Registration Renewal
Florida law requires trailer tags and registrations to be renewed before they expire. Florida vehicle registrations and tags (license plates) expire as follows:
- For trailers owned by individuals, the expiration date is the birthday of the first owner listed on the registration;
- For company owned trailers, the expiration date is June 30th;
- For semi-trailers, the annual expiration date is December 31st.
To renew, the following items are required:
- Previous registration or registration renewal notice.
Trailer registrations and tag renewals may be done online, by mail, or at an authorized Tag Agency or Service Center location.
To renew an existing trailer registration online, click here.
For authorized Tag Agency or Service Center location information, click here.
Please note that Florida law does not provide for vehicle registration renewal notices, and failure to receive a renewal notice by mail does not relieve the vehicle owner of their responsibility to timely renew their vehicle registrations and license plates.
The Tax Collector does, however, provide renewal notices as a courtesy to resident vehicle owners. The courtesy renewal notices are mailed approximately 3 weeks prior to the birth month or month in which the renewal is due.
To renew by mail, be on the lookout for your registration renewal notice! As a courtesy, the Tax Collector’s Office mails renewal notices to resident trailer owners. The courtesy renewal notices are mailed approximately 3 weeks prior to the trailer owners birth month (or month in which the renewal is due). The renewal notice includes materials which allow trailer owners to more easily renew their registration(s) by mail. Florida law does not require vehicle registration renewal notices for trailers to be mailed, and failure to receive a courtesy renewal notice by mail does not relieve the trailer owner of their responsibility to timely renew their trailer registrations and license plates.
The cost of renewing a trailer registration and license plate varies according to the trailers weight.
Note: Only trailers with a net or empty weight of 2000 lbs or higher are titled. However, registrations and license plates are required for all trailers.
Initial Registration
Residents operating their trailers on Florida’s roadways must register those vehicles in the State of Florida.
Non-residents must register their trailers in Florida if they engage in a trade or occupation, are employed in Florida, or their children attend public schools in Florida.
Non-resident exemptions may be applied to college or university students who are in Florida for less than six months in an accredited work-study program recognized by the State of Florida or to any non-resident enrolled as a full-time student in a Florida institution of higher learning.
Vehicle registrations for trailers may be obtained at an authorized Tag Agency or Service Center location. For authorized Tag Agency or Service Center location information, click here.
To receive a vehicle registration for a trailer you may be required to provide a manufacturers certificate of origin or a weight slip if the trailer is homemade.
Registration on a Used Trailer
If you have purchased a used trailer, under 2,000lbs that is currently registered in Florida, you will need to provide:
- A bill of sale or the previous owner’s registration. The bill of sale must list the Trailer Identification Number or the trailer’s license plate number.
If you have purchased a used trailer, under 2,000lbs, that the previous owner never registered in Florida you will need to provide:
- A bill of sale or an out-of-state title registration signed by the previous owner.
- A weight slip must be presented unless the weight is listed on the title or registration.
- If the trailer comes from a state that does not title or register trailers, the bill of sale must include the year, make, Trailer Identification Number and the state where the trailer came from.
To register a used trailer, visit an authorized Tag Agency or Service Center location. For location information, click here.
Registration on a Homemade Trailer
If you have purchased a homemade trailer, under 2,000lbs, that is currently registered in Florida, you will need to provide:
- A bill of sale or the previous owner’s registration.
- The bill of sale must list the Trailer Identification Number or the trailer’s license plate number.
If you have purchased a homemade trailer, under 2,000lbs, that the previous owner never registered, you will need to provide:
- A bill of sale from the owner of the homemade trailer that must state the year the trailer was built and the weight. If the weight is unknown they will need to provide you with a weight slip.
- The Trailer Identification Number will be generated by the states computer system during the registration transaction.
If you have purchased a homemade trailer, over 2,000 pounds, that is registered in Florida, you will need to provide:
- The title from the current owner.
- A bill of sale.
If you have purchased a homemade trailer that weighs 2,000lbs or more and has never previously been titled in Florida, a compliance examiner must inspect the trailer and assign it a Trailer Identification Number. To make an appointment for this inspection, call 813-612-7110.
To register a homemade trailer, visit an authorized Tag Agency or Service Center location. For location information, click here.
Transfer of Ownership on a Florida Title
When seeking to transfer ownership of a trailer in Florida, you must bring the following items to an authorized Tag Agency or Service Center location (for location information, click here):
- The Florida title, properly completed by the seller; and,
- A copy of the current registration to be transferred if applicable.
Also, each applicant must be present to sign the new application for title.
Note: Applicants may request a Fast Title for an additional $10. The title is provided by the Tax Collector’s Office at the time of application. Fast Titles can be obtained at one of the Tax Collector’s Offices.
Title Application on a New Trailers
If a trailer (new or used) has been purchased from a Florida dealership, the dealer is required by law to process the Application for Title
If a new trailer was purchased from an out-of-state dealership, an Application for Title may be processed at an authorized Tag Agency or Service Center location (for location information, click here).
Applications for Certificate of Title may be obtained and completed prior to visiting an authorized Tag Agency or Service Center location. To access an Application for Certificate of Title form (82040) online, click here.
The following items are needed in addition to a completed Application for Certificate of Title:
- A manufacturer’s certificate of origin;
- A bill of sale or invoice listing the purchase price, sales tax paid, and any trade-in allowance (Please note, additional sales tax may be due);
- Any applicable lienholder information;
- When transferring a tag or license plate, the current registration or plate and decal number;
- Each applicant must sign the application. (If completing an application in our office, each person applying for ownership must be present to sign the title application.)
Title Application on an Out-Of-State Trailer
When seeking to register a trailer that was previously titled out-of-state, an Application for Certificate of Title must be completed and submitted to an authorized Tag Agency or Service Center. The application form may be obtained and completed prior to visiting an authorized Tag Agency or Service Center location. To access an Application for Certificate of Title form (82040) online, click here.
The following items are also required:
- The out-of-state title certificate in your name or assigned to you;
- If your vehicle is finance, complete lienholder information including account number, lienholder name, and mailing address;
- A vehicle identification odometer verification form, which must be completed by a law enforcement officer, or a Florida notary, a Florida Division of Motor Vehicles compliance examiner, the U.S. Military Police, or a Florida licensed car dealer (Completing Section 7 of the Application For Certificate Of Title fulfills this requirement);
- When transferring a tag or license plate, the current registration or plate and decal number.
- Each applicant must sign the application. (If completing an application in our office, each person applying for ownership must be present to sign the title application.)
- Florida Use Tax may be due, if the vehicle was purchased less than 6 months prior to importing the vehicle to Florida. Proof of any sales tax paid to another state will be required.
- The full 6% Florida Use Tax and any applicable local option tax is due on all vehicles imported from foreign countries.
Note : Applicants may request a Fast Title for an additional $10. The title is provided by the Tax Collector’s Office at the time of application. Fast Titles may be obtained at an authorized Tag Agency or Service Center location (for location information, click here).