On Tuesday, July 1, 2025, a new Texas law banning temporary paper license plates (House Bill 718 or HB 718) officially goes into effect. As a result, Texas drivers to have metal license plates.
With the new law, officials aim to combat fraud. From Tuesday forward, motor vehicle dealers are required to issue metal license plates – with the black and white general license plates being the most common. When processing title and registration application, licensed dealers will have to use wedDEALER for vehicle sales.
Additionally, HB 718 will change how general issue license plates are distributed. Licensed dealers will now receive a set number of plates directly at their business location, allowing them to assign the plates to vehicles at the time of sale.
Furthermore, temporary paper license plates will no longer be issued for the following:
- Dealer’s temporary tags
- Buyer’s temporary tags
- Internet Down tags
- Dealer Agent tags
- 30-day and one-trip permits
- Dealer vehicle specific tags
In substitution for the paper license plates, the state has created four new metal plates for limited-use purposes: general issue plates, dealer temporary license plates, out-of-state buyer plates, temporary registration license plates, and buyer provisional license plates.
The law applies to each case as of July 1, 2025. Tags issued ahead of this date will remain valid until expiration date. Additionally, 72/144 Hour Permits will still be issued for commercial vehicles.
“Effective July 1, 2025, Texas is eliminating most paper temporary tags and transitioning to metal license plates to enhance security, prevent fraud, and strengthen traffic enforcement. Law enforcement officers should be aware of these changes when encountering Texas-registered vehicles. Law enforcement will begin seeing four new Texas metal plate types on the road.”
For more information about the House Bill 718, as well as available resources, see here.