The Florida registration decal is the small sticker on the upper right corner of your rear license plate that shows your vehicle registration is current. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) issues a new one each time you renew, which for a private passenger car costs between $27.60 and $45.60 a year depending on weight.1Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. License Plate Rate Chart Miss the deadline and the consequences climb quickly, from a traffic ticket to, in some cases, a misdemeanor or felony charge.
When Your Decal Expires
Your registration expires on the registered owner’s birthday. If the vehicle is titled to a company, it expires in the month the business first registered it. You can renew for one year or two at a time.
Florida lets you renew up to three months before the expiration date.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Renew or Replace Your Registration Use that window. When you submit the renewal, the system checks two things: whether your Florida auto insurance is active and whether you have any outstanding holds, like unpaid toll violations. Either one will block the renewal until it’s cleared.
Insurance is worth flagging on its own. To keep a Florida registration alive, you need Personal Injury Protection with at least $10,000 in coverage and Property Damage Liability with at least $10,000 in coverage, both from a Florida-licensed agent. Let the policy lapse and you can’t renew until it’s restored.3Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Florida Insurance Requirements
How to Renew
You have three options.
Online through the FLHSMV’s GoRenew portal is the fastest for most people. Your new registration and decal arrive by mail within 7 to 10 business days. A convenience fee applies.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Renew or Replace Your Registration
In person at a county tax collector’s office or FLHSMV service center gives you same-day processing and, more usefully, the ability to sort out any insurance flag or unpaid violation with a person at the counter instead of guessing from an error message.
By mail works too. Send the paperwork and payment to your local tax collector’s office and give it two to four weeks. If your birthday is close, don’t rely on this route.
What It Costs
Registration fees for private passenger vehicles are set by weight and bundle in surcharges for emergency medical services, air pollution control, and transportation funding:
- Up to 2,499 pounds: $27.60
- 2,500 to 3,499 pounds: $35.60
- 3,500 pounds and above: $45.60
Commercial vehicles and trucks pay more, scaled to gross vehicle weight.1Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. License Plate Rate Chart
On top of the registration fee, expect a $6.25 service fee when you process the transaction at a tax collector’s office, and some transactions add another $6.25 convenience fee.4Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees County branch offices may add a $0.50 branch fee.1Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. License Plate Rate Chart
If this is the first time a vehicle is being registered in Florida, there’s a one-time $225 initial registration fee for private automobiles, trucks weighing 5,000 pounds or less, and motor homes. It does not apply to renewals.4Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees
Where the Decal Goes and What You Can’t Do to It
The decal belongs in the square provided in the upper right-hand corner of the rear license plate, and it has to stay visible to law enforcement and toll cameras at all times.5Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Motor Vehicle Registrations
You cannot apply any substance, reflective material, spray, coating, or cover to the plate or decal that interferes with legibility or detection. Tinted plate covers and anti-toll-camera sprays fall inside this rule. Knowingly altering or obscuring a validation sticker or plate is a second-degree misdemeanor, up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.6Justia Law. Florida Code 320.061 – Unlawful to Alter Motor Vehicle Registration Certificates, License Plates, Temporary License Plates, Mobile Home Stickers, or Validation Stickers or to Obscure License Plates; Penalty
If your decal has faded, peeled, or become unreadable, replace it before it draws a citation. An officer doesn’t need to care why it’s illegible, only that it is.
Penalties for Driving on an Expired Decal
Florida grades the offense by how long you’ve been expired and by prior history.
Expired Six Months or Less
This is a noncriminal traffic infraction. You’ll pay a fine plus court costs, and you can contest it in traffic court the same way you would a speeding ticket.7The 2025 Florida Statutes. Florida Statutes Title XXIII Chapter 320 Section 320.07
Expired More Than Six Months
Past six months, the stakes rise. A first offense is treated more seriously than the under-six-month infraction, and a second or subsequent violation becomes a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail, probation, or both.7The 2025 Florida Statutes. Florida Statutes Title XXIII Chapter 320 Section 320.07 Repeated violations or unpaid fines can also lead to a suspended driver’s license or vehicle impoundment.
Counterfeit or Forged Decals
Making, possessing, or using a counterfeit or forged registration decal is a third-degree felony, carrying up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.8Florida Senate. Florida Code 320.07 – Registration; License Plates; Decals; Display; Transfer; Removal; Counterfeiting; Duplication; Sale; Use; Alteration; Forgery; Possession; Fraudulent Use; False Evidence of Issuance; False Application
Replacing a Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Decal
If the decal is gone or unreadable, don’t drive on it. Submit Form HSMV 83146 (Application for Replacement License Plate, Validation Decal, or Parking Permit) at your local tax collector’s office or license plate agency, with your ID and current registration details.9Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Application for Replacement License Plate, Validation Decal or Parking Permit
Replacement fees are set locally, so call your county tax collector for the exact amount. Two situations bring the fee to zero: a stolen decal with a copy of the police report, and a decal lost in the mail if you apply within 180 days of the original issuance date.9Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Application for Replacement License Plate, Validation Decal or Parking Permit
No Emissions or Safety Inspection Required
One thing Florida does not do: require emissions testing or a safety inspection before you renew. Your renewal can be blocked for a lapsed insurance policy or an outstanding violation, but not for a failed smog check, because there isn’t one.