New Oklahoma law gives drivers only 10 days to get license plates

A sales representative shows a prospective customer a car at a dealership in April. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.)

OKLAHOMA CITY — A new law aimed at reducing the length of time Oklahoma drivers can use temporary paper tags took effect Sunday.

Senate Bill 2035 requires all vehicles purchased through dealerships or private sellers to be pre-registered with the state within two business days.

Motorists have 10 days from the purchase date to obtain a metal license plate along with two pre-registration decals. The law previously allowed up to 30 days. Purchasers will continue to have two months to obtain the title, pay taxes and fully register it.

“We want Oklahomans to be prepared so they know exactly how this new law will impact them when buying or transferring any new or used vehicle,” said Jay Doyle, chief executive officer of Service Oklahoma, in a statement.

The agency said the Mason Treat Act, written by Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, aims to improve safety for motorists and law enforcement by limiting the amount of time temporary tags can remain on vehicles.

Effective Sept. 1, temporary tags are only valid for 10 days after purchase.

The law is named after Treat’s son, Mason. In January, Mason Treat, who was 16 at the time, was critically injured during a routine traffic stop along Interstate 40. A Canadian County deputy stopped Mason Treat due to a lack of a license plate on his vehicle. While the teen had all proper documentation, he did not have a tag on the car because state law required private sellers to maintain possession.

Greg Treat has said the driver of a pickup truck hauling a trailer of steel fell asleep, veered off the road and struck the back of the teen’s car, severely injuring Mason Treat and Deputy Jose Tayahua-Mendoza, who had stopped him.

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