While an insurance company may not require you to keep an insurance policy on your vehicle for the whole year, the state of Pennsylvania likely will. Pennsylvania law requires all PA motor vehicle owners to maintain vehicle liability insurance (financial responsibility) on a currently registered vehicle.

PA auto insurance law states that a lapse in insurance coverage will result in the suspension of your vehicle registration privilege for 3 months, unless the lapse of insurance was for less than 31 days and the owner or registrant proves to PennDOT or the Bureau of Motor vehicles that the vehicle was not operated during this short lapse.

The PennDOT Fact sheet page at their website has information though on season registration. Here it states that legislation was passed to provide flexibility to PENNDOT’s vehicle owner customers by providing for seasonal operation of a motor vehicle in Pennsylvania. It enables our customers to drop vehicle insurance for part of each year without having to return the registration plate to the Department.

The requirements for PA seasonal registration are as follows:

• Seasonal Registration permits the vehicle owner or lessee of a passenger vehicle, motorcycle, motorhome, truck or farm vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of not more than 9,000 pounds, to register for less than a full year. NOTE: Antique, Classic and Collectible vehicles do not qualify for Seasonal Registration.
• The customer will choose the desired expiration month. Initially, the registration fee will be prorated.
• From that point forward, the customer will pay full annual registration fees regardless of the number of months actually registered.
• The customer will receive a registration renewal sticker that will expire on the last day of the expiration month chosen. Future registration renewal applications sent to customers will contain a special note which indicates the owner can choose when to send the renewal application and monies to the Department for processing.
• The customer must reinstate the vehicle insurance prior to submitting the renewal to the Department. NOTE: The customer may choose to backdate their expiration month. (This transaction will not produce a registration card if it is a month that is already expired. No refund on lost months will be given.)

You can get more information and what steps you need to take for your vehicle's registration to be seasonal by contacting the PennDOT Driver and Vehicles Services. If your vehicle and situation allows you to have seasonal insurance and you want to comparison shop for insurance rates when you take your vehicle out of storage in March, you can start here with us.

If you are ever in need of motorcycle insurance you can follow this link or contact representatives of Safeco at 1-800-936-0356.