Motor Vehicle Information

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New residents must register their vehicles within thirty days of establishing residency in Georgia. A Georgia Driver’s License must be obtained before registering your vehicle, showing a Wilkinson County address.

Renewal notices are mailed approximately 45-60 days prior to the registration expiration date by the state of Georgia. If a tag renewal notice is needed, please contact us to request a notice be USPS mailed to the address on file.

Out-of-state titles must be surrendered and transferred to Georgia titles (year models 1985 and older are not required to be titled in Georgia). If there is a lien on the vehicle and you do not have the title, we must have the current registration and name and address of the lien holder. Additionally leased vehicles require an original power of attorney from the leasing company.

Georgia liability insurance is required to be transmitted to the state’s data base by your insurance company in order to register your vehicle. The vehicle must be covered by liability insurance at all times or a lapse in coverage penalty will apply. If you cancel the insurance, you must also cancel the registration.

Tags expire on the birthday of the first owner shown. You should receive a bill 30 days prior to renewal. Penalties apply after the birthday deadline. Failure to receive a bill in the mail does not relieve the penalty. If you do not receive a bill, call the Tag Office with your tag number and one will be mailed to you. This must be done in time to insure registration by your birthday.

It is the vehicle owner’s responsibility to insure their vehicle is properly registered.

The penalty for late registration is 10% of the tax ($5.00 minimum) and 25% of the tag fee. These penalties begin immediately following the due date.

New Purchase Information

All title / registration transactions require a current Georgia driver’s license reflecting your current physical address in Wilkinson County. The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) offers one free change of address on a Georgia driver’s license online or in person at one of their facilities. Visit their website for more information.

Businesses wishing to title a vehicle to the business must provide their active business license during each initial registration process.

Voluntary Registration Cancellation

Cancelling the registration notifies our office, law enforcement, and the Department of Revenue that said vehicle is not and will not be on the road. Cancelling the registration does not destroy the registration. It only renders it inactive.

Specialty Tags

Specialized and personalized plates are issued to private passenger vehicles only that are owned by Georgia residents.

A list of all available specialty plates can be found HERE. From this list, click desired type of specialty plate to view a sample of the plate and for the fees and requirements to purchase.

Disabled Persons

A disabled person’s license plate costs $20 (same as standard) plus any other fees and penalties which may apply, including ad valorem tax and title tax, if applicable.

If the vehicle currently has a valid Georgia license plate and a disabled person’s license plate is being requested for the same vehicle, a disabled person license plate will be issued at no cost.

Disabled person’s license plates do not need an affidavit to renew, but are renewed each year as any registration is renewed. If you are permanently disabled, you can also apply for a disabled person plate for each vehicle you own.

TAVT

Effective March 1, 2013, Georgia House Bill 386 removed the sales tax and annual ad valorem tax on newly-purchased vehicles and vehicles moving in from out-of-state and replaced them with a new one-time title ad valorem tax (TAVT) of 6.6%. This amount is due upon titling any motor vehicle.

New Georgia residents are required to pay 50% of the TAVT at the time the vehicle is initially registered; the remaining TAVT balance is due within one year. A Georgia title will not be printed until the remaining TAVT balance is paid in full.

If you have a lienholder: The Georgia title will be mailed to the lienholder on file. A Georgia title will not be printed until the remaining TAVT balance is paid in full.

TAVT Exemptions

• Non-titled vehicles and trailers are exempt from TAVT – but are subject to annual ad valorem tax.
• New residents to Georgia pay TAVT at a rate of 3% (New Georgia Law effective July 1, 2019).
• Family transfer – Form MV-16 Affidavit to Certify Immediate Family Relationship required:
  • If the vehicle is currently in the TAVT system, the family member can pay a reduced TAVT rate of .5% of the fair market value of the vehicle.
  • If the vehicle is currently in the annual ad valorem tax system, the family member has the option of staying under annual ad valorem OR paying full one-time TAVT.
• Inheritance - T-20 Affidavit of Inheritance required:
  • If the vehicle is currently in the TAVT system, the family member can pay a reduced TAVT rate of .5% of the fair market value of the vehicle.
  • If the vehicle is currently in the annual ad valorem tax system, the family member has the option of staying under annual ad valorem OR paying full one-time TAVT.
  • Learn more about vehicles inherited or purchased from an estate.
• Non-Resident Military – Service Member Affidavit Form PT-472NS required.
• Some Military Veterans are exempt from TAVT (Form MV-30 Georgian’s Veteran Affidavit for Relief and Local TAVT fees and Military Documentation required):
  • Disabled Veterans compensated at 100%
  • Prisoners of War
  • Purple Heart Recipients
  • Medal of Honor Recipients
• Public Safety-First Responders – allowed a TAVT exemption on a maximum of $50,000 fair market value combined for all vehicles he or she registers during any three-year period.
  • Required documentation: MV-PSFR-TAVT Public Safety First Responder State and Local Title Ad Valorem Tax Exemption Application and award letter from the Department of Administrative Services for individual or spouse receiving payments for indemnification for death or disability
  • Applies to law enforcement officer, fireman, publicly employed emergency medical technician, or a surviving spouse of such a first responder, receiving indemnification payments from the Department of Administrative Services due to certain injuries or death occurring in the line of duty.