When 2016 ends, vehicle registration stickers in Pa. end

HARRISBURG, Pa. — When 2016 ends in a few weeks, vehicle registration stickers will become a thing of the past in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will no longer issue registration stickers, beginning Jan. 1, 2017.

Customers will still need to have their vehicles registered and inspected but will not be required to display a registration sticker on their license plate after Dec. 31. Drivers will not be required to remove the stickers after Jan. 1. It makes no difference whether the stickers are left on, removed or covered up.

Instead, PennDOT officials said law enforcement officers have electronic access to PennDOT’s database from their patrol vehicles, which allows them to verify if a vehicle registration is valid. Some also use Automated License Plate Reader technology to identify expired vehicle registrations and insurance coverage.

PennDOT said the elimination of the stickers will save taxpayers more than $3 million per year.