LOST OR STOLEN LICENSE PLATES

As soon as license plates are lost, stolen or illegible they must be replaced. If BOTH personalized plates are stolen/lost they must be replaced with a new plate - duplicates will not be made.

In order to replace your plates you must:

• Visit your local county tax collector office.
• Present proper forms of ID.
• Hand in any remaining license plates.
• Fill in an application for replacement plates. Please see the list below for links to the appropriate forms for each type of plate.
• Pay the license plate replacement fees. If the plates were stolen, you must take the police report with you. There is no fee for replacement of stolen license plates.

CUSTOM AND PERSONALIZED PLATES

Regular Series

These are the different types of plates in the regular series: Auto, Commercial, Trailer, Motorcycle, Permanent Trailer Identification, Disabled Person, Disabled Veteran, and Foreign Organization. Application forms are only available at your local county tax collector office. When you have completed the forms, submit them with the appropriate fees (see below).

Special Interest Plates

Special Interest Plates are divided into the following categories: Environmental, Professional Sports, Universities and Miscellaneous. The following is a list of some examples of special interest plates: Animal Friend, Sea Turtle, American Red Cross, Family Values, Stop Child Abuse, U.S. Marine Corps, Florida Panthers and Florida State University. Click here to access the fee and distribution request for each plate. You can even search for a specific plate by county and type here. Fill out the application form and once completed, take it to your local county tax collector office and submit them with the appropriate fees (see below).

FEES

The fees for replacing a license plate or getting new plates vary depending on the type of plate you need. For more information on these fees please follow the link for Specialty Tags and click on the plate you want to purchase. Note: For disabled drivers, please see disability plates and fees.

WHAT TO DO WITH PLATES WHEN BUYING/SELLING A VEHICLE

Under Florida Law it is mandatory to retain standard license plates from a vehicle when selling. The plates will remain with the seller once the ownership of the vehicle has been transferred; however, if the plates are special interest or personalized then there are two options for the seller. One, keep the plates for another vehicle and two, release the plate to the buyer. If you want to return the plates, you may do so by submitting them in person at your local county tax collector office or mailing them to: Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

Neil Kirkman Building
Mail Stop 63
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0500    

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• See DHS&MV hours and locations.
• See link for disabled drivers.
• Please visit DMV.com's Florida home page for other topics on driving in this state.