How to Report a Stolen License Plate in North Carolina

To report a stolen license plate in North Carolina, call the police or sheriff’s office where the theft happened, get a case number, and then go in person to a license plate agency with a notarized Form MVR-18, your ID, proof of insurance, and $25.50 for the replacement. State law requires you to apply for a new registration as soon as you discover the plate is gone, and moving quickly is what protects you if the thief uses your plate to run tolls, dodge red-light cameras, or worse.¹

File the Police Report First

Your first call is to law enforcement in the jurisdiction where the plate was taken. A formal report does two jobs at once. It gives you a case number the DMV will want to see, and it flags your plate as stolen in databases officers rely on during traffic stops anywhere in the country.

Tell the officer roughly when you noticed the plate was gone and where the vehicle was parked. Share any security camera footage or witness names you have. Ask for a physical copy of the report, or at least the case number in writing. Without that paperwork, there’s nothing separating “my plate was stolen” from “I lost my plate” or “I gave it to someone,” and that distinction becomes important if the plate later shows up on a car involved in a crime.

What You Need for Form MVR-18

North Carolina processes stolen plate replacements through Form MVR-18, the Application for Replacement Plate and/or Sticker. You can download it from the NCDOT website or pick one up at any license plate agency.¹ Before you leave the house, put together:

The year, make, body style, and VIN of the vehicle the plate belonged to
Your valid North Carolina driver’s license
The police report or case number
Your North Carolina liability insurance policy number, matching the FS-1 information on file with the state

On the form, check the “Stolen” box under the reason for replacement. You also have to certify that the plate wasn’t seized by a law enforcement officer and that your registration hasn’t been revoked. That certification has to be signed in front of a notary. The notary block is built into the MVR-18 itself, and many license plate agencies keep a notary on staff. If yours doesn’t, get the form notarized ahead of time at a bank or a UPS store.¹

Apply in Person at a License Plate Agency

Stolen plate replacements can only be handled in person. Other DMV transactions run through myNCDMV or the mail, but this one requires a visit to a license plate agency. Locations are listed on the NCDOT website.²

The fee is $25.50.¹ Payment methods vary by office, but most accept cash, money orders, checks, and cards. Once the transaction posts, the state registration database updates to your new plate number, which deactivates the stolen one.

If you had a standard plate and the agency has stock, you’ll walk out with new metal that day. Personalized and specialty plates have to be manufactured, so the agency will issue a temporary tag to keep you legal until the permanent plate arrives in the mail. Keep your receipt and any temporary paperwork in the vehicle until the new plate is mounted.

Driving Between Plates

North Carolina issues one plate per vehicle, mounted on the rear. Truck-tractors are the exception and carry theirs on the front.³ One plate to protect, but also one plate whose loss leaves your car with no visible registration at all.

Driving without a plate displayed is a Class 3 misdemeanor, and the statute does not carve out an exception for theft victims.⁴ That’s another reason to get to a license plate agency the same day if you can. In the meantime, keep a copy of the police report in the vehicle so you have something to hand an officer if you’re stopped before the replacement is on the car.

Fighting Tolls and Citations That Aren’t Yours

The most common headache after a plate theft is mail. Toll bills. Red-light camera tickets. Anything a camera captures gets sent to the registered owner, which is still you until the plate is deactivated. The police report is your defense.

When a fraudulent bill or citation shows up, contact the issuing authority and ask how to dispute it. You’ll usually need a copy of the police report, proof that the theft was reported before the violation, and documentation from the DMV showing the old plate has been deactivated. Tolling agencies commonly dismiss charges once they can see a report dated before the violation. Camera-based traffic citations may require a written declaration or a court appearance, again backed by the report and your new registration.

Timing is everything here. A gap of days or weeks between the theft and your report gives the issuing agency room to argue the violations happened while the plate was still legitimately yours. Same-day reporting closes that gap.

If Personal Documents Were Also Taken

A plate on its own gives a thief your name and registration details but not direct access to your financial accounts. If the theft was part of a car break-in where your insurance card, registration, or anything with a Social Security number was also taken, treat it as a possible identity theft matter. A fraud alert with one of the three major credit bureaus requires businesses to verify your identity before opening new credit in your name, and anyone who suspects they may be affected can request one. A credit freeze goes further by blocking new creditors from pulling your report at all, is free, and can be placed at any time.⁵

Keeping It From Happening Again

Factory plate screws come out in under a minute with any screwdriver, and that’s most of why plate theft is so easy. Swapping them for anti-theft fasteners is the single most effective deterrent. Security Torx screws have a pin in the center of the head that blocks standard bits. One-way screws tighten but won’t back out, which works well unless you lease the vehicle or expect to remove the plate yourself. A strong threadlocker compound on standard screws makes them likely to strip before they turn. None of these stop a thief with the right tools; they just make your plate a worse target than the next car over. Auto parts stores and hardware stores carry them for a few dollars, and bringing one of your existing screws along makes it easier to match the thread size.

1
North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles. Application for Replacement Plate and/or Sticker
2
North Carolina Department of Transportation. License Plates
3
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 20-63 – Registration Plates
4
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 20-111
5
Federal Trade Commission. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts