Temporary tags to be targeted in new law enforcement program

Some temporary tags are legal but others are being sold online to avoid paying the required fees.

While some are issued by actual car dealerships, tens of thousands of fake temporary license plates are being sold online, and continue to fill roadways all over Texas.

Texas lawmakers have acknowledged the issue, and are working on legislation to close the loop-holes in the system that has facilitated this issue, and minimize the number of wrongly issued tags in the future.

In the meantime, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, through an ongoing collaborative effort with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and the Texas Department of Public Safety, are working to help stop criminal activity related to the fake temp tags.

In the past year alone, numerous arrests have been made for the “Unauthorized Reproduction, Purchase, Use, or Sale of Temporary Tags”, a charge that carries with it a range of penalties from misdemeanor to felony depending on the specific circumstances of each case.

“This is just one example of the collaborative work between the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and law enforcement across the state to stop these crimes,” said Montgomery County Tax Assessor-Collector Tammy McRae, who serves as vice chair of the TxDMV Board. “I commend investigators from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office for their combined efforts.”

Montgomery County Sheriff Henderson added, “We are always proud to be part of any effort to thwart illegal activity not only
in Montgomery County, but in surrounding areas as well.”

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Before creating Bluebonnet News in 2018, Vanesa Brashier was a community editor for the Houston Chronicle/Houston Community Newspapers. During part of her 12 years at the newspapers, she was assigned as the digital editor and managing editor for the Humble Observer, Kingwood Observer, East Montgomery County Observer and the Lake Houston Observer, and the editor of the Dayton News, Cleveland Advocate and Eastex Advocate. Over the years, she has earned more than two dozen writing awards, including Journalist of the Year.

9 COMMENTS

    • No bigger crime? When they wreck with a family member who is going to pay the bills because paper tags mean no DL, no insurance. So yea let them go free while we work and pay for ours.

  1. This is probably not the best time for another way to pull people over. Yeah, I pay my bills, insurance and registration. Some people can’t. Until Covid abates, this should be put off for now.

    • Can’t pay the bills but they can pay 40 or 50 dollars for the paper tag and gas to ride around. Catch them and impound the vehicle. To many wrecking with no DL no insurance leaving others to pay.

    • And some people that SHOULDN’T EVEN BE DRIVNG are using these, also used in criminal activity. Did you know that over 2,000 have been taken in NY? I’m sure if you were in an accident with one of these drivers.. You might see things differently.

  2. Good!! Catch those illegals that are using them and deport their trespassing a$$es back to Mexico! Is there a hotline to call and report suspected sellers of these??

    • They’re selling them all over Houston. FB lets them put ads on market place. Getting to be a lot of illegal ads on there. Plus ads for the buying and selling of catalytic converters. Most live in Harris so we know how that is.

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