PennDOT is mailing new license plates for older vehicle registrations, and the envelope arrives without an application, a form, or a request from the owner. The bureau is retiring several plate series in order, beginning with the oldest passenger prefixes still in service. A letter comes first, the metal follows, and the registration behind the vehicle continues without a break. This page covers which series are affected, what the notice says, what to do when the plate arrives, and where the old one goes.
The mailing is a state-initiated exchange rather than a replacement an owner orders. That difference decides the paperwork, because the forms used for a lost, stolen, damaged, or illegible plate do not start this process. A recipient does not have to prove anything about the condition of the current plate, and a plate that still looks presentable can be retired anyway. The sections below follow the order a recipient meets the process: the notice, the wait, the new plate, and the return of the old metal.
What reissuance means
Reissuance is the bureau’s replacement of a plate that is still valid but no longer fits the series the state is issuing. The registration stays in force, the vehicle stays titled to the same owner, and the exchange happens because of the plate number rather than because of anything the driver did.
A plate replaced by the bureau
In a reissuance, PennDOT acts first. The bureau identifies the plates to be retired, prepares replacements, and sends them to the address on the registration record. The owner’s part begins when the envelope arrives. Nothing has to be requested, and the exchange does not begin with a counter transaction. A plate replaced this way leaves service on the bureau’s timetable, not on the owner’s. A replacement plate request uses a different form when the plate is illegible.
How it differs from a replacement request
An owner-requested replacement starts with a condition: the plate was lost, stolen, defaced, or has worn past the readability standard. That route uses a form, may carry a charge, and in the illegible case needs a signature from police or an inspection station. Reissuance has none of those triggers. The plate can be flat, clean, and readable, and it still comes off the vehicle because the series is being retired.
What stays the same
The vehicle record does not move. The title, any lien, the inspection status, and the renewal date belong to the registration rather than to the metal. Insurance and inspection paperwork that identifies the vehicle by identification number remains accurate. What changes is the plate itself, and the registration card that arrives with it becomes the document to follow once the new plate is mounted.
Why certain series are retired
Plate numbers are issued in sequence, so an old prefix is a marker of age. A series that has been on the road for years carries the older design, and the bureau retires those plates in groups rather than waiting for each one to wear out.
Age and the plate sequence
Passenger plates move through letter series as numbers are used up. A prefix near the beginning of the alphabet was issued earlier than a prefix near the end, which makes the first character a rough measure of how long a plate has been in service. The bureau uses that order to decide which plates leave circulation first, so the oldest series are the ones scheduled for replacement. The Liberty Bell plate replaced the previous base in June 2025.
The design change behind the mailing
PennDOT introduced the Liberty Bell design in June 2025, and every standard plate issued since then carries it. Retiring the oldest series moves the fleet onto the current base without a separate request from each owner. The mailing is therefore part design change and part housekeeping: it updates the artwork and clears plate numbers that have been in use the longest.
Which series are affected
The first character of the plate number decides the route. Two groups are replaced automatically, one by mail and one at transfer, and a plate outside those groups stays in service until another event replaces it.
| Plate series | Vehicle type | How it is replaced | Owner action |
|---|---|---|---|
| D, E, F | Passenger | By mail, without a request | Wait for the letter, then mount the plate |
| G, H, J, K | Passenger | At transfer to another vehicle | Exchange when the plate is transferred |
| Y | Truck | At transfer to another vehicle | Exchange when the plate is transferred |
Passenger plates starting with D, E, or F
These are the oldest passenger series still in circulation, and they are replaced through the mail. The owner files nothing and sends nothing back with the envelope. Because the trigger is the prefix, a plate in this group is exchanged even when it is legible and undamaged. A driver who has kept the same plate for years is the most likely recipient.
Passenger plates starting with G, H, J, or K
These series are replaced when the plate is transferred to another vehicle. A driver who keeps the plate on the same car does not receive a new one through this route, and the current design stays on the vehicle. The exchange happens as part of the transfer, so the timing is set by the sale, purchase, or replacement of the vehicle rather than by a mailing schedule. To return a plate, mail it to the Return Tag Unit in Harrisburg.
Truck plates starting with Y
Truck plates beginning with Y follow the transfer rule. The exchange occurs when the plate moves to another vehicle, not on a fixed date. A truck owner who never transfers the plate keeps the current design until another event replaces it, and a truck owner who does transfer receives the new base as part of that transaction.
Plates outside the list
A plate with a different prefix is not scheduled for either route. It can still be replaced for damage, loss, theft, or illegibility, and it can be swapped for the new design on request. Those routes are separate transactions with their own forms, and they are covered on the pages for replacement and for the new plate rather than here.
