Indiana License Plate Expiration Dates, Renewal and Fees

Your Indiana license plate renewal date is set by the first four letters of your last name, not your birthday, and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles publishes a full calendar matching name ranges to expiration dates. Miss it and the BMV adds a $15 administrative penalty before you can renew.¹ Drive on the expired plate and that’s a separate Class C infraction with a fine up to $500.²

How Indiana Sets Your Expiration Date

The BMV assigns your expiration date by alphabetical ranges of the registered owner’s last name.³ Last names starting with “AAAA” through “ARNN,” for example, expire February 7. Names running “WRIH” through “ZZZZ” expire December 21. Company-owned vehicles all expire January 31, rentals February 28, and school or special-purpose buses September 28.

If your last name changes through marriage, divorce, or court order, your expiration date can move to match the new alphabetical slot. That update has to be handled in person at a branch.¹

Renewal Reminders From the BMV

The BMV sends courtesy reminders through your chosen channel: text message, email, or U.S. mail. The first goes out 60 days before your expiration date, followed by notices at 30 days, 7 days, and one on the due date itself.⁴ Mail subscribers receive a pre-printed renewal form at the 60-day mark. You can change your preference through your myBMV account.

These reminders are a courtesy, not a legal obligation. Not receiving one doesn’t excuse a late renewal, and receiving one after you’ve already paid can be disregarded.

Four Ways To Renew

Online at myBMV.com

This is the fastest option for most drivers. You can look up your renewal amount and pay without even creating an account. Heavy vehicles over 26,000 pounds declared gross weight, and any renewal that requires additional paperwork, can’t use the online system.¹

BMV Connect Kiosks

Self-service kiosks around the state handle registration renewals, sticker replacements, and duplicate registration cards. Most run around the clock except during a Sunday morning maintenance window. Kiosks inside branch locations accept cash and credit cards; standalone kiosks are credit card only.⁵

In Person at a Branch

You’ll need to go into a branch if you’re changing your name, updating a license type, or first-registering a collector vehicle. Bring your renewal notice, proof of insurance, and payment. The BMV accepts cash, credit or debit cards, and checks.¹

By U.S. Mail

If a pre-printed renewal form arrived in the mail, you can complete it and return it with payment to the address printed on the form. Send it well ahead of your expiration date so processing doesn’t push you past the deadline.

What You’ll Pay

Every renewal includes two main charges: a registration fee that varies by vehicle type and weight class, and a vehicle excise tax that’s either a flat rate or calculated from the vehicle’s value and age. Excise revenue funds roads, bridges, and infrastructure.⁶ A $0.30 surcharge for Indiana’s Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Fund is added to every registration.⁷ Your exact total shows up on myBMV.com before you pay.

Electric and hybrid drivers pay a supplemental fee on top of the standard charges to offset uncollected fuel tax. Under Indiana Code 9-18.1-5-12, a fully electric vehicle is charged $150 per year and a hybrid $50 per year. A revised version of the statute took effect January 1, 2026, so confirm the current amount on your myBMV renewal.⁸

If You Miss the Deadline

There is no grace period on a standard Indiana registration. If you renew even one day after your scheduled expiration date, the BMV automatically adds a $15 administrative penalty before it will process the renewal.¹ That fee is separate from any traffic citation you might pick up for driving on the expired plate.

One exception exists. Active-duty military members are not charged the $15 administrative penalty for missing a renewal deadline while deployed.⁹

Driving on Expired Plates

The late-renewal fee is administrative. Operating the vehicle with expired plates is a legal violation. Under Indiana Code 9-18.1-11-2, driving with expired plates is a Class C infraction with a fine of up to $500.² A visibly expired sticker is its own justification for a traffic stop.

A citation can also affect what you pay for auto insurance, and repeated violations can lead to vehicle impoundment, which brings towing and storage costs. If you know your registration has lapsed, the safe move is to renew before driving again.

Situations That Change the Renewal

A few categories of vehicle add a step to the usual online-or-kiosk renewal, and it’s worth checking whether any of these apply before you start.

Lake and Porter county residents. Indiana does not require emissions testing statewide, but drivers in these two counties must pass a vehicle emissions inspection before renewing. The requirement stems from federal Clean Air Act rules for areas that fall short of certain air-quality standards. Check the BMV’s Vehicle Emissions Testing Program page before attempting an online or kiosk renewal.¹

Historic and collector vehicles. Vehicles at least 25 years old qualify for historic license plates. If the vehicle is owned and maintained as a hobby or collector’s item rather than daily transportation, it can be registered as a collector vehicle for a reduced fee. Collector registration requires submitting a Collector Vehicle Affidavit (State Form 56166) at initial registration and again each year at renewal. Historic plates renew annually either way.¹⁰

Heavy vehicles at or above 55,000 pounds. Owners of highway vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more must file IRS Form 2290 and pay the federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax before Indiana will process the registration. Proof of payment is the stamped Schedule 1 returned by the IRS. If you don’t have it yet, a photocopy of the filed Form 2290 with Schedule 1 plus both sides of the canceled check will work. Recently purchased vehicles are exempt from the proof requirement for the first 60 days if you have a bill of sale, but the tax is still owed.¹¹

1
IN.gov. Vehicle Registrations
2
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-18.1-11-2 – Operation of Vehicle With Expired License Plates; Violation
3
IN.gov. Registration Expiration Schedule
4
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Renewal Notification Preferences
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IN.gov. BMV Connect Kiosks
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IN.gov. Vehicle Registration Fees and Taxes
7
Justia. Indiana Code 9-29-5-0.5
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-18.1-5-12 – Supplemental Fee; Electric Vehicles
9
IN.gov. Military Families
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IN.gov. Historic Vehicle and Authentic Model Year License Plates
11
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 2290