Texas Is Replacing Those Temporary Paper Tags With Something New

Soon Texas drivers will no longer see paper temporary tags on vehicles.

Beginning July 01, 2025, the Texas Department Of Motor Vehicles will begin issuing metal license plates to licensed car dealers to install on legally sold vehicles.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 718 into law in June 2023. The law eliminates the issuance of temporary paper license plates for new or newly purchased vehicles in the state of Texas. This law states that metal license plates will be issued to car dealerships.

The new plates will come with a $10 fee and will replace the current one-trip and 30-day temporary paper license plate.

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This bill was created by Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Ft. Worth) who was surprised by how quickly it moved and was supported and approved by the House and Senate. He tells KXAN,

Bills this big, that make fundamental change in this state, don’t normally pass the very first session that you file them. So, huge relief."

Many television stations have covered this story from many different angles, including KPRC in Houston. The goal of the new law is to cut down on the number of fake temporary tags that were popping up on Texas roads, especially in more populated counties of Texas.

The counterfeit and copied paper tags were being placed on unregistered vehicles or stolen vehicles to make it harder for law enforcement to track them down or toll companies to recoup toll charges.

After the bill was signed into law by the governor, Adam Shaivitz, a TxDMV spokesperson told KCBD,

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles worked with legislative offices and stakeholder communities throughout the development of House Bill 718. The department appreciates the numerous amendments and clarifications that were made to address various industry and operational needs while accomplishing the intended goal of the legislation. We are now beginning the process of planning for the successful implementation of the new regulations by the bill’s required deadlines."

The two-year waiting period is just about up, as the Texas DMV was granted that much time to come up with a new distribution system and a way to manage license plate inventory.

According to the Texas Department Of Motor Vehicles (TXDMV), the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) will continue producing license plates for TXDMV. Plates will be shipped from TDCJ to an external centralized distribution warehouse operated by a TXDMV contractor. This will mitigate the impact of correctional facility security incidents that can delay the production and shipment of plates. The department will work to maintain at least a six-month supply of plates at the contract distribution facility.

Dealers will begin issuing plates on July 1, 2025, and all remaining paper temporary tags will expire on September 30, 2025. After that, all paper tags will be considered illegal in the State of Texas.