If your license plate was stolen in Maryland, file a police report right away and then notify the Motor Vehicle Administration within 48 hours, applying for replacement plates on Form VR-009 at a full-service MVA office. The replacement set costs $40, and the MVA will not process anything without your police report number in hand. Speed matters because a stolen plate riding on someone else’s car can rack up tolls, camera tickets, and worse under your name until the number is flagged.
File the Police Report First
Call the non-emergency line for the department where the theft happened, or walk into the station. Give them your vehicle’s make, model, year, plate number, and VIN, plus when and where you noticed the plate was gone. Ask for the report number and note the jurisdiction. Both go on the MVA paperwork.
Do this even if you can’t pin down exactly when the plate disappeared. The report creates a timestamped record that you reported the theft before any violation was committed with the plate. That timestamp is your defense when a toll bill or camera citation shows up weeks later.
Notify the MVA Within 48 Hours
Maryland Transportation Code ยง13-415 requires you to notify the MVA and apply for replacement plates within 48 hours of discovering the theft.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code Section 13-415 – Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Registration Plates Miss that window and you’re out of compliance with state law and still on the hook for whatever is being done with the plate.
Two forms, two destinations:
- Form VR-461 reports the theft into the MVA’s records system. You’ll need the police report number, the jurisdiction, and the date of theft. Mail the completed original with a copy of your valid state-issued ID to MVA, Vehicle Records Division, Room 202, 6601 Ritchie Hwy, Glen Burnie, MD 21062.2Motor Vehicle Administration. VR-461
- Form VR-009 is the application for substitute plates. Bring it, along with your police report, to any full-service MVA office.3Maryland MVA. Vehicle Registration and Titling Questions
Fee and the Two-Plate Rule
The replacement tag fee is $40 as of September 2025.4Maryland MVA. MVA Fee Listing Most Maryland vehicles must display a front and a rear plate, so you’ll receive a new matched set even if only one plate was taken. The exceptions are motorcycles, tractors, trailers, historic vehicles over 50 years old, and street rods over 50 years old.5Maryland MVA. General License Plates
Your new plates will carry a different number than the stolen ones. That’s the point: the old number gets flagged so law enforcement can identify it if it surfaces on another car.
What to Bring to the MVA
- The police report (original or a copy with the report number clearly visible)
- Completed Form VR-009
- A valid state-issued ID (Maryland driver’s license or ID card)
- Your current vehicle registration
Can You Drive Before the New Plates Arrive?
This is the awkward gap. Maryland requires plates to be displayed at all times. Section 13-415 addresses the case of a plate damaged to illegibility by requiring you to immediately attach a temporary plate showing your registration number, and for stolen plates it requires the 48-hour notification and replacement application. The statute does not explicitly authorize driving without any plate while you wait.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code Section 13-415 – Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Registration Plates
The safe play is to get to a full-service MVA office as soon as you have the police report, and to keep copies of the police report and VR-461 in the car if you must drive before the new plates are mounted. Those papers don’t guarantee you’ll avoid a citation, but they show you’re mid-compliance and give an officer, or later a court, a reason for leniency. Keep the driving to what you can’t avoid.
Disputing Tolls and Camera Tickets Under Your Name
Toll gantries and speed and red light cameras read plates, so whoever is driving on your stolen plate is billing you. Open every piece of mail that arrives in the weeks after the theft. These notices have response deadlines, and letting them lapse because the violation wasn’t yours creates its own penalties.
Tolls
For Maryland Transportation Authority toll charges, dispute through DriveEzMD at 1-888-321-6824 or at a DriveEzMD Customer Service Center. Have the police report ready; you need to show the plate was reported stolen before the toll was incurred. An early police report timestamp is what wins these disputes.
Speed and Red Light Camera Citations
Automated camera citations go to the registered owner. If one arrives for a violation you didn’t commit, you can request a court hearing using the form on the back of the citation, then provide a sworn statement to the District Court explaining the circumstances before your scheduled appearance.6Maryland SafeZones. Frequently Asked Questions Bring the police report showing the theft was reported before the violation.
Keep It From Happening Again
Anti-theft screws are the single most effective deterrent. These specialty fasteners need a matching security bit, and most opportunistic plate thieves carry only a standard screwdriver or socket wrench. A set runs a few dollars at any auto parts store and takes about five minutes to install. Some kits use a unique key pattern that is harder still to defeat.
Where you park matters too. Plates disappear most often from vehicles left on the street overnight or in large, poorly monitored lots. A garage or private driveway is best. If street parking is your only option, pick well-lit stretches with regular foot traffic over quiet side streets.
Get in the habit of glancing at your plates when you walk to the car. Most people don’t notice a missing plate until they’re pulled over or get a camera ticket in the mail. A quick look shortens the window for misuse and keeps you inside the 48-hour notification deadline.