No more paper license plates: Texas implements metal temporary tags to combat fraud
El Paso, Texas (KFOX14) — A Texas bill that was signed into law Monday will switch temporary paper license plates provided at car dealerships and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles with metal plates.
House Bill 718 was proposed in response to concerns "that the current use of temporary paper license tags for motor vehicles could facilitate fraud and other criminal activity."
RECOMMENDED: El Paso Water: All repair projects delayed due to shortage of workers, paving materials
KFOX14 spoke to El Pasoans about the change. Some people said it will help prevent crime while others said it will make things worse.
“There’s a lot of fraud going on everywhere. This is good for the city," said one El Pasoan.
“I don’t think it will help with fraud at all. It can still happen. Fraud is not a dying commodity," said an El Pasoan.
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicle shared the following statement about the law:
"The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles worked with legislative offices and stakeholder communities throughout the development of House Bill 718. The department appreciates the numerous amendments and clarifications that were made to address various industry and operational needs while accomplishing the intended goal of the legislation. We are now beginning the process of planning for the successful implementation of the new regulations by the bill’s required deadlines."
The DMV adds the temporary metal plates issued to people would then become the permanent ones after the customer receives their registration sticker.
"When the new law is implemented, a consumer who purchases a vehicle from a licensed dealer will receive a set of metal license plates. Those plates initially serve as temporary registration while the title and registration applications are processed by the county tax assessor collector’s office. When the consumer receives their registration sticker from the county, they will place it on their windshield, and the same metal plates that they initially received from the dealer become permanent," according to the DMV.
The general manager at Bravo Cadillac El Paso, Luis Acosta, said the move could speed up the process for his customers.
“I believe it’s a sign to expedite the process and make it one step less for owners to take ownership of their vehicles," said Acosta.
Dealers would be required to obtain license plates from the DMV. How many plates a dealer gets will depend on the number of sales, expected growth, and how long they have been in operation, according to the bill.
“I think the consumer will feel better driving off with their disability plates, veteran plates," said Acosta.
Meantime, people KFOX14 spoke with said the new plates could cause other issues.
”Instead of people printing them out, people will start stealing them from other people," said an El Pasoan.
The law will go into effect on July 1, 2025.
The El Paso Police Department is gathering information on how many cases they have investigated that involve fake license plates. We also asked them if they believe the move could help with crime in the city.
We are waiting to hear back.
RECOMMENDED: Gov. Abbott signs bill raising SNAP vehicle value limits in Texas
Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox.