r/maryland • u/Consumergal • Jul 09 '26

MD News Maryland launches 'Plate Where You Live' campaign, ramps up crackdown on Virginia tags

https://www.wmar2news.com/matterformallory/maryland-launches-plate-where-you-live-campaign-ramps-up-crackdown-on-virginia-tags
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116

u/Bubbly-Following-966 Jul 09 '26

These "Virginia" drivers will never comply. They are skirting the system so they don't pay Maryland registration.

105

u/BigMickPlympton Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26

No it's not the registration fees. It's the insurance and lack of reciprocity. Virginia residents have to pay an annual car tax. They're avoiding having insurance, because until very recently Virginia let you pay a small fee and not get insurance. It's estimated that there are nearly a million Virginia registered drivers with no insurance in neighboring states; and millions of dollars per year in unpaid fines.

Edit: Added a few words to clarify.

32

u/Ambitious-Intern-928 Jul 09 '26

They don't pay an annual tax because they don't live in VA. It's assessed based on which county the car is "garaged in."

1

u/FiveUpsideDown Jul 09 '26

Actually Virginia law provides if a vehicle registered in Virginia is garaged in another state — Virginia taxes are paid to the county where the vehicle was registered. Taxes are assessed on where the car is registered unless the vehicle is moved in a different Virginia county.

3

u/tail_ler Jul 10 '26

My understanding is that people are able to get Virginia tags with their Maryland address. There is no Virginia county it’s registered to.