Pennsylvania
Vehicle Resource Center
There are nearly 9 million people driving in the state of Pennsylvania. With so many different people behind the wheel of vehicles in the state, it's essential for drivers to understand the laws and to meet regular requirements. This keeps things safer for everyone, and it's a step that's essential for so many.
Ownership and Maintenance
To keep Pennsylvania vehicles legal to use, they must meet regular requirements. These maintenance requirements include things like insurance coverage, registration renewal, and more. They're essential to know, and drivers must understand these steps to avoid trouble with law enforcement and more.
All Pennsylvania vehicle owners must have their vehicles inspected for safety each year. There are also some residents who must have emissions testing done, but not everyone. Vehicle owners can use the inspection map here to see if they live in one of the colored inspection spots to see if emissions testing is required.
Vehicle inspections can be completed at certified PennDOT inspection stations. There are many different auto shops throughout the state that have signs informing drivers they inspect vehicles.
All PA vehicle owners must have liability insurance on their vehicles to protect against damages that could be caused by an accident. Insurance coverage is necessary to avoid fees and major fines.
To avoid paying fines, vehicle owners must meet the minimum requirements:
Insurance Minimums
If the minimum coverage amounts are met on a vehicle, it is insured legally and will not put the driver at risk of getting a ticket. It is still possible for an accident to spend more money than what the insurance covers. This is why many vehicle owners invest in larger insurance policies.
Learn more specifics at this PA insurance page.
All Pennsylvania vehicle registrations expire after a year. Before the registration expires, vehicle owners are expected to go through the renewal process. This has been simplified and is straightforward.
The vehicle owners must have access to the following information:
With the required information available, drivers can renew in person or online.
To renew online, visit this renewal page, provide the information, and pay the registration fees. Once the fees have been paid, the permanent registration can be printed out immediately after. No license plate sticker is required any longer.
To renew in person, visit a PA DMV location and provide all the information listed above to the worker. The renewal process can be completed in just a few moments, and the final registration will be printed out in the office.
Get more details at the registration services page.
Every four years, drivers must renew their licenses to be able to legally operate a vehicle in Pennsylvania. Drivers who understand the renewal process will find it simple to restore their license to working order.
Get the Invitation - or Get Form DL-143
Drivers receive a renewal reminder, or they can obtain Form DL-143 to start the renewal process manually.
Give the Form to PennDOT Manually or Online
Once the form is complete, the driver must give it to a DMV location or send it online, along with money to cover the license fees. Money can be provided in cash, check, money order, or credit card.
Get an Updated Photo
Finally, drivers will receive a camera card in the mail and can bring the card to a Photo Center. At the Photo Center, drivers provide their identification and photo card, have their picture taken, and get the final driver's license.
Get all the specifics about a PA driver's license renewal at the state informational page.
Safety Inspection
In Pennsylvania, all vehicle owners must pay a $47.95 safety inspection fee each year when the vehicle is ready to be inspected.
Emissions Inspection
The PA emissions inspection program comes with a modest $16.86 fee.
Drivers License Renewal
Costs $39.50 for a four-year renewal or $27.50 for a two-year renewal.
Registration Renewal
A simple registration renewal costs vehicle owners $45 for a single year and $90 for two years.
Buying & Selling
When buying and selling vehicles in Pennsylvania, there are strict steps to be followed. Following the steps closely results in a legally binding sale. Failure to follow these steps results in errors and could cause major issues for those involved.
Provide a Valid Title - In Front of An Official
A clean title must be brought to a PennDOT official with the buyer so it can be filled out and signed in front of an official and notary. Signing the title makes the vehicle transfer official. The finished title can be used by the buyer to title and register the vehicle after it is filled out properly.
Have the Vehicle Inspected
The vehicle must have a valid inspection sticker for it to be sold legally. If no sticker is present, it must be inspected within 10 days of the sale date. Proof of the inspection must be provided.
Submit License Plates
The plates must be removed from the vehicle and turned in to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The plates cannot be given to the buyer.
Cancel the Insurance
All insurance coverage on the vehicle can be canceled by the seller once the buyer takes the vehicle away. After the title is complete, the vehicle is no longer the responsibility of the seller. Canceling the insurance policy is a good way to save money.
Research the Vehicle
No vehicle purchase should be completed without effective research. The vehicle can be researched using the GoodCar License Plate Lookup or Vehicle History Search. Either of these searches offers direct access to the vehicle's owner history, open recalls, specifications and features, title brands, accident history, and more.
Obtain a Valid Title - Filled Out with Official
The vehicle purchase process demands the buyer go in front of an official and sign the title along with the seller in the appropriate spaces. The title should have the odometer reading, date of sale, buyer and seller signatures, and more.
Get Proper Insurance
Buyers must obtain vehicle insurance from the seller after purchasing the vehicle. It's best to do this immediately after purchasing the vehicle to ensure it's properly protected.
Submit for a Title and Registration
The buyer must visit a DMV location and provide a driver's license or another valid photo ID along with the notarized title to register and title the vehicle. The buyer will have to pay sales tax the fees for the registration and titling, and then the final title and registration will be printed and mailed to the address on file. New license plates can be issued at this time as well.
Sales Tax
A 6% sales tax is collected on the purchase price of the vehicle. This must be paid at the time of registration.
Registration
Passenger vehicles have simple $45 or $90 registration fees for one-year or two-year registrations.
Plate Replacement
Drivers will pay $13 to obtain plates for the vehicle.
Certificate of Title
There is a $67 fee for a new Certificate of Title
Get more details about vehicle fees via the Bureau of Motor Vehicles Schedule of Fees.
