{"id":16269,"date":"2026-06-19T13:31:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T13:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16269"},"modified":"2026-06-19T13:31:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T13:31:39","slug":"can-you-report-a-vehicles-expired-registration-tag-to-the-authorities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16269","title":{"rendered":"Can you report a vehicle\u2019s expired registration tag to the authorities?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Q:<\/strong> Hi, Honk: When my wife and I walk our neighborhood for 2 to 3 miles a day, I always see many cars with expired tags (many for more than a year) parked on the street or in driveways. Would the Department of Motor Vehicles allow us to provide them with this info to help it improve its revenue?<\/p>\n

Read more California ranked nation\u2019s No. 3 spot for natural disaster risks<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2013 Dennis Heck, Redondo Beach<\/em><\/p>\n

A: <\/strong>Honk isn\u2019t sure why some violators seem to get away with such a violation for a long time.<\/p>\n

But the DMV can tell already who are delinquent, via its database, and hits them up for any years in arrears, plus penalties, when the scofflaw tries to register again or sells their vehicle.<\/p>\n

Enforcement in the streets is left up to police officers and deputies, who can choose to have a vehicle towed if the registration is expired by at least six months.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recommend they reach out to their local law enforcement,\u201d said Lt. Matt Gutierrez<\/strong>, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol out of the agency\u2019s headquarters in the Sacramento area. \u201cEven if the vehicle is not occupied, a violation of (the state vehicle code) is still applicable and can be enforced.<\/p>\n

If the car isn\u2019t registered, it can\u2019t touch a public street, he said.<\/p>\n

Of course, when someone is cited it\u2019s at the discretion of the cop.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Another CHP officer recently told Honk that sometimes it appears the vehicle owner is lagging with the registration, but actually a tag was misplaced, forgotten or taken. An officer can determine this just by calling dispatch or tickling the keys of the squad car\u2019s computer.<\/p>\n

Now what the CHP does want help with concerns vehicles with out-of-state plates owned and driven here by California residents, who are perhaps trying to save some cash.<\/p>\n

Read more SoFi Stadium has new look \u2014 and name \u2014 for the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

It is much more difficult to figure out who they are.<\/p>\n

Since 2005, a CHP program has asked tipsters to tell the agency about such folks. You can find the online form by going to chp.ca.gov and popping \u201ccheaters\u201d into the search engine.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Once the program was called CHEATERS for Californians Help Eliminate All The Evasive Registration Scofflaws. Someone apparently got uptight: It now has a sleep-inducing name: California Highway Patrol Registration Enforcement and Guidance Program.<\/p>\n

It remains successful. Jaime Coffee<\/strong>, a spokeswoman for the CHP, said on an average month 2,000 anonymous tips come in.<\/p>\n

HONKIN\u2019 UPDATE:<\/strong> Last week, Honk explained that Caltrans and likely other agencies have installed traffic signals with yellow borders so when the power goes out at night, drivers know an intersection is ahead when their headlights pick up the reflective backplates. Caltrans put them in intersections with a higher likelihood of going out when a utility shuts down power to reduce the chance of its equipment starting a wildfire, such as in windy conditions in or near a lot of trees or natural terrain.<\/p>\n

Honk has since snagged more dope on the reflective backplates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese plates have become standard installation procedure on all new traffic signal intersections built on the (Caltrans-controlled) highway system, and those (signals) being refurbished during normal construction or upgrades,\u201d said Rick Brewer<\/strong>, a Caltrans spokesman in Sacramento.<\/p>\n

To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com\/tag\/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk<\/p>\n

Read more World Cup: Jonathan David\u2019s hat trick leads Canada to historic rout of Qatar<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The DMV can tell already who is delinquent, via their database, and hits them up for any years in arrears, plus penalties, when the scofflaw tries to register again or sells their vehicle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCan you report a vehicle\u2019s expired registration tag to the authorities? - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16269\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can you report a vehicle\u2019s expired registration tag to the authorities? 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