How to Cancel Your License Plates in Connecticut

To cancel license plates in Connecticut, terminate the vehicle registration through the Connecticut DMV online, by mail, or at a branch office. The service is free, and you don’t have to return the physical plates — the DMV lets you discard them at your discretion.¹ Once the cancellation goes through, you’ll get a plate disposition receipt. Keep it. You’ll need it to coordinate your insurance cancellation and to stop your town from billing you property tax on a car you no longer have.

Before You Start

A few things to sort out first. If your registration is currently suspended or revoked, the DMV won’t let you cancel through the normal process; you have to resolve the suspension first.¹

If one or both plates were lost or stolen, complete a Marker Plate Notice (Form E-159). The form asks which plates are missing and whether they were lost or stolen, and you sign it under penalty of false statement.²

Plates don’t have to come back to the DMV. That said, if you’re planning to request a registration fee refund by mail, include the plates and the registration certificate with your paperwork — the refund statute references returning them.

Cancel Online

The online portal is the fastest option. There are separate portals for individuals and organizations, so pick the right one. To cancel as an individual you’ll need:¹

Your first and last name exactly as printed on your Connecticut driver’s license or non-driver ID
Your driver’s license or non-driver ID number
Your date of birth
Your license plate number or CT vessel registration number
Your Social Security number
The street address on your license or ID
A credit or debit card

The system confirms your identity, walks you through selecting the registration, and gives you the option to request a fee refund during the same session if you’re eligible.¹ When you’re done, print the plate disposition receipt.

Cancel by Mail

Send your paperwork to the DMV Registry Record Section, 60 State Street, Wethersfield, CT 06161-5057.¹ Include the plates if you have them, and Form E-159 for any that are lost or stolen. If you’ve moved out of state, put a self-addressed stamped envelope in the packet so the DMV can return your plate disposition receipt to your new address.

Use a trackable shipping method. If the DMV never receives your envelope, you have no proof the registration was terminated, and property tax keeps accruing in the meantime.

Cancel in Person

You can cancel at a DMV branch office. Form E-159 for lost or stolen plates can also be submitted at the nearest office.² Bring the plates (if you still have them), your registration certificate, and a valid ID. If you want a refund, bring a completed Form F-82 too.

The advantage of showing up in person is that you walk out with the plate disposition receipt the same day, which speeds up the follow-up work with your insurer and assessor.

Getting a Registration Fee Refund

Connecticut refunds part of your registration fee if enough time remains on the registration period when you cancel. The amount depends on whether the registration is biennial or triennial:³

Biennial (two-year) registration: half the fee back if at least one full year remains before expiration.
Triennial (three-year) registration: one-third back if at least one but less than two years remain, or two-thirds back if two or more years remain.

You have to cancel and file the refund request before the registration expires. Wait past the expiration date and there’s no refund. The refund covers the registration fee only, not other charges collected at the time of registration.⁴

Online cancellations prompt you to request the refund during the process. By mail, submit Form F-82 with your plates and registration certificate. The refund check will be mailed to the address on your motor vehicle registration; if you want it sent somewhere else, include a completed B-58 Change of Address form.⁴ Checks are issued by the Connecticut Office of the State Comptroller, not the DMV.¹

Handle Your Insurance in the Right Order

This is where people get burned. Connecticut requires continuous insurance on any registered vehicle. Insurers report lapses to the DMV, and if coverage has been off for more than 14 days while the registration is still active, the DMV mails you a suspension notice.⁵ The rule of thumb: cancel the registration first, or cancel both the same day. Never drop insurance first.

If insurance has already lapsed on a still-registered vehicle, you’ll be dealing with the DMV’s compliance unit. Resolving it takes a signed consent agreement from the warning notice, your plate disposition receipt showing the registration is canceled, and a $200 civil penalty by check or money order.⁵ Fail to resolve it within 30 days and the DMV can suspend both your registration and your driver’s license.⁶

Tell Your Town Assessor

Connecticut taxes motor vehicles as personal property, and the DMV does not tell your town assessor that you canceled the registration. The vehicle stays on the town’s assessment list, and tax bills keep coming, until you bring proof of cancellation to the assessor’s office yourself.¹

Bring your plate disposition receipt along with any paperwork showing the sale, total loss, or out-of-state registration. Motor vehicle property taxes are based on the October 1 grand list each year. If you canceled partway through the year, you can request a prorated tax credit under Connecticut General Statutes § 12-71c. The claim has to be filed with the assessor by December 31 of the assessment year following the one in which you sold, totaled, or moved the vehicle. Miss the deadline and the credit is waived.

What Happens If You Don’t Cancel

The problems compound. Your vehicle stays on the property tax rolls in its town of record until the registration is canceled.¹ Sold the car or moved out of state without canceling? The tax bills keep coming. You’re also required to insure the vehicle as long as it’s registered, so if you drop coverage without canceling, you’re looking at the $200 civil penalty and possible suspension of your registration and license.⁶

If you’ve moved out of state, registering in your new state does not cancel your Connecticut registration. Most states give you a window of 30 to 90 days to register, but that’s a separate obligation. You still have to run the Connecticut cancellation and take the receipt to your former town’s assessor to end the tax bills.