Houston police release video involving upcoming law change to temporary paper license plates

HOUSTON - Houston police shared a video to X this week alerting drivers that temporary paper license plates won’t be allowed on vehicles in Texas starting July 1, 2025.

"Soon, temporary and paper tags will be a part of the past," said Sgt. Tracy Hicks in the X video. "In an effort to reduce fake paper tags, when you buy a vehicle, you will be issued a permanent license plate at that time."

In June, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 718 into law which will eliminate all state-issued paper license plates. Starting July 1, 2025, all paper tags will be replaced with metal ones.

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"If you drive on any highway, freeway, or road, you’re more than likely going to see a vehicle with paper tags," said Ken Nealy, 1st Vice President of the Houston Police Officers’ Union. "I’d say more than half don’t belong on that vehicle. They’re fake, absolutely."

As FOX 26 has reported throughout the last two years, fake paper license plates are on cars across Texas and the country. Bogus dealers them by the thousands. People purchase them to avoid paying on toll roads, missing vehicle inspections, and to commit crimes.

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Between 2016 and 2021, there was a more than 300% increase in crimes connected to vehicles with fake tags in Harris County.

"Those paper tags are placed on vehicles," said Nealy. "The occupants and drivers are using them in some sort of crime. Robberies, murders, thefts, sexual assaults. They’re using those fraudulent paper tags to prevent them from being identified."

In the summer of 2021, Paul Castro’s 17-year-old son, David, was shot and killed by a driver using fake paper license plates. Castro had been driving them home from an Astros game in downtown Houston when a man shot into their vehicle.

"Every day is a different flavor of difficulty," said Castro.

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In the days following the shooting, police released images of the suspect’s vehicle. Eventually, he was tracked down and arrested, but the temporary paper license plates on the car perhaps slowed down the initial investigation.

"If people can’t hide themselves, they’re going to be less likely to do things like what happened to David," said Castro. "We’re hoping that with this [new law], a lot of people who are finding an easy way to do illicit things won’t have that easy pathway. As a result, they’re just going to choose not to do a bad thing [that day]."

Under the new law, car dealerships will issue metal license plates instead of temporary paper tags. The plates from the DMV will be given in excess to dealers ahead of purchases. When people purchase a vehicle, the metal tags will cost $10.

"For us, it’s definitely a win," said Nealy. "This is an excellent opportunity to slow down and minimize some of the vehicles being used by criminals."