What the letter contains
The letter is the first sign that a plate is being retired. It arrives before the metal, and its job is to prepare the owner for an exchange rather than to collect anything.
Vehicle and plate details
A reissuance notice identifies the vehicle and the plate being replaced. The details come from the registration record, so the plate number on the letter should match the plate on the car. A mismatch is worth resolving before the new plate is mounted, because it can mean the letter belongs to another vehicle or that the record has already been updated.
What the notice asks for
The notice asks the owner to watch for the new plate and to put it on the vehicle when it arrives. It does not ask the owner to file a form, because the bureau has already started the exchange. The letter is worth keeping with the vehicle records until the new plate is mounted, and the plate number on it is the reference for any question that comes up in the meantime.
Address of record
The plate goes to the address on the registration, not to an address supplied over the phone or taken from an old envelope. A move since the last renewal is the frequent reason a notice and a plate go astray. The registration card shows the address the bureau holds, and a change of address should be filed with the bureau rather than left for the mail to sort out.
A household with more than one vehicle can receive several notices in the same season, and each one belongs to a specific registration. The plate number on the notice is the way to tell them apart, so the envelopes should not be pooled on the kitchen table and opened later without checking which car each one names. A plate mounted on the wrong vehicle creates a mismatch that takes longer to fix than the sorting would have taken.
What to do when the new plate arrives
The exchange takes a few minutes and a screwdriver. The stages are simple, but the order matters, because the old plate should stay on the vehicle until the new one is in hand.
Compare the plate with the card
The registration card that arrives with the new plate is the record of what is now issued. The number on the card should match the number stamped on the metal. A difference between the two is easier to correct before the plate is mounted, and a plate that arrives damaged should be reported before it goes on the vehicle rather than after.
Mount the new plate
The new plate goes in the same position as the old one, with the same mounting hardware. The plate has to be legible at 50 feet, which means it should sit square, unobstructed, and free of a frame that covers the characters or the state name. A cover that dulls the reflectivity works against the standard the plate was printed to meet.
Retire the old card
Two registration cards for one vehicle cause confusion at a stop and at a resale. The older card should come out of the glovebox when the new one goes in. The new card carries the current plate number and the expiration date, and it is the document a buyer or an officer will ask for.
Tell the people who bill you
Parking permits, toll accounts, insurance policies, and building passes sometimes record a plate number. A plate exchanged by the bureau is a good moment to update those records, because a permit tied to a retired number can produce a ticket that takes longer to clear than the update would have taken. This is clerical work, not a registration stage.
Design change versus reissuance
Both routes put the Liberty Bell plate on a vehicle, and drivers often use the two terms as if they were the same. They start in different places and involve different paperwork.
The voluntary design swap
An owner holding an older plate can ask for the current design at any time. That request uses Form MV-44LB, includes a photograph of the plate being replaced, and carries a charge for a standard plate. A personalized plate moves to the new base without a charge when the design is the reason for the replacement, and the characters carry over when the request repeats them exactly.
What the automatic route skips
Reissuance skips the form and the photograph, because the bureau has already decided that the series is leaving circulation. There is nothing for the owner to prove, and the exchange begins with the notice rather than with an application. The trade-off is control: a driver cannot delay an automatic exchange to keep an old plate, while a driver using the voluntary route chooses when to make the switch.
Personalized plates in a mailing
A personalized plate is not converted by the series rules, because its design belongs to the category it was issued for. When a personalized plate is replaced for a design change, the characters carry over and the personalization charge is not repeated. The request still has to repeat the configuration exactly, including any dash or space, so the new plate prints the same string.
Returning the old plate
The plate that comes off the vehicle has to leave the owner’s hands. Keeping it on a shelf does not keep anything alive, and the bureau records the return against the registration.
Address and dead tag
The plate goes to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Return Tag Unit, PO Box 68597, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8597. PennDOT marks it as a dead tag when it arrives, which closes the record on that number. The return is a mail stage rather than a counter stage, and the plate should be sent once the replacement is mounted rather than before.
What to send with it
The plate itself is the item the unit needs. A note with the owner’s name, the plate number, and the vehicle identification number helps the return find the right record, and a copy of the note should stay in the vehicle file. The registration card and the title stay with the owner. A plate that is still mounted, or one that is moving to another vehicle, should not go in the envelope.
