Contesting an expired tabs ticket (I had new tabs on the day of the ticket)

[vladlensky]

I went through this back in Minneapolis several years ago and it's really not a big deal. The way the system in Minneapolis works is that you can directly show up and speak to representative BEFORE you set any "real" court date. The person you speak with will usually be fairly friendly and will try to offer you a discount on the original fine in exchange for pleading guilty. This may/may not be beneficial to you and you will need to weigh your options. Just remember that they still represent the city and their job is to filter out as many people as possible in order to keep the actual hearings to a minimum.

Anyway, back to my story, I had a similar circumstance, only the cop ticketed my car twice for the same set of expired tags for 2 days, consecutively. So, about $800 in fines, plus late fees. In my case, I was 100% guilty of letting the tabs expire past the "grace period", which I think is about 1 week. In the end, I discussed this with the rep and we agreed to a $300 fine and no late fees as well as a payment plan since I was a student with low income. It wasn't a bad deal, given that I had knowingly let the tabs expire.

Anyway, best of luck! Check in to see if they still have a grace period following the expiration date and that may give you some leverage.

[lepoisson]

I really don't even know why states issue stickers any more. Some states (I think CT is one of them) has gone to all electronic registration. When an officer pulls a plate, he/she can tell if it's been renewed.

If someone fails to renew the registration, the state can send them a letter in the mail asking for proof that the vehicle has moved to another state, or proof that the vehicle is no longer driven on public roads, or give the person until the end of the month before a fine will be issued. It's really that simple and doesn't involve any of this sticker crap.

Also, why states don't allow you to register your plates for multiple years is beyond me. I am able to register mine for 2yr here in MO, and I always do so. Even if I get a new car, I can just transfer the plates with registration.