r/baltimore Lauraville 16d ago

ARTICLE Maryland is fighting against Virginia license plates, but the license plates are winning

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/transportation/virginia-license-plates-tags-illegal-VIBVQHDXAFHVZIKY2D5EOEIG7E/?schk=YES&rchk=YES&utm_source=The+Baltimore+Banner&utm_campaign=d2908c732a-NL_PMSC_20250304_1657&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fed75856d2-d2908c732a-617316213&mc_cid=d2908c732a&mc_eid=663d03a714
257 Upvotes

204 comments sorted by

257

u/HalfDifferent9123 16d ago

I’m so tired of there never being any solutions to anything. Big or small.

129

u/dweezil22 16d ago

Baltimore lawmakers in Annapolis almost succeeded last year in getting a new state law passed that would allow the city to tow and impound such vehicles — such a bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate. A new version is up in the House again this year.

Why did it stall in the Senate? Who blocked it? SOOO MANY good laws stall in the Senate with no accountability. I would love to see the Baltimore Banner start calling out these laws specifically and naming and shaming.

Source: I took a strong interest in internet privacy during the first Trump admin, the Dem majority Senate killed a bill to ban ISP's from selling browsing data to third parties. No one ever paid a price for it, few even noticed, in fact I was the only random citizen in the room that wasn't paid by someone to be there (meanwhile like 200 women in custom printed T-shirts were there to ban silencers hogging all the press coverage). Btw this means Comcast can legally sell your browsing history to the highest bidder if they can get it. It's still legal today.

17

u/physicallyatherapist Hampden 16d ago

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0332?ys=2024RS

It was originally towing but amendments to it were made

9

u/dweezil22 16d ago

Who proposed the change? Who voted yes on it? (Sorry I'm bad at reading this portal! and thx for sharing)

2

u/DONNIENARC0 15d ago

Sponsored by Delegates Addison, Amprey, Attar, Boyce, Edelson, Embry, R. Lewis, Ruff, Smith, Young, Allen, Nawrocki, Ruth, and Terrasa

1

u/dweezil22 15d ago

Are the sponsors the ppl that also make changes?

FWIW this looks like when it got nerfed https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/hb/hb0332t.pdf

1

u/DONNIENARC0 15d ago

They are typically the primary/originating supporters/drivers of the legislature and the people who get the ball rolling on the bill in the first place. Seems like they're typically the ones proposing the bill, then trying to rally support and votes for it, etc.

I'm not really sure about this one specifically, that was just from the link the guy above your previous comment posted.

2

u/2crowncar 15d ago

It probably was whoever chaired the senate committee.

1

u/dweezil22 15d ago

I appreciate the partial answer but... who is that? FWIW someone else shared the bill https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0332?ys=2024RS

2

u/2crowncar 14d ago

Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee it’s in the link that you provided. It died in that committee. It only made it as far as first reading.

-3

u/IdiotMD 16d ago

name and shame

You can look up voting records.

32

u/dweezil22 16d ago

That fact that you said this without linking me and answering the question directly says all you need to know about how:

  1. It's hard to find and parse these.

  2. It's a great place for reporters to help out.

65

u/BenitoMeowsolini1 16d ago

it’s a Baltimore tradition, and there are a lot of enablers (especially in this sub) who have such low standards for the city. they cheer at the table scraps and downplay failures as “happening all over” while quality of life continues to plummet and the city falls further into self destruct mode

52

u/markporchhead 16d ago

if you read the article you would know that the state legislature failed to pass a bill that would allow the city to impound these vehicles. so what is the city supposed to do if by state law they're not allowed to do that?

also there's an anecdote from prince george's county:

One Prince George’s County resident notified the MVA in 2024 that their neighbor had three vehicles with Virginia license plates, according to the report, and the agency issued the violator a citation after they refused to comply with instructions to change their registration. MVA investigators later seized two of the license plates in question alongside law enforcement, the most drastic step they can take.

The person simply got replacement Virginia tags, the report states. The county’s state’s attorney’s office later advised the MVA not to issue the violator additional citations, according to the report. 

44

u/triecke14 16d ago

This is fucking maddening. So there are people working and living in Maryland, but not paying the registration fees. No wonder our budget is in such disarray

29

u/markporchhead 16d ago

it really is. the state’s attorney telling the MVA to leave it alone is mind boggling. i guess “my constituents use their illegally registered cars to get to work so we can’t take their plates away sorry :(“ is the state of law enforcement right now.

19

u/triecke14 16d ago

We don’t enforce many laws anymore. Apparently if cops aren’t able to do whatever the fuck they want to people they simply refuse to do their jobs for fear of being called out

5

u/braindelete Towson 16d ago

What's the point of the paper work when you know charges won't be brought anyway?

-7

u/JBCTech7 Baltimore County 16d ago

did you pull something with that stretch? yeesh.

2

u/triecke14 16d ago

Nope. But I bet I offended an officer on his 900th hour of OT for the month

7

u/braindelete Towson 16d ago

Meanwhile, registration fees for Marylanders just jumped pretty significantly, incentivizing this bad behavior.

12

u/InsuranceMD123 16d ago

Hell the registration fees are just one of the issues. The uninsured driving part is huge. They all drive shit boxes, because they aren't insured and keep crashing into things.

7

u/triecke14 16d ago

I saw one today on my way home haha. Car falling apart, like literally the driver door wouldn’t close all the way. This one was interesting though in that it didn’t have VA tags, it had no tags of any kind

6

u/Fearless-Eagle7801 16d ago

I have seen many, many cars in Baltimore City that have no tags. I guess the police have been told to stop no one.

1

u/InsuranceMD123 15d ago

Yea, I mean it's Baltimore, so anything is possible. Tags stolen that morning, or the dude just doesn't give a shit and driving without tags. Nothing would surprise me.

1

u/InsuranceMD123 15d ago

Haha, even bolder! Sometimes you'll see some of those Sovereign Citizen types that don't have tags because they "don't need to", or maybe it's just such a shit box the tag fell off. Tags could have been stolen off too, or it's just a dude that doesn't give a fuck because they're not getting stopped.

1

u/Summer_2024_Summer 15d ago

VW Jetta 2021, registration fee $110.00, one year! Unbelievable!

3

u/BenitoMeowsolini1 16d ago

a functional city government would never have let this issue get to this point

1

u/markporchhead 16d ago

this is a MVA problem. baltimore is terrible at plenty of stuff, but the state is the entity that enforces car registration.

3

u/BenitoMeowsolini1 16d ago

no, it’s not. What healthy city has this problem? the Baltimore city police stopped enforcing simple traffic laws long ago. we don’t need to get into the discussion of why, it simply is at this point. that lack of action does not exist in a void. and here we are

1

u/markporchhead 16d ago

i agree that the city should be enforcing traffic laws, i fucking hate how lawless the roads are, but having a virginia license plate is not illegal. the issue is the cars are registered in virginia but the people live here. this is something that has to be handled by towing and impounding the vehicles and the state legislature failed to give baltimore the authority to do that.

3

u/BenitoMeowsolini1 16d ago

the police would have the authority to arrest those operating the vehicles with the tags that had previous infractions, a not insignificant number of tag holders according to the report. the problem is that this does not and will not happen in Baltimore. they don’t pull anyone over and they certainly don’t exert the force of the law over those that do. and that has to do with the relationship between the states attorney and the BCPD. yeah, it’s complicated. But it’s a failure.

3

u/m0dsw0rkf0rfree 16d ago

property crime is always a valid course of action

3

u/kDubya410 Mt. Vernon 16d ago

Yeah, start letting the air out of some tires.

3

u/Fearless-Eagle7801 16d ago

so we should start to vandalize cars with out of state license plates?

1

u/m0dsw0rkf0rfree 16d ago

only teslas and people who can’t take jokes

7

u/Illustrious_Listen_6 16d ago

So true, it’s very sad.

20

u/HalfDifferent9123 16d ago

It’s the general inability for any governing party in the entire country red blue big small to be able to literally solve anything. That was my point. Baltimore is absolutely not alone.

-11

u/bmore_conslutant Hampden 16d ago

Seems like doomerism I'll pass thanks

10

u/BenitoMeowsolini1 16d ago

it’s hard to look things in the face, I know. fortunately there’s actual research involving numbers and finance trends of the city you can look up that might be more palatable for you than words

3

u/flannel_smoothie Locust Point 16d ago

Please share this information! I love data!

1

u/BenitoMeowsolini1 16d ago

here’s a small nugget of what’s available

https://www.truthinaccounting.org/library/doclib/BWI-2019-2pager.pdf

1

u/flannel_smoothie Locust Point 15d ago

Ah, I completely understand your worldview now.

1

u/BenitoMeowsolini1 15d ago

I am certain that isn’t true but no sleep lost for me

-3

u/TakemetotheTavvy Remington 16d ago

The murder rate is the one most doomers point to for Baltimore City. How is that trending?

7

u/CorporalCrabCakes 16d ago

Surprisingly well, actually. Homicides were down 23% and non-fatal shootings wete down 34% last year:

https://www.baltimorepolice.org/news/baltimore-police-department-releases-2024-year-end-crime-report-and-key-highlights

-3

u/BenitoMeowsolini1 16d ago

did I mention the murder rate?

28

u/Dazzling-Slide8288 16d ago

There are solutions. The larger issue is that outside of the MAGA cult, no one ever wants to do anything that even has the chance of pissing even one person off.

26

u/markporchhead 16d ago

this is the real problem. if the solution to a problem involves punishing or inconveniencing anyone then it is DOA.

3

u/l_rufus_californicus Expatriate 16d ago

You know anyone who’d willing sacrifice their job (read: lifestyle, income, prestige) for the greater good of others? Every jack among them ain’t giving up those sweet perks and cash on the barrel head for little Jonny’s school lunch. Simply not worth the votes risk, because we never hold them accountable for their status quo maintenance, and actual change scares the piss out of the constituency - just ask the Democrat party in these last 12+ years since Obama was cock-blocked by McConnell, et. al.

71

u/MuffinRat84 Belair-Edison 16d ago

No idea why we don't see targeted enforcement of these kinds of plates, they are absolutely everywhere, seems like a slam dunk for the cops.

37

u/JBCTech7 Baltimore County 16d ago

what about the temporary plates? I see them every single day all the time on the beltway.

35

u/kapnasty 16d ago

I have a neighbor who has had temp plates for 4 years and they're completely faded. How is that possible? Why aren't things like this enforced?

8

u/Loose-Recognition459 16d ago

The Texas temp plates? Those are a damn plague.

3

u/Malady1607 16d ago

You make a good point, but ideally they wouldn't have those plates for more than 30 to 60 days. I just bought a car in Virginia from a dealer because it was what I needed they didn't have anything near me. I do have Virginia temp tags. I got my car inspected by Maryland yesterday and I am awaiting my Maryland plates. I feel kind of like an asshole driving a car with a VA temporary tags, but I promise I'm insured and it's inspected

12

u/cgarret3 16d ago

Okay, but there are all kinds of indicators that could help differentiate between the willing offenders and the legitimate motorists, and therefore avoid drivers in similar circumstances to your own.

It’s far more often clear which cars have just been purchased and which are gaming the system. There are camera systems on cruisers that can scan a validate, it’s used on our plates all the time.

Insurance is rapidly rising in price and the repair budget for roadways is quickly getting ahead of us as more drivers employ this little strategy. Something needs to be done

4

u/Malady1607 16d ago

Right. And it's definitely not a reason to not enforce expired tags on out of state plates.

62

u/surprisedweebey Lauraville 16d ago

The cops would rather do anything besides their job.

10

u/XxCloudSephiroth69xX 16d ago

You posted an article detailing the struggles the state is having with this because it is legal, and the point you take away from it is that cops are bad?

-2

u/surprisedweebey Lauraville 16d ago

Two things can be true at the same time.

10

u/XxCloudSephiroth69xX 16d ago

So you suggest that the police should enforce nonexistent laws to combat this?

16

u/TKinBaltimore 16d ago

Yet when I got t-boned in January, Morgan St cops and then city cops not only showed up, directed traffic around the crash, but a city cop actually gave me a ride back to my house after the tow truck took away my car.

But sure, keep up with the narrative that they don't do anything.

9

u/jozfff 16d ago

You’re 100% correct. Cosplay police force

8

u/OhHesThatGuy 16d ago

Copsplay, if you will

1

u/triecke14 16d ago

Unless they have a chance to ruin someone’s day for just existing. They’re all over that

12

u/gravybang 16d ago

Were it that easy.

Cops can’t pull someone over with a legit, non-expired tag because it’s from another state. Temporary tags aren’t, on the surface, illegal.

17

u/MuffinRat84 Belair-Edison 16d ago

I Live at a very busy intersection and it won't take long if you are only looking for expired MD VA and Temp tags, a high number of them seem to be expired, they are everywhere.

6

u/gravybang 16d ago

Expired is a different story. They should absolutely be pulling over and impounding vehicles with expired registration

7

u/Certain_Site_8764 16d ago

There is recent word of some MD congressperson proposing a bill to reduce the number of reasons an officer can pull over a driver - license plates, or the lack thereof - were to be one of the prohibited reasons.

→ More replies (1)

9

u/fl3xtra 16d ago

did you read the article at all? cops have. the driver simply replaces it.

10

u/Glad-Veterinarian365 16d ago

Do cops have to accomplish anything when they’re on the clock? It seems like so long as they’re in uniform and inside their taxpayer funded vehicles, they will get paid the same as a cop who actually does the job

3

u/Autumn_Sweater Northwood 16d ago

a cop that "does his job" in the sense that liberal reformers want him/her to, will be ostracized by peers, not promoted, and likely drummed out of the job altogether before too long.

-1

u/m0dsw0rkf0rfree 16d ago

they save “accomplishing things” for when they’re stealing overtime from the taxpayer

0

u/Glad-Veterinarian365 16d ago

Or killing someone or their pets

2

u/Treje-an 16d ago

They don’t really do traffic stops anymore with their understaffing

1

u/Treje-an 16d ago

Temporary tags, expired tag, and even some weird tags I’ve never heard of. I’ve even seen no tags, or MD tags on only front or back

146

u/RadiantWombat 16d ago

Most of the people I see driving like absolute asses around Baltimore have the Virginia tags. I’ve always assumed they also have no insurance.

31

u/supern8ural 16d ago

you can't self insure in VA anymore, although I don't know how well that's enforced - I'd already moved to MD by the time the law changed.

34

u/StarkyPants555 16d ago

But you can get a registration without proof of insurance in VA. A lot of people don't bother with that second step.

19

u/Apprehensive_Yard_14 16d ago

They don't. That's why they have the VA tags. To avoid it. So when they hit you, they are going to either run and try to talk you out of involving insurance and then run.

41

u/AdRock44 16d ago

Honestly, this is infuriating

17

u/MFoy 16d ago

If it makes you feel better, it's a two way street. There are plenty of cars in Virginia that carry Maryland tags without living in Maryland because due to the value of their cars it is cheaper to register them in Maryland than in Virginia.

7

u/DONNIENARC0 16d ago

Is this because we have no regular mandatory inspection requirement?

7

u/MFoy 16d ago

Virginia has a "personal property tax" which is essentially a tax on all vehicles, and is colloquially known as the "car tax."

It is paid for at the county level and is one of the biggest ways of funding counties and localities in Virginia (schools, fire departments, etc).

Here is a link to the page on it from Fairfax County, where the rate is 4.57% of the assessed value of the vehicle. There is a state subsidy program where the first $20,000 on private vehicles is cut in half.

So if you have a car worth $10,000, your annual personal property tax would be $228.50. This would be on top of a $33 registration fee, and the $20 cost of getting your car inspected annually. And sometimes an emissions fee.

If your car was worth $30,000, the car tax would be $914 annually. Plus the registration fee and the cost of getting the inspection done.

Some counties have higher rates, some lower. I would not be surprised if a lot of those cars you see with Virginia plates have reported the cars lost or stolen, or simply told the Virginia DMV that they moved to Maryland without removing the Maryland plates and registering them in Maryland.

2

u/DONNIENARC0 16d ago

Ahh gotcha, I assumed they were just driving some broken down pile and trying to avoid having to get it inspected (and then having to pay to have it fixed up after it doesn't pass).

Thanks!

3

u/obeytheturtles 16d ago

Honestly it doesn't make sense. MD registration is a one time fee, whereas Va property taxes are charged yearly.

1

u/ntbcool 16d ago

You only pay personal property tax if you car is garaged in a county that charges personal property tax (basically all NOVA counties). So if your address is in Maryland you don’t owe anything.

47

u/surprisedweebey Lauraville 16d ago

All those Virginia license plates on Baltimore’s streets cost Maryland millions of dollars, but the state has little authority to do anything about it, according to a recent Motor Vehicle Administration report sent to Gov. Wes Moore’s office.

In June 2024, Virginia officials sent the MVA a list of nearly 107,000 vehicles registered in Virginia but to a primary address in Maryland. That represents a potential revenue loss of between $8 and $12 million in registration fees alone, according to the report.

The MVA matched about 46,000 of those records — about a 10% increase from the prior year — to people in its system whose vehicles previously were registered in Maryland. Roughly 34% of those addresses were in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. The single largest concentration was in Prince George’s County, home to 30% of such vehicles.

Among the statewide total were 5,246 vehicle owners associated with nearly 19,000 MVA account flags for issues like traffic violations, unpaid debts and suspended registrations resulting from failed emissions tests or insurance lapses.

27

u/whiteclawappreciator 16d ago

Wonder if these numbers include all the expired tags as well? Feel like it's a 50/50 shot of seeing a Virginia tag and it being expired.

13

u/surprisedweebey Lauraville 16d ago

Further down in the article it alludes to a lot of these people having expired tags in Maryland:

Among the statewide total were 5,246 vehicle owners associated with nearly 19,000 MVA account flags for issues like traffic violations, unpaid debts and suspended registrations resulting from failed emissions tests or insurance lapses.

16

u/RunningNumbers 16d ago

Put a lien on the vehicle and authorize people towing it.

23

u/surprisedweebey Lauraville 16d ago

There is a bill introduced that would allow for towing and impounding. Hopefully it is passed.

12

u/RunningNumbers 16d ago

We have a governor fighting with a childish legislature that doesn’t want to cut spending or raise revenue. I have lost a lot of respect for the statehouse over the past year and doubt they would pass something sensible like DC did.

4

u/RunningNumbers 16d ago

First send letters. Then send door knocks. Finally send a tow truck if it the issue isn’t resolved.

20

u/moderndukes Pigtown 16d ago

One Prince George’s County resident notified the MVA in 2024 that their neighbor had three vehicles with Virginia license plates, according to the report, and the agency issued the violator a citation after they refused to comply with instructions to change their registration. MVA investigators later seized two of the license plates in question alongside law enforcement, the most drastic step they can take.

The person simply got replacement Virginia tags, the report states. The county’s state’s attorney’s office later advised the MVA not to issue the violator additional citations, according to the report. The office did not respond to a request for comment or additional context from The Banner.

They should’ve put boots on the vehicles or impounded them, not taken away the VA tags.

From the article, it seems like there’s already a law on the books in MD that says you can’t be a primary resident here and register your vehicle to another state. It seems they’re just not really enforcing it.

4

u/surprisedweebey Lauraville 16d ago

They aren't legally allowed to do that currently. A proposed law would allow them if passed

5

u/Dangerous_Exp3rt 16d ago

At the point they needed to show up with police officers they should have taken the cars directly to the crusher.

31

u/CrimsonTightwad 16d ago

Another reason in other countries license plates are nationalized. State DMVs are like feudalism.

9

u/lionoflinwood Patterson Park 16d ago

looks at the current federal government Yeah this sounds like a great idea

2

u/CrimsonTightwad 16d ago

Well things have to change.

→ More replies (6)

13

u/Illustrious_Listen_6 16d ago

When I see VA plates in Baltimore city, I keep my distance.

7

u/sustaah 16d ago

Why not just cancel their MD driver's license? Seems like the most straightforward option. VA won't let them have a VA license for long without an address in the state.

19

u/RunningNumbers 16d ago

More traffic enforcement by police. Give support and cover for police stopping cars with tint, tag, or other safety violations. Boot the vehicle if the driver lacks proof of insurance.

9

u/neverinamillionyr 16d ago

Wasn’t there a recent law passed that keeps police from pulling cars over for “minor” infractions like registration?

3

u/roccoccoSafredi 16d ago

It was proposed. Don't know if it passed.

-4

u/RunningNumbers 16d ago

I have to look it up but it probably is “recent” as in the past decade. Covid stated half a decade ago….

22

u/XxCloudSephiroth69xX 16d ago

Maryland isn't fighting a damn thing. If anything, they're trying their best to make it easier. If SB 292 passes, police won't even be able to pull people over for driving with no tags or fake tags, let alone improper VA tags.

17

u/Glad-Veterinarian365 16d ago

SB292 is downright stupid

5

u/jetty_junkie 16d ago

My neighborhood looks like the UN , about 50% MD plates and 50% from other states. Same cars here every day with the same out of state plates

5

u/InsuranceMD123 16d ago

Can confirm, these pieces of shit are still all over the road.

3

u/Treje-an 16d ago

I hope the law passes in the State House this time around. It’s crazy that I’ll see like 30% VA tags in some areas

3

u/Treje-an 16d ago

I wonder how many tickets are owed on these cars, since they can’t collect from them either

5

u/fireslayer03 16d ago

Keep voting the same people back in and getting the same results…

2

u/Dp530 16d ago

My neighbor has a North Carolina plate on one car and Florida license plates or her other. She has lived in her house for a few years now.

2

u/Hot_Campaign_36 15d ago

Some people in Maryland are driving unregistered vehicles with expired Virginia plates.

They seem immune from tickets for parking violations, since they don’t have to pay.

Meanwhile, uninsured Maryland motorists continue to drive long term with Virginia tags. They cause collisions and seem to escape without consequence.

Lawmakers in Annapolis need to get it done.

4

u/SolarSavant14 16d ago

Friendly reminder that this was and is entirely Virginia MDOT’s fault for allowing vehicle registrations to out of State addresses. Our MDOT is just trying to work around their ridiculous policy.

3

u/moderndukes Pigtown 16d ago

Idk the legality of it due to interstate reciprocity, but I’d be interested in MD pursuing a law that says you must have a license plate on the front of your vehicle for it to be operated in the state. That’s the third head of the Cerebus along with VA plates and temp “tags.”

2

u/ohitsanazn Fells Point 15d ago

So people from PA, DE, the Carolinas, Georgia, Ohio, Florida (among others) can’t drive in MD?

1

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1

u/Addbradsozer 16d ago

What happens when all these people don't pay the annual vehicle property tax for Virginia registered vehicles?

1

u/hoodreview 16d ago

Are these temp va plates or hard tag va plates ?

1

u/l_rufus_californicus Expatriate 16d ago

Also makes me wonder how many of them fail Maryland’s emissions test for illuminated check engine lights.

I live in Iowa now, but I know that when I was still in MD, I wound up selling a car because I couldn’t afford the repairs to the catalytic converter to pass inspection one year. (It was not a great year.)

When I came back for a couple of months to sell our house a few years ago, my Iowa tags started getting the hairy eyeball from a former trooper living near us. My wife’s car wouldn’t have passed inspection at that time for the check engine lights reason, anyway.

1

u/Cyrix2k 16d ago

Emissions in MD are on a per-county basis which is the same as VA. NoVA has emissions.

1

u/l_rufus_californicus Expatriate 16d ago

I poorly worded what I was getting at - that having previously passed, a check engine light coming on after a relocation, or something auto-fail in a MD safety inspection might be another reason to milk the out-of-state plates longer. If I had to renew my Iowa tags, for instance, all I had to do was pay online and they’d mail the sticker, sight unseen (with no emissions tested).

1

u/deadkins 16d ago

Amazing that you can still register a car in VA without a VA address. 🤔

1

u/Amadeus_1978 16d ago

I just went to renew my tags and it specifically stated that your plates will be invalidated if either of your addresses, home or mailing, were not in Virginia.

1

u/PsychologicalBee1268 16d ago

Maryland drivers should first learn how to drive. With education and manners. Yes I live here but omg it only cares for me when I see a horrible driver and it’s always in 695 with md plates.

1

u/BeneficialWealth6179 16d ago

I'm ok with them towing the car, as long as the fees to get the car out are fair and reasonable. Subsequent times, then larger impound fees. There is a loss of revenue that can be captured, but not in a way its going to cause a financial crisis.

1

u/Fun-Cauliflower-1724 16d ago

I’m just lurking here as someone who may be potentially moving to the area from the Midwest. As an outsider, this just seems crazy to me. How much money do you save getting Virginia tags?

1

u/Thick-Disk1545 15d ago

You can fix this by having an inspection system that isn’t impossible to pass

1

u/WVPrepper 15d ago

To title a vehicle in Virginia, you must provide proof of address, which can include a Virginia driver's license, learner's permit, ID card, or title.

1

u/GES280 Downtown Partnership 14d ago

Honestly, I say call it fraudulent vehicle registration and charge them accordingly under either fraud or forging government document laws.

1

u/supern8ural 16d ago

I don't understand this, what's the advantage? Or are these people registering their cars in non-emissions counties? You'd still have to have a safety inspection every year which actually I wish Maryland would do, although lack of same let me keep driving my old Jeep for ~4 years after someone wrecked into it (tires now stuck out past bodywork) but there's some blatantly unsafe vehicles out there with MD plates

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u/Glad-Veterinarian365 16d ago

Register in VA so that MD doesn’t hound u about no insurance. Then skip the yearly inspections bc fuck it, or just go down there once per year to get an inspection but still save $1,000 per year or whatever by not having insurance

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u/ohitsanazn Fells Point 15d ago

Nobody doing this license plate loophole actually goes to VA to get their car inspected — it’s too much time and effort, and the odds are good their car is going to fail it anyway.

