New Madrid vehicle plates tie back to personal property tax

A New Madrid County plate-renewal problem can be a county tax paperwork problem. The county’s personal property page says taxes are assessed on property owned on January 1, including cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, trailers, and older or historic vehicles.

The same county page says state law requires personal property taxes to be paid before license plates on vehicles can be issued or renewed. It also says duplicate paid tax receipts are available from the collector.

For a driver, the lesson is to keep the county receipt with the vehicle paperwork. If the issue is whether the vehicle was listed or assessed correctly, the county points assessment questions to the assessor. If the issue is paying or getting a duplicate receipt, start with the collector and then follow Missouri Department of Revenue title and registration steps.