In Georgia, remove your license plates before your donated vehicle is towed. The plates stay with the donor; they do not stay with the vehicle. After removal, either transfer the plates to your next vehicle if eligible or follow Georgia DMV/county tag office instructions to surrender or cancel the registration. Keep any surrender or cancellation receipt. That receipt is your proof that the tag record was closed and may be needed before you cancel insurance without penalties.
What to do with your plates
Confirm the Georgia plate rule
Before the tow, confirm the current plate instructions with the Georgia DMV, the Georgia Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division, or your county tag office. Most states treat plates as belonging to the donor, while a minority require plates to stay with the vehicle. Georgia is a donor-keeps-plates state, but you should still confirm the current surrender, cancellation, or transfer procedure before acting.
Remove plates before the tow
Take the front and rear plates off the vehicle before the driver loads it. If the car has only one plate, remove that plate. Do not leave the tag in the glove box, trunk, or back seat. Put the plates in a safe place with your title copy, donation paperwork, and any pickup paperwork from Wheels of Change.
Transfer or surrender them
Decide whether you will transfer the plates to another vehicle or surrender/cancel them. If you are buying another vehicle, ask the county tag office whether your plate can be transferred. If you are not transferring it, follow the DMV or county process to surrender the plate, cancel the registration, or both. Do not cancel the plate record by guesswork; use the state or county instruction that applies to your tag.
Keep the surrender receipt
Ask for and keep the surrender, cancellation, or tag-office receipt. This is your proof that the registration or plate record was closed. Keep it with your donation file. In some situations, an insurer may want proof that the registration was cancelled before allowing penalty-free insurance cancellation. If you transfer the plate instead, keep the transfer confirmation or registration document for the replacement vehicle.
File the transfer notice
After the vehicle is donated, handle the separate notice of transfer or release-of-liability step. Use our Release of Liability Guide for that task. The plate step and the liability-release step are different protections. Removing or surrendering plates helps close the tag record. Filing the transfer notice helps show that you no longer control the donated vehicle after the transfer.
If plates left with the car
If the car has already left your Atlanta driveway with the plates still attached, act quickly. Contact Wheels of Change and ask whether the plates can still be retrieved. If they cannot be retrieved, call the Georgia DMV or your county tag office and explain that the vehicle was donated with the plate attached by mistake. Ask what proof they need to cancel the registration, document the transfer, or prevent future plate issues. Keep notes of the date, office, and instructions you received.
Common questions
Do I leave my plates on a donated car in Georgia?
No. In Georgia, remove the plates before the vehicle is towed. The plates stay with you, not with the donated vehicle. After removal, transfer the plate to another eligible vehicle or follow the DMV or county tag office instructions to surrender or cancel the registration.
Can I cancel insurance right after the tow?
Do not cancel insurance until you have handled the registration or plate step and checked your insurer’s requirements. A surrender or cancellation receipt is your proof that the tag record was closed. Some insurers may require that proof before they allow cancellation without penalties.
What if I want to reuse the plates?
Ask the county tag office whether the plate can be transferred to your next vehicle. If it can, keep the transfer confirmation with your records. If it cannot, follow the current surrender or cancellation process and keep the receipt as proof.
More donation prep guides
Your plate task is simple: confirm the current DMV instruction, remove the plates before pickup, surrender or transfer them, keep proof, and file the separate transfer notice. Wheels of Change helps donors complete the vehicle-donation handoff benefiting Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). If your plates are still on the vehicle, contact us and your county tag office for next steps.