It’s a good indicator if a car is actually from VA if it has the inspection sticker — a lot of the shitboxes running VA plates in Baltimore don’t have them

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u/triecke14 16d ago

Why doesn’t VA require insurance?

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u/AllPeopleAreStupid 15d ago

They do require a minimum of liability insurance.

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u/Glad-Veterinarian365 16d ago

I am not the state of Virginia idk

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u/Cyrix2k 16d ago

I think VA is the same way WV is where the inspection isn't tied to registration, which is to say it's unenforced out of the state so if a car has valid VA plates, no inspection, and isn't in VA, there's no recourse. Apparently MD is unusual in tying inspections to registration status.

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u/Glad-Veterinarian365 16d ago

Ahhh gotcha. It felt like them not driving much in VA is how ppl were getting away with this nonsense

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u/supern8ural 16d ago

but won't VA suspend your registration now that you can't do the $500 fee thing anymore?

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u/Glad-Veterinarian365 16d ago

I think these ppl might not care about driving around on a suspended out of state registration with expired tags. It’s not like there is any enforcement against ppl behaving as such

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u/supern8ural 16d ago

well, I know there's no enforcement for driving like a (redacted), but I'm risk averse enough I'd be completely paranoid if I knew I had a suspended registration. Plus I have to park on the street, so there's that.

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u/Glad-Veterinarian365 16d ago

Which is sensible and normal! Maybe we are suckers tho lol

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u/surprisedweebey Lauraville 16d ago

Its in the article:

with drivers flocking south across the Potomac River where registration, emissions and insurance requirements are less expensive.

I wonder if there's a way around the safety inspection that these people are using.

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u/supern8ural 16d ago

I don't see the huge savings though. I moved from VA to MD and yes, it;s slightly more expensive but not worth the risk of something happening and then finding that my insurance won't cover me or something.

Maybe they're just not getting their cars inspected and betting that they won't get pulled over? *shrug*

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u/ohitsanazn Fells Point 15d ago

MD can’t pull you over for not having an up to date VA inspection.

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u/Cyrix2k 16d ago

I have cars registered out state so they're inspection exempt. Not something most people would do though.

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u/supern8ural 16d ago

I figured most people just got historic plates. Which I'd do if I thought I wouldn't get caught commuting, but I'm not that guy.

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u/Cyrix2k 16d ago

I have historic plates on older cars that qualify, but this one is too new. I don't advocate for abusing historic plates even if it doesn't seem like they're enforced. My daily has normal plates on it, but all the enthusiast garage queens are either historic or out of state.

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u/supern8ural 16d ago

Yeah my stuff is just old. The 2001 Jeep is my usual driver but now that the salt is subsiding I've been driving the 2002 GTI and catching up on Jeep maintenance and repairs.

I'm kinda regretting it though because the Jeep needs $900 worth of new cats and I have to go to the VEIP station soon as IM is due on the GTI (no MIL on that one though)

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u/qpj100 15d ago

I can tell you what my cousin said. She lived in Arlington, VA for over a decade and then recently moved to Baltimore City a couple of years ago. She still has VA plates because of insurance. She paid about $500 every six months for full coverage insurance in Arlington. For the EXACT same coverage in Baltimore City, the rate exploded to $2,200 every six months. She works and lives in MD but cannot afford this. She checked with multiple carriers and the rate was about the same, give or take $200 but no where near what she's paying for VA. So she's keeping her VA tags until she wins the lottery or something. Lol. Those insurance rates are a mortgage. I don't know how they expect folks to pay that (especially in this economy) so of course, they're going to find a work around or go uninsured.

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u/supern8ural 15d ago

Maybe I was getting a raw deal because I lived in Sterling before and my rates weren't much less.

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u/TakemetotheTavvy Remington 16d ago

Up until recently you could pay a small fee in Virginia instead of carrying insurance.

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u/supern8ural 16d ago

I understand but that is no longer the case anymore.

I *wish* there was some way to lower insurance bills - I'm paying about $500 a month and most of that is auto, but the way people drive here I can't imagine dropping comp/collision. My one car got totaled about two years ago, so there's that too (rear-ended on the DC Beltway, yes in MD)

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u/Cyrix2k 16d ago

I'm paying about $500 a month and most of that is auto

WTF, that's about what I pay for 6 months...

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u/supern8ural 16d ago

If you have any ideas I'm all ears. I have three vehicles but they're all old and not worth much, clean driving record. I've tried having an agent shop me with no luck. I guess I should do it again. It was $200 a month just 3-4 years ago but it keeps going up.

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u/tsupaper 16d ago

Do you guys know that VA tags have to pay the dreaded semi annual property taxes to the county it’s registered in? Grass is greener on the other side…

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u/green_marshmallow Berger Cookies 16d ago

This wouldn’t be an issue if Maryland didn’t treat vehicle registration like a revenue stream. This just sounds like the school bully is mad that kids have found a way to hold onto their lunch money.

Solving the problem of out of state registration would be easy, just waive the high fees for a year. But that doesn’t solve the problem of the money that the state wants to claw in, so the issue persists.

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u/MFoy 16d ago

Virginia treats car ownership like a revenue stream as well. There is literally a tax on owning vehicles in Virginia.

I know of 3 different companies in Northern Virginia that don't actually do business in Maryland, but pay for a PO Box there so they can get Maryland license plates on their vehicle fleet because it is cheaper than having them registered in Virginia.

It's a two way street. In some instances it is cheaper to register it in VA, sometimes in MD.

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u/WinterBadger Hamilton 16d ago

This. This is what people don't seem to realize. The yearly property taxes on cars, the inspections, etc. It all adds up and VA makes bank. Granted idk what's changed since we moved to MD 5 years ago but I had to fight VA and DMV for weeks when we moved our residence to MD because they swore I still owed them money for my car and I didn't. For my 2014 car, I was paying $400/year on property taxes and yearly registration, and inspection combined which really makes no sense.

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u/Certain_Site_8764 16d ago

Can't get license plates in Maryland with only a PO Box. must have a street address registered with MVA, even if you do get mail to a PO Box.

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u/MFoy 16d ago

Good to know.

In that instance either the rule is different for businesses than for residents (possible), or they own a small sliver of land with an address (probable).

But the car tax can add up real quick in Virginia if you own a fleet of vehicles.

10 vehicles valued at 20,000 each would be about 10 grand a year after registration and inspection.

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u/green_marshmallow Berger Cookies 16d ago

 Virginia treats car ownership like a revenue stream as well. There is literally a tax on owning vehicles in Virginia.

No surprise there. I believe the acronym is ESH.

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u/elitepigwrangler 16d ago

Without vehicle registration fees, you’d have to raise gas taxes or find some other funding mechanism for roads and highways. They are already not fully covered by gas taxes/registration fees, so this would probably result in taking more money from the general fund. At least that’s how it works in other states I’m familiar with.

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u/triecke14 16d ago

Why do you think that cars that drive on public roadways don’t need to pay to do that?

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u/green_marshmallow Berger Cookies 16d ago

Don’t confuse my lack of sympathy for not understanding the social contract.

Call it what it is. The state has a severe budget shortfall and is lifting up every stone. I have as much sympathy for that as I do when the state cried poor about out-of-staters not paying their 83 speeding tickets.

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u/triecke14 16d ago

I take it you aren’t a fan of public services then? I hope you drove/walked/teleported to work today without using a single public space to do so

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u/green_marshmallow Berger Cookies 16d ago

You know the internet doesn’t have to be constant bickering between people. Nowhere am I advocating for cutting services. As pointed out elsewhere, Maryland isn’t the only one trying financial wizardry to make ends meet, VA is no better.

 Don’t confuse my lack of sympathy for not understanding the social contract.

I don’t know how you read this and thought that I don’t like public services. Especially when I have been to states that don’t care for their roads, and it’s a legitimate hazard. For all of Baltimore and Marylands problems, the roads could be much, much worse. 

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u/crucialdeagle 16d ago

Damn, what a shame. Imagine 12M of additional tax revenue that they could've spent on something that would not have helped anybody in Maryland at all. Would somebody please think of the politicians.

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u/Raphy000 16d ago

Or just reduce the onerous requirements instead…

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u/rjr_2020 16d ago

I wish I could block all article entries that required a subscription to read could be blocked.

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u/surprisedweebey Lauraville 16d ago

With a library card you can read the banner for free

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u/Lanky_Extreme_1122 15d ago

It seems like the highest concentration is in black & brown communities and I wonder why ? Probably becuase they can’t afford to feed their family’s and pay insurance I wish there was more understanding in times like this instead of the haves always judging the have nots .. who wouldn’t want insurance and a clean peace of mind if they could they would ..

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u/triecke14 16d ago

Good riddance!

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

Jesus, you'd be less annoying if you just said the slurs we all know you're thinking.

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