Skip to main content

Illegal Tags in Nevada and DMV’s Efforts to Stop Them

The Department of Motor Vehicles in Nevada has advised residents not to rent or buy cars with Texas Temporary dealer permits. They said that the permits might be fraudulent, or people might use them to hide the car's legal problems.

In South Nevada, widespread use of those permits resulted in the Nevada DMV’s Compliance Division sizing hundreds of tags and impounding numerous cars over the past few months. Most of the impounded cars had been stolen and sold to Nevadans.

According to J.D. Decker, the DMV Compliance Enforcement Division Chief, people use the temporary permits on cars that can't be registered because of suspended or canceled registration, emission issues, titling or insurance problems, or stolen cars that have been VIN-switched. He adds that the issue of the permits has reached Texas authorities, and they are working on solving the issue.

The permits are usually labeled as "Texas Buyer" permits, and people can get them online for around $60, but they don't come from legit car dealers.

J.D. Decker also added that there was an issue in the Texas dealer-licensing system that allowed people to register as car dealers, which allows them to sell the temporary permits nationwide. Most times, these permits cost more than legit permits.

According to J.D. Decker, most fake auto dealerships don't have physical business sites, which is one way that citizens can avoid getting scammed.

“The permits are illegal in Nevada,” Decker added. People caught driving cars with illegal tags will be subject to citations for displaying a fictitious or illegal registration, even though their car’s permit indicates they are registered in Texas.

Drivers will also get citations for the original suspended or canceled car registration hidden using the temporary dealer Texas tag. Illegal "Texas buyer" permits on rented or bought cars indicate that they were stolen, have issues with the ownership and title, or do not have valid insurance.

Decker added these efforts are not only to help deal with the issues the cars have but also to protect citizens from paying $60 for invalid permits, which could cause them more trouble and cost them more in high court fines.

Drivers can get legal movement permits online for $1 from Nevada DMV through the MyDMV portal on dmvnv.com. These permits are only available to car owners. People who have not registered their cars, bought them via private party sales, or don't have full ownership of their cars yet can get legal permits as walk-in customers for $1 without a prior appointment.

According to a new Nevada law, people who purchased their vehicles on private party sales should get their movement permit or register the car three days after the party. They, however, need to show law enforcement officers a title or bill of sale and insurance evidence for those days to avoid a citation.