Do vehicles fail inspection for a license plate that is detoriorating and becoming difficult to read?

Post date: Nov 10, 2019 10:43:48 PM

The license plate can get pretty beat up and begins to deteriorate over time. Pennsylvania has also stopped re-issuing plates on a reoccurring basis which can lead to some vehicles coming in for inspection that have plates that are rather illegible.

In 2013, PennDOT issued a Bulletin BI13-1 explaining that that vehicles with illegible license plates are NOT cause of rejection for PA safety inspection but instead the vehicle owner should be provided with a completed Form MV-46 signed by the inspection mechanic that will allow the vehicle owner to mail it in to PennDOT to be issued a new license plate.

To further explain this process, ASC Title and Tags, has done a great job posting the necessary information on their website, including an image of the Form MV-46 postcard. Feel free to check out their webpage here.

Also, PennDOT offers a Registration Plate ReIssuance FAQ with more information.