LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — More than two and a half million drivers are registered to travel on Arkansas roads, but you might have noticed some vehicles traveling with expired tags.
One of our viewers reached out after seeing a Facebook post claiming that it's cheaper to pay for an expired tag ticket than it is to keep your tags up to date— but is that actually true?
We took a look at whether it's true that Arkansas drivers are really saving money by not paying for their yearly tag renewals or new registrations and if these drivers can be pulled over and face tough penalties.
Driving is historically considered a privilege, and with it comes your responsibility to keep your car current on its registration.
Proof that your property or sales taxes are paid for allows the state and law enforcement to rest assured you're complying with the rules of the road.
A recently passed law even gives you 60 days to register or renew a vehicle, which is twice as long as it once was.
The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration stated that penalties for expired tags start at $3 dollars for each 10-day period the car is unregistered— not to exceed the full year's registration fee.
For those who don't pay the sales tax on a new registration, the penalty is much higher at 10% of the sales tax due.
That's the money side of it. As for law enforcement, state police said that you can be pulled over and ticketed for expired tags, though it's not considered a "moving offense" and is a misdemeanor.
A first-time offense means a fine between $50 to $100 dollars. Then, if you're convicted for a second time in that same year, your unregistered car can be impounded until you prove you've paid off your obligation.
So we can verify that no, drivers with expired tags in Arkansas are not doing themselves any favors. They stand to lose their car and be out more cash than what they originally owed.