Registration Service Stops

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​Under certain circumstances, an individual may not be able to register their vehicle with the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. Blocks, or stops, to completing registration must be addressed prior to registration.

The table below provides some of the most common blocks, why they occur and how to resolve them.

Table Caption

​Stop	​Reason	​Resolution
​Bad debt	​An individual owes money to NCDMV.	​ Pay debt by mail: N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles 1514 Mail Service Center Raleigh NC 27699-1514​
​Bad credit warning	​An individual has previously written a bad check to NCDMV and their account shows they should not be served.	​NCDMV will only accept cash. Call NCDMV's Fiscal Unit at (919) 707-4260.
​Child support	​An individual has failed to pay child support.	​Contact the N.C. Department of Health & Human Resources
​Correspondence stop – plate stop/vehicle stop	​ NCDMV has notified an individual that there is a problem with their registration.	​Depending on the problem (such as vehicle identification number, problems concerning title documents, application, lien, etc.), an individual may or may not be able to perform registration services at a license plate agency.
​County tax	​An individual has failed to pay county taxes on the vehicle.	​Contact the tax department of the county in which the vehicle is registered.
​DWI customer	​The registered vehicle was seized by law enforcement because the individual driving it (who may or may not be the owner) was convicted of driving while impaired and driving with a revoked license due to a previous DWI.	​Contact the clerk of court in the county of conviction.
​DWI registered owner	​Occurs when an individual has been convicted of driving while impaired.	​Contact the clerk of court in the county of conviction.
​Felony speed to elude	​Occurs when law enforcement seizes the registered vehicle before the defendant goes to court.	​Contact the county Administrative Office of Courts that placed the stop, or call NCDMV's License & Theft Bureau at (919) 861-3187.
​Global	​Occurs when an owner fails to pay any penalty or fee resulting from a lapse in financial responsibility.	​Pay the penalties or fees online or in person at an NCDMV license plate agency.
​Inspection	​Occurs when an individual's license plate has expired and the vehicle has not passed a safety and/or emissions inspection.	​Get the vehicle inspected. If there are emissions problems with the vehicle, call NCDMV Emissions at (877) 421-0020.
​Insurance	​ An individual's insurance coverage has been terminated and they do not have proof of liability insurance coverage (Form FS-1) from their insurance company.	​ License plate will be revoked and must be surrendered for 30 days to an NCDMV license plate agency. The vehicle can be relicensed on the 31st day, upon payment of the license plate fee as well as required insurance penalties and fees and proof of liability insurance coverage (Form FS-1) from their insurance company.
​IRP/audit	​An individual has failed to pay International Registration Plan audit fees within 30 days from the billing date.	​Go to either the International Registration Plan office in Raleigh or Charlotte to pay audit fees.
​​Passing stopped school bus	An individual has failed to pay the penalty for passing a stopped school bus.	Contact the city or county school board that placed the stop.
​Stolen/stopped	​ The vehicle was sold by a mechanic or by lien storage sale, sold at public auction, judicial proceedings etc. A stolen vehicle stop is placed against a vehicle record when the vehicle is stolen.	​The agency placing stolen stops must remove the stop. Questions concerning stolen/stopped vehicles should be directed to the NCDMV License & Theft Bureau (919) 861-3141.
​Unified carrier registration warning	​Occurs when an individual owes unified carrier registration fees.	​Go to an International Registration Plan office to pay the fees.
​Unpaid tolls	​An individual has unpaid tolls from using North Carolina toll-based roads. Registration is blocked when payment is more than 60 days past due.	​Outstanding tolls must be paid to the N.C. Turnpike Authority.

Last updated Aug. 29, 2023