Expect Jail Time if Caught Driving This Type of Car in MA

I remember back in my late teens I had a musician friend in Western Massachusetts who owned an unregistered car. Now you're probably thinking that's not a big deal. That's true if he left the car sitting on his property but he drove the car around to gigs, stores, appointments etc. I used to think to myself that he was not bright for doing this as he was taking a big chance with the law. To my knowledge, he never did get in trouble with Massachusetts finest for operating an unregistered car. I wondered at the time what the penalty would have been had he been caught by local authorities or Massachusetts State Police.

What is the Penalty if Caught Driving an Unregistered Vehicle in Massachusetts?

According to the Massachusetts Legislature driving a motor vehicle with an Expired or Revoked Registration is considered a misdemeanor criminal offense and will result in a Criminal Citation being issued.

The penalties for a conviction on a first offense Expired or Revoked Registration criminal charge include fines ranging from $500 – $1,000 and jail time of not more than 10 days. The penalties for a subsequent Revoked Registration include fines of $500 – $1,000 and jail time of 60 days to 1 year.

As you can see there are some steep consequences for driving an unregisted vehicle in Massahusetts. If planning on doing this, you have to ask yourself, "is it really worth it?"

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