Harper Highlights Green Initiative to Help Working Families Save on License Plate Renewal Fees

CHICAGO – In an effort to help working families avoid costly fees for license plate renewals this year, state Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, is encouraging residents to enroll in the Illinois Secretary of State’s Email Renewal Notice Program.

“This email service helps Illinois save from spending taxpayer dollars during our historic budget impasse, which caused many car owners to receive outrageously high fees because the Secretary of State’s office was unable to mail renewal notifications in a timely manner,” said Harper. “Even though the Secretary of State’s office has started sending out paper reminders again, this is a program that people should sign up for in order to receive multiple notices before their vehicle’s registration expires.”

Harper is highlighting the Illinois Secretary of State’s Email Renewal Notice Program website that is free to sign up for: https://www.ilsos.gov/greenmail/. Vehicle owners can input their Registration ID and PIN numbers located on their paper renewal notice on the website to receive the email notifications. After submission, several reminder emails will be sent to vehicle owners about their vehicle registration status. The first reminder will be one month before the expiration, and the second notification will be one week prior to expiration. The final reminder will be sent after the vehicle registration has expired. If residents did not receive a renewal notice in the mail, please call the Secretary of State’s Public Inquiry Division at 1-800-252-8980 for assistance.

“I want to help people in my district from falling victim to more unaffordable fees, and the Renewal Notice Program can help do so,” said Harper. “I strongly recommend that anyone who is able to sign up for this program do so to find out the status of their vehicle’s registration. It’s never too early to enroll in this program, but hopefully it isn’t too late for anyone to get their notifications before their expiration has passed.”

Harper represents the 6th District which includes all or portions of Armour Square, Bridgeport, Chicago Lawn, Englewood, Gage Park, Back of the Yards, Canaryville, New City, West Englewood, and Marquette Park in the city of Chicago.