them are peeling," said Corporal Fabian. "People don't know what to do, we want to help them get new plates."On Jan. 26, State Representative Marla Brown, R-Lawrence, held a hard-to-read license plate event outside of her district office in New Castle. She teamed up with Corporal Fabian and the rest of the New Castle Police Department."Most people don't know what to do to fix it," said Rep. Brown. "We are just trying to make it as convenient and easy as possible." The event started at 9 a.m., and by that time, Corporal Fabian had already checked about 10 cars. The event was well attended, with dozens of people getting registered for a new plate. Brown says they plan to do additional events in the future. However, if you do need your plate replaced, there are other options. To get your plate replaced, visit PennDOT's website and look for the MV-44 Form. Vehicle owners can also visit any official Pennsylvania inspection station for verification that their registration plate is illegible and ask for an MV-46 Form. Once either of those forms is filled out by a police officer or person who completes state inspections, drivers must send that form to PennDOT. New plates will arrive in a few weeks. According to PennDOT's website, the old plate should be destroyed or returned to PennDOT to be recycled. The old plates can be returned via mail to: Bureau of Motor Vehicles Return Tag UnitP.O. Box 68597Harrisburg, PA 17106-8597

You may have seen them on the road and not even given it a second thought. But did you know that a license plate that is peeling or hard to read can get you pulled over and even fined?

"We see a ton," explained Corporal Christopher Fabian with the city of New Castle Police Department. "I know working on the street when you are following a car, you can't read the plate. People get nervous, and we don't want to see anyone get stopped or pulled over."

A person can be pulled over and fined $100 for having a license plate that is deemed "illegible," according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says a plate is considered illegible when one or more letters or numbers cannot be recognized from 50 feet away. If the license plate shows any blistering, peeling, discoloration or loss of reflectivity, it is also considered illegible.

"We have a series out there now, where a lot of them are peeling," said Corporal Fabian. "People don't know what to do, we want to help them get new plates."

On Jan. 26, State Representative Marla Brown, R-Lawrence, held a hard-to-read license plate event outside of her district office in New Castle. She teamed up with Corporal Fabian and the rest of the New Castle Police Department.

"Most people don't know what to do to fix it," said Rep. Brown. "We are just trying to make it as convenient and easy as possible."

The event started at 9 a.m., and by that time, Corporal Fabian had already checked about 10 cars. The event was well attended, with dozens of people getting registered for a new plate.

Brown says they plan to do additional events in the future. However, if you do need your plate replaced, there are other options.

To get your plate replaced, visit PennDOT's website and look for the MV-44 Form. Vehicle owners can also visit any official Pennsylvania inspection station for verification that their registration plate is illegible and ask for an MV-46 Form.

Once either of those forms is filled out by a police officer or person who completes state inspections, drivers must send that form to PennDOT. New plates will arrive in a few weeks. According to PennDOT's website, the old plate should be destroyed or returned to PennDOT to be recycled. The old plates can be returned via mail to:

Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Return Tag Unit
P.O. Box 68597
Harrisburg, PA 17106-8597

Peeling license plate? Here's how to get it replaced

A person can be pulled over and fined $100 for having a license plate that is deemed 'illegible,' according to the Department of Motor Vehicles

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