Texas Redesigns Paper License Tags to Include New Security Features

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is overhauling the look of the problematic temporary paper license tags issued by dealers to include enhanced security features aimed to reduce fraud.

The DMV said Thursday that dealers will begin issuing the redesigned temp tags on Dec. 9.

"This is the next step in ongoing efforts that have made a significant difference in curtailing and preventing the fraudulent production of, access to, and use of temporary tags," the DMV said in a news release.

NBC 5 Investigates has been reporting on the proliferation of phony tags being used by criminals who gained access to the state's system by registering as dealers and then selling the tags online.

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The new tags, which the DMV said took several months to design, have a new look and embedded security features that will help police identify fake tags and increase the safety of traffic stops.

Features in the new temporary tag design can include:

Texas flag watermark.
Enhanced depiction of the tag expiration date, vehicle year and make, and name of issuing dealer.
Identification of the specific type of tag issued.
Font selection and size that maximize readability of primary components.
Active and passive security features identifiable by law enforcement.
Numerous pieces of embedded data and text, linked to law enforcement databases, can be created only by internal TxDMV computer systems.

“With the support of our law enforcement partners, The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is setting a new standard for temporary tag security and design,” said TxDMV Executive Director Daniel Avitia.

texas new paper tag — Texas DPS' new paper tag, to debut in December 2022.

"WE HAVE MORE WORK TO DO"

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The change in the design of temporary paper tags may not be enough to stop criminals, one Texas lawmaker tells NBC 5 Investigates, and he's introduced legislation calling for even bigger changes.

"Until, in my opinion, we get rid of paper tags completely in the state of Texas, we're not going to get rid of the problem," said State Rep. Craig Goldman (Republican - Fort Worth).

He has introduced legislation that calls for metal plates to replace paper tags.

"It really is an embarrassment and joke again for the state of Texas that we're allowing these enormous amounts of paper or temporary license plates in this state," Goldman said.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is overhauling the look of the problematic temporary paper license tags issued by dealers to include enhanced security features aimed to reduce fraud.

'WE SHOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE'

The announcement came three days after a Grand Prairie police officer died in a crash while pursuing the driver of a car with a temporary license plate.

Investigators told NBC 5 Investigates the same paper tag had been reproduced hundreds of times for vehicles across the Dallas-Fort Worth region since it was originally printed in the spring.

Now, police in Grand Prairie say they wish the change had come sooner.

"I'm happy they did it. I'm not going to go any further into that," Daniel Scense, Chief of the Grand Prairie Police Department, told NBC 5 Investigates. "I'll just tell you I'm frustrated that we are in this position. How about that? I'm frustrated. We shouldn't even be here."

DMV Board Chairman Charles Bacarisse told NBC 5 Investigates in April that the agency would re-examine the paper tag design after an NBC 5 investigation exposed not only how tags were easily counterfeited, but how some small car dealers were using the DMV's own system to print hundreds of thousands of temporary tags which police say were then sold on the black market.

When asked why the new paper tag design has taken this long, a Texas DMV spokesman said "the project required significant programming of department registration systems..." and "During this time the department was working toward multiple projects to continue addressing fraud..."

The DMV declined to comment on Rep. Goldman's proposal to use metal plates instead.