According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV), registrations issued in the name of an individual expire at midnight on the day of their birth date, except for mobile homes and commercial vehicles. Mobile homes expire at midnight on the last day of the month of December. Commercial vehicles expire at midnight on the last day of the month of May (if registered semiannually) or December (for annual registration).

So the registration / license tags on your Florida registered vehicle would expire on your birthday at midnight and thus need to be renewed before this time.

In Florida if you do pay your registration fees late there are late fees. Section 320.07(4)(a), Florida Statutes, specifically requires the delinquent fee to be imposed on any applicant who fails to renew a registration before the end of the month in which renewal registration is due.

The delinquent fee is applied beginning on the 11th calendar day of the month succeeding the renewal period. The exact expiration date is shown on the current registration certificate; therefore, the registered owner should be well aware of when their registration expires in Florida.

As we mentioned, Florida Statute 320.07 speaks of expiration of registration for vehicles in FL. Here it states that a vehicle shall not be operated on the roads of this state after expiration of the renewal period unless the registration has been renewed according to law.

The FL law goes on to say that any person whose motor vehicle registration has been expired for a period of 6 months or less commits a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a non-moving violation. Any person whose motor vehicle registration has been expired for more than 6 months shall upon a first offense be subject to the penalties such as paying a civil penalty and delinquent fee, if applicable, either by mail or in person, within 30 days after the date of issuance of the citation.

So it will depend upon how long your tags had been expired as to what your penalties will be. If they were expired less than 6 months you should be facing just a traffic infraction which appears to come with a fine. If however you have not renewed your vehicle's registration for over 6 months than you will be facing harsher penalties.

To find out what to expect in court try contacting the clerk of the court listed on your citation. The officer of the court should be able to tell you what penalties are normally handed down in this jurisdiction for this offense and also be able to tell you if getting your plates / registration renewed before your court date can help you reduce your penalties.

When renewing your registration with the FL HSMV you will need to show proof of insurance. To get inexpensive car insurance for Florida, click here.