If you fail to register your vehicle than you could be cited by Iowa law enforcement and be required not only to register the vehicle but pay a fine and likely the back registration fees that you should have paid out prior.

Iowa, like all other states, require you to register your vehicle if you are going to operate it on the roadway. If you have a car that is not on the road and that you do not intend to put on the road but keep parked on your private property than you may be able to do so without registering it, but should check with the IA Department of Transportation. Typically any car that is on public property or driven on the roadway must be properly registered or can be ticketed.

The sections of the Iowa Code that we found that pertains to not having registration on your car includes the following.

321.17 Misdemeanor to violate registration provisions. It is a simple misdemeanor punishable as a scheduled violation under section 805.8A, subsection 2, paragraph "b", for any person to drive or move or for an owner knowingly to permit to be driven or moved upon the highway a vehicle of a type required to be registered under this chapter which is not registered, or for which the appropriate fees have not been paid.

321.28 Failure to register. The treasurer shall withhold the registration of any vehicle the owner of which shall have failed to register the same under the provisions of this chapter, for any previous period or periods for which it appears that registration should have been made, until the fee for such previous period or periods shall be paid.

321.98 Operation without registration. A person shall not operate, and an owner shall not knowingly permit to be operated upon any highway any vehicle required to be registered and titled hereunder unless there shall be attached thereto and displayed thereon when and as required by this chapter a valid registration card and registration plate or plates issued therefore for the current registration year and unless a certificate of title has been issued for such vehicle except as otherwise expressly permitted in this chapter. Any violation of this section is a simple misdemeanor punishable as a scheduled violation under section 805.8A, subsection 2, paragraph "b".

Under this area of Section 805.8A it shows the scheduled fine to be thirty dollars. This is a base fine and normally with tickets there are other fees and court costs added onto it. So it appears that if you fail to register your motor vehicle in Iowa that the penalty is a fine, which with fees, etc could be a fine of over a hundred dollars, plus when you go to register your vehicle they can require you when you do go to register your car that you pay past registration fees that were due and unpaid. If you have been ticketed by police for not registering your car than check with the court listed on your citation for more information on the penalties you may receive.

The Iowa DOT notes in the driver's handbook that if you are going to store your vehicle, you can turn the plates in to the county treasurer before your registration year expires. You will not have to pay yearly registration fees when the vehicle is stored for longer than a year. When you want to use it again you will only have to pay the current year’s fees. So if you want to store a vehicle and not register it make sure you do it so that you comply with Iowa's laws.

Get low cost car insurance quotes for Iowa here with us for your Iowa registered vehicle.