Can You Park A Car Without Plates In Your Driveway?

After you’ve bought a car, you might not have tags for a couple of days. 

You could be wondering if it’s safe to park your new car in the driveway while you wait for its tags to arrive?

Most areas don’t prohibit you from parking a car without tags in your driveway. However, it does depend on the municipality. Each area has different laws, so your experience may vary. 

Always check with your local City Hall to figure out the laws relevant to your neighborhood!

Can My Car Be Towed From My Driveway for Expired Tags?

There are a few reasons you might not have valid tags. One of them would be that you forget to order replacements. 

Most of the time, you’ve got to replace your tags at least once a year. Some areas will let you renew your tags for 2 years at a time, though.

Usually, you don’t get tags after buying a car right away. It takes a few days for them to arrive in the mail.

Where can you park your car while you’re waiting?

Well, most neighborhoods don’t have an issue if you’ve got them parked in the driveway. Look at your local area’s law code to see what’s permissible near you.

Some areas won’t let you park them on residential streets without a tag. That means they’ve got to remain in your driveway until they’ve got a valid tag.

Other places won’t even let you put them in your driveway. 

If you park them there, you could get towed. You’d wake up in the morning, only to realize your car is gone. 

Make sure you’ve got a tag on it before parking it in the driveway if you live somewhere like that.

You can pretty much always park your car in the garage without causing any issues. 

Usually, nobody even has to know it’s there. You can just pull it into the garage and close the door.

Sometimes, you’re able to park on the street if you notify the authorities. 

You’ve just got to let them know you’re going to have a car outside without proper tags.

You won’t be able to drive it until you’ve gotten them. 

But, a lot of areas don’t care if you park them in front of your house.

Safe Places to Park a Vehicle With Expired Tags

Depending on the area, you’re able to park the car in different spots. We’d recommend storing it in the garage to be safe. 

Everywhere lets you store vehicles in the garage, even without valid tags.

Some areas don’t care if you’re parked on residential streets as long as you’re not driving them. 

Driving a car without a tag could put you at risk of legal issues.

Just park your car in the garage until you’ve received its tag. 

Then, you can put the tag on your car without having to worry about where you’ll park it.

Parking in a commercial area wouldn’t be a good idea. Most cities won’t let you park in commercial districts without a valid tag. 

Avoid parking near downtown until you’ve got one on your car.

Some residential streets will let you park on them without a tag. 

You’ve got to check your local laws to see whether it’s permitted in your area.

Don’t try to park your car in a parking deck. A lot of them have people who inspect all the cars at the end of the night. 

If they spot yours without a tag, they might have it towed.

The safest place to park your car without a tag is going to be your garage. 

Keep the door closed until you’ve got a tag on the car to prevent it from being towed. 

You won’t have any issues as long as no one can see it. 

Even strict areas won’t cause problems if the car is in the garage.

Where Can Your Park an Untagged Vehicle?

Untagged vehicles can be difficult to store if you’re not sure where to park. Parking an untagged car on the street could end up with them getting towed. 

The safest place you can park an untagged vehicle would be in your garage. Most places don’t have an issue with you keeping them in there.

You can also pay to park in a storage facility. Some storage facilities lease out properties large enough to store a car. So, you’d be able to park there until you’ve got a tag.

Don’t risk parking on a public street. Most areas don’t permit untagged vehicles to park in public. So, you’d probably get towed if you left one there.

FAQs

Everywhere is a little different, so it’s important to check local laws. They might differ in your neighborhood or state. Here are some of the most common questions about parking your car without a tag.