VIRGINIA – Starting on July 1, if you have an unregistered farm vehicle that you use on public roads, you will now have to register it under the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The law was originally passed in 2023, but lawmakers and police officers gave people a one-year grace period to get their cars registered.
They said these DMV-issued placards will be required for farm-use panel trucks, pickup trucks and sports utility vehicles.
It costs $15, and once registered, the placard is good for the lifetime of the vehicle. The vehicle does not need a state inspection, but it needs to be insured.
I was curious about people’s thoughts on the change for farm use tags, so, I went to Tractor Supply to talk to people.
“I noticed a big spike in it during [COVID-19],” said one man. “You’d see like Jeep Cherokees and like cars and things like that using the farm use tags so I think it ended up being abused.”
They told me while some may be using the old farm use tags correctly, there are plenty who are not.
“You see cars out here running around with farm use tags, what are they hauling?” said another man. “They are not using it on the farm and I don’t understand how they get by with that over the years.”
Officials with the Virginia Farm Bureau said they have been working to let the farmers know about the new enforcement.
“We’ve worked diligently with the DMV and local and statewide law enforcement to get the message out that our farmers are working to preserve the exemption as well as abide by the new regulations,” said Katelyn Jordan, with the Virginia Farm Bureau.
Officials with the DMV said you cannot order the tags online, but you can fill out the application ahead of your visit.
If people fail to register their vehicle and are caught, they could be looking at a $250 fine.
For more information on how to get your vehicle registered, you can find it here.