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No, there’s no coronavirus grace period for expired Pa. car registrations

“Is it true that PennDOT is not giving out temporary license plates because of COVID-19 and do we have a grace period when it comes to getting our car registered?” a reader asked.

Philadelphia traffic on I-95 in April. PennDOT says you better keep those registrations and driver's licenses up to date. COVID-19 not withstanding
Philadelphia traffic on I-95 in April. PennDOT says you better keep those registrations and driver's licenses up to date. COVID-19 not withstandingRead moreJESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer

Coronavirus has gotten us all a little behind the eight ball when it comes to keeping up with errands.

We’ve had to reschedule everything from mammograms to dentist appointments, and many of us haven’t quite caught up yet.

In the midst of our maintenance backlog, a reader wrote to Curious Philly — The Inquirer’s platform that lets people send in questions for our reporters to answer — with a question about the rules around car registrations during the pandemic.

“Is it true that PennDot is not giving out temporary license plates because of COVID-19 and do we have a grace period when it comes to getting our car registered?” asks a reader.

» READ MORE: Got a question for one of our reporters? Ask us through Curious Philly.

While it would be nice to get a pass on getting the paperwork for our automobiles in order, the answer to that question is a resounding no, according to Diego Santino, PennDOT’s community relations coordinator. PennDot is still distributing temporary registration license plates issued by vehicle dealers and they are good for 90 days. PennDot is still actively processing titles and registrations and the state’s department of transportation are filling all requests within the 90-day period.

As far as your car’s annual registration is concerned, Santino wrote, there are no extensions for expired registrations. “Pennsylvania vehicle owners are required to have current registration to operate their vehicles on the roadways,” Santino explained.

» READ MORE: Read more curious Philly questions answered

Before you ask: Your driver’s licenses need to be kept current as well. As in please don’t drive around Any Town, USA, with an expired Pennsylvania license and blame it on the virus. If you get pulled over, it will cost you time and money.

Well, that clears this Curious Philly edition of automobile-related ambiguities.

For more information, please log on to the Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation website at www.penndot.gov.

Have a question related to the region? Send them s to us through Curious Philly, inquirer.com/askus.