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North Carolina driving lesson · Registration & DMV Services

Renewal, Tag & Tax, transfers & titles

A 3-minute lesson from the North Carolina course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Registration & DMV Services
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
51, 52

Registration renews every year, and in NC your tag renewal and vehicle property tax are paid together. Selling a car or losing a title also has set steps.

Know the rule

DMV uses a staggered registration system that spreads renewals over the 12 months of the year.

Handbook p. 51 ↗

Know the rule

Within 90 days before registration expires, self-propelled vehicles must pass a safety or safety and emissions inspection to renew. DMV then issues stickers showing the new registration period.

Handbook p. 51 ↗

Tag & Tax Together

NC law requires paying license tag renewal and vehicle property taxes together in one payment. Both must be paid in full to renew.

Handbook p. 52 ↗

Know the rule

DMV doesn't set your vehicle's tax value; the local county assessment office does, based on make and model.

Handbook p. 52 ↗

Exempt from Tag & Tax Together:

  • Vehicles exempt from NC registration
  • Manufactured homes; park model trailers
  • Mobile classrooms and offices
  • Semi-trailers registered on a multi-year basis
  • Vehicles owned or leased by public service companies
  • Mopeds
Handbook p. 52 ↗

Ways to pay:

  • Online at MyNCDMV.gov
  • At a local license plate agency (most open 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday)
  • By mail to P.O. Box 29620, Raleigh, NC 27626
Handbook p. 52 ↗

Know the rule

To transfer a vehicle, use section "A" on side two of the title. The reassignment must be made before a Notary Public and the vehicle actually delivered to the new owner.

Handbook p. 52 ↗
12 months

Inspection must be current within this period before a sale if a registration plate will be requested

Handbook p. 52 ↗

Know the rule

License plates can move to another vehicle of the same category if ownership is in the same name and insurance has been continuous.

Handbook p. 52 ↗
15 days

Wait after DMV receives the application and fee before a duplicate title can be issued

Handbook p. 52 ↗

Know the rule

Some offices offer an instant title, processed and issued the same or next business day.

Handbook p. 52 ↗

Know the rule

Name change: notify DMV within 60 days for a duplicate card. Moving within NC: update your address within 60 days, get a duplicate license, and order a duplicate registration card.

Handbook p. 51 ↗

Put it into practice

You sell your car to a neighbor. Fill out section A on the back of the title in front of a notary and hand over the car. If the buyer wants a plate, the inspection must be from within the last 12 months.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

What does the Tag & Tax Together program combine into one payment?
  1. Driver license renewal and vehicle registration
  2. License tag renewal and vehicle property taxes
  3. Insurance premiums and inspection fees
  4. Title fees and duplicate license fees

Answer: License tag renewal and vehicle property taxes

The Tag & Tax Together program requires one payment for both tag renewals and tax payments.

Handbook p. 52 ↗
Under what condition can a license plate be transferred from one vehicle to another?
  1. Only if both vehicles are the same model year
  2. Only between vehicles owned by different people
  3. Same category, same owner, continuous insurance
  4. Only after the old plate has expired

Answer: Same category, same owner, continuous insurance

License plates can be transferred if the vehicles share a category, ownership, and continuous insurance coverage.

Handbook p. 52 ↗
How soon after applying (with fee) can a duplicate vehicle title be issued?
  1. The same day it is received
  2. 90 days after DMV receives it
  3. 60 days after DMV receives it
  4. 15 days after DMV receives it

Answer: 15 days after DMV receives it

A duplicate title cannot be issued until 15 days after the application and fee are received by DMV.

Handbook p. 52 ↗
If a registration plate will be requested when a vehicle is sold, how recent must its inspection be?
  1. Within the last 12 months
  2. Within the last 30 days
  3. Within the last 5 years
  4. No inspection is required before a sale

Answer: Within the last 12 months

A current inspection is required within the last 12 months prior to the sale if a plate will be requested.

Handbook p. 52 ↗
Who determines a vehicle's value for property tax purposes under Tag & Tax Together?
  1. The DMV directly
  2. The local county assessment office
  3. The state Department of Revenue
  4. The state legislature

Answer: The local county assessment office

DMV is not involved in establishing vehicle value for property tax purposes — the local county assessment office is.

Handbook p. 52 ↗
Which of these is exempt from the Tag & Tax Together program?
  1. Mopeds
  2. Class C passenger cars
  3. Pickup trucks
  4. Standard motorcycles

Answer: Mopeds

Mopeds are among the vehicle types exempt from the Tag & Tax Together program.

Handbook p. 52 ↗
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