Yes. In most cases you must return your license plates in Maine when you sell, transfer, or stop using a vehicle. You do it by filing a notarized Plate Cancellation Request (form MVR-60) with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and surrendering the plates, either in person at a BMV branch or by mail to the central office in Augusta.1Maine.gov. Plate Cancellation Request Form MVR-60 A narrow exception exists for plate designs the Secretary of State no longer issues, which become your property once the registration is cancelled.
When You Need to Return the Plates
Your Maine registration expires automatically when you transfer or assign title or interest in the vehicle.2Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A – Section 463 Disposition of Registration Plates From that moment the plates are no longer valid. The common situations:
- You sold or traded in the vehicle.
- You’re taking a vehicle off the road for good, whether scrapping, junking, or putting it into long-term storage without maintaining registration.
- You’re canceling your insurance. If your insurer reports a lapse, the registration can be suspended. Surrender the plates before you cancel the policy, not after.
- You moved out of state and registered the vehicle elsewhere. Submit the MVR-60 and mail the plates back so your Maine record closes cleanly.
How to File the MVR-60 and Surrender the Plates
The MVR-60 asks for your registration number, the vehicle identification number, and signatures from every person listed on the registration. The signatures must be notarized before you submit the form. This is the step most people miss.1Maine.gov. Plate Cancellation Request Form MVR-60
You have two ways to submit:
- In person at any BMV branch office. Bring the notarized form and your plates. A staff member signs and dates the form, which then functions as your Plate Cancellation Order under Title 29-A, Section 463.
- By mail to the BMV central office at 29 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04330-0029, Attention: Registrations. Send the notarized form with the plates.
Include a copy of your current registration if you still have one. The BMV’s signed copy of the MVR-60 is your proof of surrender, so keep it. If you mail the plates, certified mail with a return receipt is worth the extra postage. If a question ever comes up about whether the plates were returned, that receipt settles it.
Credit for Unused Registration Time
Maine doesn’t refund registration fees in cash, but it does give you a credit toward registering another vehicle. The amount depends on when in the registration year you cancel:3Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A – Section 502 Transfer and Return of Registration
- Cancel in the first 8 months of your registration year and you receive a credit for the full registration fee toward another vehicle.
- Cancel in the last 4 months and the credit drops to no more than half the original fee.
The credit applies when you or your surviving spouse registers a different vehicle. There’s no way to convert it to money back. If you’re selling one vehicle and registering another, handle both at the same BMV visit to capture the full credit.
What Happens If You Don’t
Leaving plates on an unregistered vehicle, or operating one, triggers penalties under Title 29-A, Section 351 that scale with time and repeat offenses:4Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A – Section 351 Registration Required
- Expired 30 to 150 days, first offense: traffic infraction, fine up to $50.
- Expired 150 days or more, first offense: traffic infraction, fine up to $100.
- Any subsequent offense: traffic infraction, fine up to $500.
- Vehicle never registered by the current owner: Class E crime, a misdemeanor that can carry jail time.
These penalties apply to operating or even leaving the vehicle on a public way. The jump from a $50 infraction to a criminal charge for a vehicle that was never registered by its current owner catches people who buy a car and never file the paperwork.
Lost or Stolen Plates
If a plate is lost, stolen, or becomes mutilated or illegible, Maine law requires you to immediately place a temporary marker on the vehicle and notify the BMV.5Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A – Section 465 Loss of Registration Plates You obviously can’t return what you don’t have, so the standard MVR-60 surrender process doesn’t fit.
If the plates were stolen, file a police report before contacting the BMV. That report documents that you aren’t responsible for how the plates get used after the theft. If they were simply lost, contact the BMV to request replacements or to cancel the registration, depending on whether you plan to keep the vehicle active. Plates floating around without an active registration behind them create liability for the last registered owner.
When You Can Keep the Plates
Maine law has one real exception to the surrender rule. If your plates feature a design the Secretary of State no longer issues, those plates are your property once the registration is cancelled, and you can keep them.2Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A – Section 463 Disposition of Registration Plates This covers plate designs fully retired from circulation, not current-design plates from a registration that just expired.
Antique, custom vehicle, horseless carriage, and street rod plates are sometimes assumed to be exempt, but they aren’t. Hobbyist plates are a type of active registration with their own fees, not a workaround.6Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A – Section 457 Hobbyist Registration Plates When one of those vehicles is sold or taken off the road, the standard MVR-60 cancellation applies.