Why Are There So Many Vehicles Without License Plates?
If you have been driving around lately, you may have noticed a lot of vehicles are out on the roads without license plates. I'm not talking about driving around with expired tags, but rather no metal license plate at all. Have people stopped buying license plates for their vehicle in 2020?
Rest assured, the state of Michigan is not going to let you get away without paying for license plates for your auto. However, due to the coronavirus, it is becoming tougher to get new plates when ownership of a vehicle is transferred, and you need to get new plates.
I turned to social media to get some feedback to find out what other people are experiencing...
Have we just stopped buying license plates in Michigan? I see so many vehicles lately with no license plate or temporary plate.
Posted by Scott Winters on Tuesday, December 8, 2020
The problem stems from very limited hours at the Secretary of State offices here in our state.
According to the website for the Michigan Secretary of State: "Customers can make an appointment up to six months in advance or for the next day online at Michigan.gov/SOS.
Appointments from 11 am to 3 pm can be booked up to six months early. Appointments from 9 am to 11 am and from 3 pm to 5 pm are reserved for customers to book one day in advance.
Morning appointments open for booking at 8 am the previous day. Afternoon appointments open for booking at noon the previous day. Monday appointments open for booking Friday.
Many transactions can be completed from home by mail or using online services. Vehicle registration tabs can be printed immediately at any of our self-service stations."
From the comments on my Facebook post, it looks like appointments are running two to three months out. People are now booking appointments for the end of February and into the month of March!
So if you see a vehicle without a license plate, or even the paper temporary license plate -- now you know why!