# how can i keep my custom plates?
**URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670
**Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic
**Created:** [May 9, 2017, 12:35pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670 "2017-05-09T12:35:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@turbojohnny](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/turbojohnny)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2017, 12:35pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/1 "2017-05-09T12:35:06Z")
I have custom plates for two of my cars. one of the cars I just sold. I do not want to turn in my custom plates. I paid the $60 for them. Why should I have to surrender them?
Anyway, aside from letting the registration expire. Is there a way I can keep my plates. Can I turn in my old alpha-numeric plates for that registration?
Does anyone have experience with this?
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### Author:  [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2017, 12:46pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/2 "2017-05-09T12:46:15Z")
You cannot keep a plate without a valid registration to tie them to. NY doesn’t allow that because they don’t want a bunch of slap on plates floating around out there. If you don’t have another car to keep them on your only option to to store them at the DMV.
> **[How to replace or transfer personalized plates](https://dmv.ny.gov/plates/how-replace-or-transfer-personalized-plates)**
>
> There are a variety of circumstances in which you can replace or transfer personalized plates. See specific instructions below. Personalized plates that are old or damagedTo replace your personalized plates that are old or damaged, you must call the...
> **If I remove a vehicle from the road, can I keep my personalized plates?** Yes. You can store your personalized plates at most DMV offices. [3](https://dmv.ny.gov/custom-plates/replace-or-transfer-personalized-plates#footnote3_mtw52ou)
> [Find a DMV office.](https://dmv.ny.gov/offices)
> You will receive a receipt (form FS-6T) when you surrender your personalized plates. Verify the information listed on the receipt, and make sure that the receipt displays the words, "Stored at Local Office,” and keep this receipt. We will indicate on the registration record that the vehicle plates have been stored.
> To register the vehicle again, or to use your stored personalized plates to register another vehicle, you must visit the DMV office that has your vehicle plates. Make sure that you bring the receipt (form FS-6T) and the other documents required to register your vehicle.
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Won’t let me edit for some reason, but not just valid registration, but valid insurance as well. Your insurance company will notify the DMV when the car is no longer insured (assuming they even let you drop the insurance without the little sheet from the DMV stating the plates were surrendered) and if they plates don’t get turned in your license will be suspended.
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### Author:  [@Motocrossx23](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Motocrossx23)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2017, 12:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/3 "2017-05-09T12:53:24Z")
What if you happen to lose one?
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### Author:  [@llink78](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/llink78)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2017, 12:55pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/4 "2017-05-09T12:55:54Z")
Turn in just one. Iv done it plenty of times.
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### Author:  [@Spam16v](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Spam16v)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2017, 1:38pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/5 "2017-05-09T13:38:13Z")
Turn in and store them at the Delevan DMV.
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### Author:  [@Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Blue_Eyed_Devil)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/6 "2017-05-09T20:30:06Z")
Don’t store them at Cheektowaga, they f’ing lost mine!
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> [@Motocrossx23](#):
>
> What if you happen to lose one?
I seem to ALWAYS lose one.
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### Author:  [@turbojohnny](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/turbojohnny)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2017, 4:23am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/7 "2017-05-10T04:23:17Z")
I definitely won’t be storing them at a dmv office, as I don’t intend to ever use them on a vehicle again. I just want to be able to hang them on the wall.
I guess I’ll just have to turn in one plate.
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### Author:  [@02NismoSpecV](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/02NismoSpecV)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2017, 4:25am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/8 "2017-05-10T04:25:14Z")
just turn one of them in. i have a plate from every car ive had. they never question it at all when you just hand them one
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### Author:  [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2017, 4:42am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/9 "2017-05-10T04:42:27Z")
Finally, NY’s two plate system is good for something!
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### Author:  [@Terry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Terry)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2017, 5:56am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/10 "2017-05-10T05:56:43Z")
Hmm, I legitimately lost a plate once and they wouldn’t let me turn that one in without a police report saying I had lost the other one. Which was a bitch, since going to the police station saying I lost it sometime, somewhere didn’t exactly make them interested in taking the time to write the report.
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### Author:  [@Xander](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Xander)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2017, 6:12am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/11 "2017-05-10T06:12:45Z")
I’ve done the one plate turn in thing at least a half a dozen times.
X…
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### Author:  [@Terry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Terry)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2017, 8:54am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/12 "2017-05-10T08:54:47Z")
Hmm, sounds like I just got someone having a bad day…
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### Author:  [@llink78](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/llink78)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2017, 9:04am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/13 "2017-05-10T09:04:00Z")
> [@Terry](#):
>
> Hmm, sounds like I just got someone having a bad day…
Iv never had a problem giving just one in. They take my $1 and say have a nice day.
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### Author:  [@livin4hockey](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/livin4hockey)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2017, 9:17am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/14 "2017-05-10T09:17:26Z")
Who’s to say you weren’t involved in an accident and lost a plate that way? I know I lost my front plate years ago in an accident.
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### Author:  [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2017, 9:45am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/15 "2017-05-10T09:45:24Z")
> [@livin4hockey](#):
>
> Who’s to say you weren’t involved in an accident and lost a plate that way? I know I lost my front plate years ago in an accident.
Right, but technically if you lose a plate you’re supposed to get a police report about it regardless of how it went missing. There’s not much to it. When an Erie County sheriff pulled me over for no trailer plate he printed out the form right from his cruiser for me in a couple minutes. More than likely most of the people getting away with turning in just one are getting someone at the front line at the DMV who just doesn’t care. The plate surrender is usually at that pre-check desk and my guess is that person hates their job even more than the rest of the DMV employees since they have to spend all day pointing out why your paperwork is wrong.
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### Author:  [@livin4hockey](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/livin4hockey)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2017, 10:06am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/16 "2017-05-10T10:06:13Z")
> [@JayS](#):
>
> my guess is that person hates their job even more than the rest of the DMV employees since they have to spend all day pointing out why your paperwork is wrong.
Highly likely
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### Author:  [@Terry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Terry)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2017, 10:10am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-can-i-keep-my-custom-plates/274670/17 "2017-05-10T10:10:46Z")
I’m in the southern tier so a much more rural setting and we don’t even have these pre-check desks so maybe that had something to do with it. This was also probably a decade ago so something could have changed as well.