Notary News

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Buying or Transferring a used vehicle in PA

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Buyer and seller must come in. Seller must bring the original PA Title and valid PA Drivers license or ID card. The buyer must bring their valid PA Drivers license or PA ID card along with a valid insurance card listing the vehicle to be purchased. (You need to contact your current auto insurance agent and add the vehicle to your insurance and have them email you a new current Insurance card.)

If the buyer is going to use a current valid registration plate from another vehicle you need the registration card and current insurance card from that vehicle.

PA Sales tax will be due based on the price of the vehicle. If the price of the vehicle is less than 80% of the current market value, (PennDot checks the value in the online system), then and additional form is required explaining the reason to be signed by both the buyer and seller.

The buyers address on the drivers license MUST be current or have a change of address card issued by PennDOT.

An existing registration plate may be transferred between spouses or between parents including step-parents or parents in-law and their children including step children or children in-law.

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PA Drivers License Check BEFORE tag or title transfer.

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Beginning November 30, 2022 all PA Vehicle title and tag transfers will require the BUYERS drivers license or ID to be validated prior to completing the transfer. If for some reason the DL cannot be validated the transaction cannot be completed. A letter will be issued to the buyer to contact PennDOT directly to correct the issue. The validation will be done by agents online. There will be an additional fee for the DL validation.

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Road User Charge (RUC) for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in PA

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Acts 85 and 149 of 2024

Starting April 1, 2025, Pennsylvania will begin to charge electric vehicle (EV) and plug-
in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) owners a yearly Road User Charge (RUC) fee. This fee is

required by Act 85 of 2024 (later amended by Act 149 of 2024), which was passed by
the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Shapiro. Act 85 of 2024 set the
Commonwealth on a path to modernize how EV and PHEV owners support road and
bridge maintenance.
The new law creates a fair way for all drivers to help maintain Pennsylvania’s
transportation network, ensuring that EV and PHEV owners who pay no or very little gas
tax are also contributing to Pennsylvania’s Motor License Fund for highway and bridge
maintenance. Registrants driving a gas-powered car already contribute to the
maintenance of Pennsylvania’s road and bridge network through gas taxes.
Owners or registrants of EVs and PHEVs with a gross vehicle weight rating of not more
than 14,000 pounds will pay an annual electric vehicle RUC concurrent with paying the
vehicle registration fee.
Vehicle owners that had a new registration for an EV or PHEV issued on or after April 1,
2025, will be subject to the RUC. The Department of Transportation will send a RUC
coupon to the owner or registrant for the payment of the RUC for the initial registration.
The owner/registrant in return will mail the RUC coupon to the Department of
Transportation with a check or money order made payable to the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
Owners or registrants that renew their vehicle registration that expires after May 2025
for an EV or PHEV will also be subject to the RUC. The Department of Transportation
will send a RUC coupon to the owner or registrant for the payment of the RUC for their
recent vehicle registration renewal. The owner/registrant will return the RUC coupon by
mail with a check or money order made payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

RUC Amounts for EV and PHEV owners:
Year EVs PHEVs (25% of EV Fee)
2025 One year: $200
Two year: $400

One year: $50
Two year: $100

2026 One year: $250
Two year: $500

One year: $63
Two year: $126

Each Jan. 1
thereafter

Tied to consumer price index
(CPI)

25% of EV fee, rounded to the
nearest whole dollar

Notary News Tag & Title

PA Liberty Bell Plates

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Pennsylvania’s new Liberty Bell License Plates are now being issued.

Pennsylvania is the birthplace of American democracy — and with all eyes on our Commonwealth as we prepare to host our country’s 250th birthday in 2026, our new license plates celebrate the best of what the Commonwealth has to offer. We can’t wait to see your plates on the road! 

Plates will be available for standard vehicles and trucks, including personalized plates. If you have a specialty plate (military, special fund, or organization plate), switching to the new plate will replace it with a standard plate. 

You can also take this opportunity to request a new personalized plate. All personalized plates will be made in the new Liberty Bell style.

Watch this page for updates on when the new plate becomes available Commonwealth-wide!

Overview

​PennDOT issues standard issue license plates for vehicles. These plates serve as the basic form of vehicl​e registration and identification. ​

Pennsylvania also offers Special Fund(opens in a new tab), Specialty(opens in a new tab),  Military(opens in a new tab) and Special Organization*(opens in a new tab) license plates, the majority of which can be personalized. All available license plates can be found here.(opens in a new tab) For more information, please reference the Personalized License Plates Fact Sheet(opens in a new tab) (PDF). Before applying, you can check availability of personalized license plates online(opens in a new tab).

*Please contact your organization directly to obtain an application for a Special Organization License Plate.

NOTE: Registration fees include the cost of a standard license plate for first time issuance. Additional fees apply for specialty license plates.  Refer to Form MV-70S(opens in a new tab) (PDF), “Bureau of Motor Vehicle Schedule of Fees,” for additional fee information.

Illegible License Plate Replacement

A license plate is deemed illegible when one or more numbers or letters cannot be recognized from 50 feet or if the registration plate shows any blistering, peeling, discoloration or loss of reflectivity. When a license plate becomes illegible, PennDOT has two main ways of replacing them.


First, the law allows PennDOT to replace a license plate upon request of a vehicle owner when an authorized representative of PennDOT or law enforcement determines that a license plate is illegible.  Vehicle safety inspection mechanics are authorized representatives of PennDOT for purposes of determining if a license plate is legible. 

To apply for a free replacement of your current license plate, the vehicle owner should print Form MV-46(opens in a new tab) and take it to either a law enforcement official or a certified inspection station to verify the need for a replacement due to illegibility. The vehicle owner is then responsible for signing and returning the completed Form MV-46(opens in a new tab) to PennDOT in order to receive a replacement license plate free of charge.

For more information about this program, please reference the Registration Plate Re-Issuance Fact Sheet (Illegible Registration Plate Replacement) FAQ(opens in a new tab).

Second, the law also allows PennDOT to order a general reissuance. Standard issue passenger license plates that start with the tag configuration  ‘G’, ‘H’, ‘J’, ‘K’ and truck license plates that start with tag configuration ‘Y’, are among the oldest on the road and need to be replaced. So, if you have a standard issue license plate beginning with a ‘G’, ‘H’, ‘J’, ‘K’ or ‘Y’, you will get a new license plate the next time your license plate is transferred to a different vehicle. Passenger license plates that start with a tag configuration ‘D’, ‘E’ and ‘F’ are the oldest plates on the road. PennDOT has begun replacing the ‘D’, ‘E’ and ‘F’ configuration through the mail. Customers will receive a letter informing them when they should expect to receive their new plate.

Returning a license plate.

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

Once your plate has been received by PennDOT, it will be marked as a “dead tag” on the vehicle record. Returning your Pennsylvania license plate to PennDOT will help protect you from vehicle fraud.

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