If you’re a driver in North Carolina driver, your vehicle is required to be registered with the NC DMV. A registered vehicle is issued a license plate which is displayed on the back of the vehicle. Each year, the registration must be renewed, and a sticker is added to the plate to show that this has occurred.
A couple of months before the license plate sticker expires, you’ll get a renewal notice in the mail. It will tell you how much is owed for the registration renewal and for vehicle property tax. Both of these are paid at the same time with only one payment.
Paying is easy, and can be done three different ways.
- You can pay online. Simply click on this link, and follow the prompts to pay. You’ll need your license plate number, and the last five digits of your VIN number, but both of these are in your renewal letter, conveniently highlighted. Note that there is a $3 convenience fee for online payments. Print or screenshot the receipt in case your sticker doesn’t get to you before your registration expires.
- You can mail a check for your payment. The letter you receive will have the mailing address. We recommend writing your license plate number on the check, just in case!
- You can go to the DMV and pay. In Alamance County, the license plate office is at 2668 Ramada Road in Burlington. Other locations can be found on the NCDOT website.
Once your payment is submitted, you’ll be sent a new registration sticker in the mail.
If you’re late with your payment, you’ll be charged a fee.
Note that your car inspection must be current in order to pay online and at the DMV, and no sticker will be mailed without it. When your inspection and any required emissions test are completed, the DMV is notified right away. For the inspection, bring your car to us, or take it to Elite Motor Cars!
