CLEVELAND, Ohio - We’re not talking big dollars here, but there’s a way to save a few bucks on Ohio license plates if you’re due to renew them over the next few weeks - renew by mail.
Effective Dec. 1, under a change approved by Ohio legislators earlier this year, the registrar fee portion of vehicle registrations was increased from $3.50 to $5.
That’s what you’ll pay now if you renew online or go to a local BMV office. But not by mail for renewals coming up soon.
Here’s why.
The bureau sends notices out 45 days ahead of plates expiring. Included are statements with billing amounts that can be mailed back with payments.
Lindsey Bohrer, a spokeswoman for the Ohio BMV, said notices mailed before Dec. 1 include the $3.50 fee for a one-year renewal, instead of the new amount of $5; so that’s what people paying by mail with the form will have to pay. But, Bohrer noted, the fee will be the higher $5 at local BMV offices, since the change was put in place Dec. 1.
“There is a disclaimer on the mail notice application that says the fees shown are valid for mail-in registrations notices only,” Bohrer said.
Is it worth a 55-cent stamp to save $1.50? Maybe not for a lot of people. But more people might think it’s worth it if they have two, three or four vehicles that can be renewed all with one mailing.
The total cost depends on the vehicle type and where the vehicles are registered. In addition to the $5 registrar fee, the state charges $31 for passenger vehicles and many local communities add on another $20 or $25 per vehicle.
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