Laws and Regulations
Pennsylvania is governed by many auto laws that control how people are allowed to drive. It's essential for drivers to understand the laws to avoid fines, legal issues, and dangerous driving situations.
Pennsylvania takes driving under the influence very seriously and punishes drivers caught disobeying its DUI laws harshly. Depending on how much alcohol they consume, even first-time offenders may face fines worth thousands of dollars, long-term license suspension, and jail time. Anyone caught driving with drugs, or too much alcohol in their system will be charged with a DUI and face major penalties.
Minimum DUI Requirements
Alcohol is measured in drivers as a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) value that's measured via blood tests or a breathalyzer.
Anyone who surpasses the two thresholds above will be charged with a DUI and receive harsh punishments.
Three BAC Tiers
Pennsylvania splits the BAC levels into three tiers, adjusting the penalties as you go up.
Drivers caught in with a BAC in one of the higher tiers are charged more harshly, given more significant fines, and may have fewer options available to appeal the charges. Repeat offenders receive harsher punishments, and jail time quickly becomes a punishment for repeat offenders or for the higher BAC level charges.
Learn more specifics about Pennsylvania's DUI laws and penalties via this Pennsylvania DUI page.
Pennsylvania has confusing seat belt laws that leave drivers wondering about their specifics. Adults 18 and older must be buckled in the front seats of a vehicle, though they do not need to be buckled in the rear of the vehicle according to state laws. All minors under 18 must be buckled at all times, no matter where they sit.
The state has both secondary and primary belt laws. For passengers and drivers over 18, seat belt laws are secondary, and the driver will only be ticketed for failure to buckle when pulled over for a different offense. Any minor without a seatbelt is a primary offense, and the driver can be pulled over for the belt alone and ticketed directly.
Child Restraint Laws
The laws for adults are pretty clear, but things are a bit more confusing for children. Pennsylvania divides children into three age groups, with seat requirements for each group:
2 And Under
All children two and under must be restrained in a rear-facing car seat until they outgrow the maximum weight or height limits on the seat.
2 to 4
Children between the ages of two and four should mostly be in forward-facing car seats with a five-point harness. Some children should remain in rear-facing seats past 2, and others will remain in a forward-facing car seat past four before they are large enough to safely use a booster.
4 to 8
Most children between the ages of 4 and 8 will use a booster seat. It's important to keep children on the younger end of that range in a forward-facing car seat if they have not outgrown the height and weight limits. Children can be removed from a booster seat after age 8, but many should remain in a booster for longer. The recommended height to graduate from a booster is 4'9", and some children will be older than 8 when they reach that height.
Adding tint to windows is an effective way to prevent upholstery from fading from sunlight and to provide more privacy for passengers in PA vehicles. Pennsylvania has specific window tint laws that regulate how dark the windows can be, but the laws are straightforward. Vehicle owners must remember 70%, and that's all they need to know.
All front side windows and the windshield can be tinted as long as they allow at least 70% of visible light through. The rear windows can have any tint applied to them, opening up a wide range of possibilities for vehicle owners. Owners who ignore these restrictions may be asked to remove their tint and could receive tickets and fines for offending tint applications.
The Pennsylvania Lemon Law is a protective measure that helps keep vehicles from being plagued by manufacturer defects that cause serious problems for the owner. Only vehicles with less than 12,000 miles and one year old are covered by the Lemon Law.
Personal vehicles can qualify for Lemon Law protection, but only for defects that lead to serious safety risks or for issues that significantly damage the value of the vehicle.
To qualify as a lemon, the vehicle's issues must be sent directly to the manufacturer, giving the company the opportunity to fix the problem. If the issue is not resolved within three repair attempts, there is a good case for it being a lemon. Any vehicle that is in the garage for manufacturer-covered repairs for more than 30 days is also an excellent candidate for Lemon Law coverage. Drivers with these vehicles can work with an attorney to get the manufacturer to repay the value of the vehicle or to replace it with a functional vehicle.
Get more specific details from the PA Attorney General's Lemon Law page.
Useful Things to Know
Pennsylvania vehicle owners will benefit by having as much information as possible. The guide covers the most common tasks related to vehicle ownership, but this section has extra data.
Find a PA DMV
Get Pennsylvania vehicle services in person at a DMV location: PA DMV Location Search Tool
PA EV Charging Station Finder
Electric vehicle owners in PA and surrounding states should learn about the public charging station locations and how to use them. Use this search tool to get good at locating nearby stations: PA EV Charging Station Locator
Pennsylvania Driver's Manual
Get access to the state's driver's manual to prepare for written exams and to learn the driving laws more effectively: Online Pennsylvania Driver's Manual
Pennsylvania Crash Trends
Pennsylvania has been struggling with managing its car crash fatalities for many years and suffered from 1,179 car crash fatalities in 2022. 2022's numbers were slightly down from 2021, but it appears that crash numbers are likely to go up again for the state. For a full picture of fatal accidents in PA, see Pennsylvania car crash statistics from GoodCar.
See the Bureau of Motor Vehicle Fees
Drivers within the state of Pennsylvania can see the most common fees by looking at the Bureau of Motor Vehicle Schedule of Fees page.
Get the Latest Pennsylvania Vehicle Information with GoodCar
Pennsylvania vehicle owners owe it to themselves to have the most up-to-date information about state laws, maintenance requirements, recalls, and more. Refer to this useful resource for residents looking for help and GoodCar's VIN and license plate lookup tools for help getting additional information about specific vehicles.