CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — An important deadline is now beginning to loom over Texans. According to an updated from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, expired registrations must be renewed on or before April 14.
Although a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety said officers may practice a 5 to 7-day grace period, state and local police will revert back to a “business-as-usual” practice once the deadline hits.
A citation for expired or no license plate registration can result in a $210 fine, they added.
Although the line at the Nueces County Courthouse’s Motor Vehicle Department moved at a steady pace, the county’s tax assessor, Kevin Kieschnick, said there are easier alternatives if you’re just trying to renew your vehicle — expired or not.
“If you just have a motor vehicle registration, go online to TXDMV.gov, get a copy of your receipt, you’re good to go. It (provides you with) proof of registration for 30 days until your sticker comes in the mail,” Kieschnick said. “Or, you can go to any of the 11 H-E-B‘s — up to nine months expired — that’s a big change from the way it used to be, TX DMV allowed us to do that starting early fall.
Kieschnick adds that prospective renewers make certain that they provide the necessary information, including proof of inspection.
“You don’t have to have your renewal slip, you just need to have your plate number or your last four of your VIN number,” he said.
Kieschnick said, based on data from the Texas DMV that 20 percent of vehicles within Nueces County are currently expired.
In his experience, Kieschnick adds that March and April are generally some of the busiest times to register a vehicle due to tax return money coming in. He said, that coupled with the most-recent stimulus checks are leading to many people purchasing cars.