Fees for related transactions
The automatic exchange is handled by the bureau, so the charges that matter are the ones attached to requests an owner makes. The schedule below covers the routes that sit closest to a reissuance.
| Transaction | Fee |
|---|---|
| Standard plate, new design request | $14 |
| Personalized plate, new design request | No fee |
| Standard plate, lost, stolen, or defaced | $14 |
| Standard plate, illegible, with signed verification | No fee |
Why a plate can be replaced at no charge
Two different reasons produce a free replacement. A personalized plate that moves to the new design keeps characters the owner already paid to reserve, so the artwork change does not repeat the personalization charge. A standard plate that fails the readability standard is replaced without a charge once the condition is verified, because the state expects the plate to remain legible for its service life.
Charges that sit outside the table
Registration fees, the county local-use fee, title work, lien recording, and plate transfers are separate from plate issuance. An agent under contract with the bureau may add a service or delivery charge that the bureau does not set, so a counter total can exceed the scheduled amount without an error. The schedule lists what the bureau charges, not what every seller charges.
If no plate arrives
A letter that promises a plate and a mailbox that stays empty is worth following up. The current plate remains the plate of record in the meantime, so nothing has to be removed while the question is open.
Check the address on the record
A move, a forwarding order that has expired, or a unit number missing from the registration can send the plate to the wrong place. The address on the registration card is the one the bureau uses. Updating it with the bureau is the first stage, and it should be done before a second plate is requested.
Check the registration status
The registration card shows the expiration date, and a renewal that was missed is worth clearing before the missing plate is chased. A record that is not current raises questions that a current one does not, and the exchange is built on the registration rather than on the envelope. Once the record is in order, the question of the missing plate can be put to the bureau with the plate number and the vehicle identification number at hand.
When to contact the bureau
A notice that never arrives, a plate that never follows it, or a plate that reaches the wrong address are all reasons to contact PennDOT rather than to wait through another mailing cycle. The registration card, the plate number, and the vehicle identification number are the details the bureau will ask for. The bureau can confirm the status of the exchange against the registration record, and that check is briefer than a second request sent on a guess.
Frequent mistakes
Most problems with a mailed plate come from treating it like a replacement the owner ordered. The list below covers the errors that show up most often.
- Filing Form MV-44 for a plate the bureau is already replacing. That form starts an owner-requested replacement, not a reissuance.
- Taking the old plate off before the new one arrives. The current plate stays on the vehicle until the exchange is complete.
- Mailing the old plate while it is still the plate of record. The return goes out after the new plate is mounted.
- Assuming a specialty plate is covered by the series rules. Specialty designs follow their own category.
- Ignoring a personalized plate in the household. Its characters carry over only when the request repeats them exactly.
- Keeping both registration cards in the vehicle. The older card should come out when the new one goes in.
- Letting the address on the registration go stale. The plate follows the record, not the mailbox.
Official sources
The standard issue page and the fee schedule below are the documents behind this page.
Every figure and rule on this page was checked on 23 October against official PennDOT documents, including:
- PennDOT, Standard Issue License Platehttps://www.pa.gov/agencies/dmv/vehicle-services/registration-plates/standard-issue-registration-plate
- Form MV-70S, Bureau of Motor Vehicles Schedule of Fees, April revisionhttps://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/penndot/documents/public/dvspubsforms/bmv/bmv-forms/mv-70s.pdf
- PennDOT fact sheet, Personalized Registration Plates, February 2025https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/penndot/documents/public/dvspubsforms/bmv/bmv-fact-sheets/fs-personalized_plate.pdf
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions readers send most often about plates that arrive without a request, answered with the current rules and forms.
Why did PennDOT mail me new license plates without a request?
PennDOT replaces certain plate series in order as they age out of circulation. Passenger plates starting with D, E, or F are mailed to the address on the registration, and the letter arrives before the plate. No application is needed from the owner.
Which plate series are being replaced?
Passenger plates beginning with D, E, or F are replaced by mail. Passenger plates beginning with G, H, J, or K and truck plates beginning with Y are replaced when the plate is transferred to another vehicle. A plate outside those groups is not part of the scheduled exchange.
Do I have to file a form or send money for the mailed plate?
The bureau starts this exchange on its own, so there is no application to file. The forms and charges described on this page belong to replacements an owner requests, such as a lost, damaged, or illegible plate, or a voluntary move to the current design.
What should I do with the old plate after the new one arrives?
Mount the new plate first, then mail the old one to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles Return Tag Unit, PO Box 68597, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8597. PennDOT marks it as a dead tag when it arrives, which closes the record on that number.
Can I keep my old plate if it is still readable?
A plate in a series that is being retired is exchanged even when it is legible, because the prefix decides the replacement. A plate outside the scheduled series can stay on the vehicle until it is damaged, lost, stolen, or fails the readability standard.