A new law passed in Oklahoma in 2018 and implemented on July 1st 2019 now requires you to keep and carry with you the tag registration certificate that comes along with the tags each time you renew. The new law actually states that the car tags remain assigned to the car owner even after they sell the car. Your plates and tags will follow you after you sell a vehicle.
The new law will prevent people from getting traffic citations or toll bills for cars that they no longer own. This law is already in effect in 42 other states so it comes as no surprise that OK would want to change as well. As technology use in law enforcement continues to grow, more and more small things will have to be changed and updated to make use of the available tools and systems.
When you renew your tags in OK they come in the mail, the registration is stapled to the tags. People in OK have become accustomed to throwing the paperwork out but they now need to keep it in their glove compartment. The new law makes it much easier to prove who owns the car
even if it changes hands.
If you’ve lost or thrown away your current registration you can get a new certificate for free from the state government at okcars.tax.ok.gov. You can also get a new certificate at any tag renewal office if you pay a small fee. Currently there is no penalty assigned to this law and if you receive a citation it can be resolved by you showing the registration within a short time frame to clear things up. Local law enforcement knows that it will take some time for people to get use to the new law and get their paperwork in order and leniency has been promised early on.