Peeling Plate Problem Persists In New York State

Now, it's pretty simple for me: I love New York. I have lived all over the country, and there is just something about the people, the food, the energy; whatever it is, you name it, and I can pretty much point to how great it is when it comes from the Empire State. But, lately, I feel New York doesn't love me us back.

Whether it's our high cost of living, sky-high taxes, all of the excessive regulations, or the fact that New York is looking to ban just about everything, the Empire State sure has a great way of showing that love back to its people.

Case in point, owning and operating a car on the roads here is exceedingly more difficult. The regulations and rule changes make it not easy for most folks. New York is well on its way toward banning gasoline cars. It was a long time coming, but I finally got tagged by the powers that be when it comes to the condition of my license plates. While I didn't get a ticket, people are in danger of getting one due to a problem the New York State caused. Not only did state officials cause this problem, they're forcing us to deal with it.

Remember When NYS Made Everyone Change Their License Plates?

In 2010, New York State unveiled the newly improved Empire Gold State License Plate, and state officials planned to force all New Yorkers to purchase the new plates when they renewed their registration. That plan would've generated more than $120 million in revenue for the state. After a tremendous pushback from people all over the state, the Empire Gold Plate went from being required for all New Yorkers to buy to optional.

However, it wasn't long after these plates began hitting the road that people noticed a problem with them.

Is Your Plate Peeling?

Soon after these new plates hit the streets, there was a problem. The plates were defective, and the colored covering began to peel right off. Over the last decade, so many plates have had this issue that New York State ended the contract with the company that helped produce the plates.

When the issues were first brought to the attention of the DMV, officials offered to replace the plates, but you had to pay a $20 fee. After much more pushback from state residents and businesses, officials decided to make an option for you to get the plate replaced for free, but of course, there is a catch.

You can get a new plate with a unique number for free, but you must pay a fee to keep the same plate number.

If You Don't Replace Your Peeling Plate, You Can Get a Ticket

In short, yes, you can.

Section 402 of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law requires all drivers to have a license plate that is not obstructed, damaged, or obscured by anything. Unfortunately, a peeling license plate is considered damage, and you could be ticketed, especially if you're driving through Kenmore.

We are encouraging New Yorkers who have peeling license plates to get new ones, without any charge, to avoid the risk of being ticketed and having to pay a fine... We do not want that to happen to our customers, so we made the process to replace peeling plates as easy as possible.
-Mark J.F. Schroeder, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles

So just be prepared for the fact that a license plate that New York State forced you to get and knew was defective might cause New York State (or a local police agency like Kenmore) to pull you over and give you a traffic ticket, which would be yet another fee you would be forced to pay the Empire State because they forced you to get a defective license plate.