(TNS) — Sick of peeling that pesky tag off of your license plate every year?

A new Idaho law that goes into effect this summer ends the legal requirements for vehicle registration tags on motor vehicles.

However, you still need to update your tags — or risk getting a ticket.

Here’s what drivers to know:

DO I STILL NEED A VEHICLE REGISTRATION STICKER?

House Bill 533 eliminates the color-coded vehicle registration stickers Idaho drivers attach to their license plates, saving the Idaho Transportation Department an estimated $300,000 in production costs.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed HB 533 into law in early March.

Starting July 1, Idaho drivers will no longer be required to replace their sticker tags when renewing vehicle registrations.

The change comes as law enforcement agencies are relying more on automated technology.

Automated license plate readers “automatically capture images or videos” of a passing vehicle, then detect the license plate number and access all recorded information related to that vehicle, according to the Library of Congress.

That includes the vehicle’s registration, make, model and color as well as whether it’s on a so-called “hot list” identifying vehicles of interest to law enforcement, the Library of Congress said on its website.

HOW CAN I TELL IF MY VEHICLE REGISTRATION IS EXPIRING?

Vehicle registration provides proof that your car, pickup truck, SUV or motorcycle is “allowed to drive on Idaho roads,” according to the Idaho Department of Transportation .

That’s still the case even if you’re no longer to sport a sticker on your license plate.

“Nothing is changing for customers when it comes to renewing registration,” Britt Rosenthal, public information officer for the Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles, told the Idaho Statesman in an email. “The only update is that Idaho will stop mailing out physical registration stickers after July 1, 2026.”

The Idaho DMV notifies drivers by mail, text or email when their registration is about to expire, according to Rosenthal.

“Residents can also log into their portal at anytime to check vehicle renewal status,” Rosenthal said.

“You should renew your vehicle registration before it expires,” the DMV said. “If you renew your registration early, your new expiration date will not change. You cannot renew a registration that is suspended or revoked or is conditional for title.”

HOW MUCH CAN I BE FINED FOR EXPIRED TAGS?

If your vehicle is unregistered — or that registration has expired — an Idaho police officer can pull you over and give you a warning or a ticket, the Statesman reported previously.

The fines for unregistered vehicles and expired tags haven’t changed.

Having expired tags in Idaho is a traffic infraction punishable a $101 fine, according to the Idaho Supreme Court.

If you’re caught driving with fake registration or borrowing or stealing tags, you could pay a $115 fine, the Statesman previously reported. The true owner of the registration is at risk of being fined the same amount.

If you provide false information when you’re registering your vehicle, you could face a $156.50 fine. That includes giving a name that is not legally recognized by the state of Idaho.

HOW DO I REGISTER A VEHICLE IN IDAHO FOR THE FIRST TIME?

To register a vehicle for the first time, you must visit an Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles office in person.

In Boise, you can visit the state Division of Motor Vehicles office at 8655 West Franklin Road for new vehicle registration or registration renewal.

The DMV has office locations across the state that can assist with registration requests.

To register and title a vehicle in Idaho, you’ll need to provide the following:

• Your full legal name
• An Idaho driver’s license number, Idaho-issued ID card, Social Security number or employer identification number
• A verifiable physical address
• A verifiable mailing address

HOW DO I RENEW MY VEHICLE REGISTRATION IN IDAHO?

The Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles offers multiple options for drivers seeking to renew their registration, including an online portal that can be used with or without creating a personal account

You can also visit the DMV’s virtual Ada County office.

In addition, you can renew your vehicle registration by calling 208-584-4343, mailing a check money order to the DMV office that sent your renewal notice or visiting a DMV office in person.

Save time by scheduling an appointment in advance.

HOW MUCH DOES CAR REGISTRATION COST IN IDAHO?

Registration costs depend on the vehicle type, weight, age and inspection requirements, as well as the county where you live, according to the DMV.

Registration and renewal costs for noncommercial vehicles — those weighing 8,000 pounds or less — can range from $24 to $140 for a standard Idaho license plate.

Personalized and specialty license plates require an additional annual fee.

It can cost $73 to $337 to register a commercial vehicle weighing more than 8,000 pounds, with costs affected by weight.

You can use the Idaho DMV’s online calendar to calculate your registration fees.

©2026 The Idaho Statesman, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Water officials from Nevada, Arizona and California say they will make extra contributions by reducing their use of the Colorado River. Combined with earlier commitments, the proposed cuts add up to a total of about 20% of the states’ water allotments.

The plan, released Friday by the three states, would stabilize the river through 2028, according to a joint news release. It adds an extra contribution of 700,000 acre feet of water to cuts already in place. An acre foot is literally the amount of water it takes to cover an acre of land in water a foot deep. That’s 325,851 gallons, enough water to supply two to three households for a year.

Las Vegas relies on the Colorado River for 90% of its water, but recycling has consistently allowed Southern Nevada to use a lot less water than Nevada’s full allotment. Recycled water is returned to Lake Mead, and that is subtracted from the state’s “consumptive use” of the river. After all the math, Southern Nevada uses about two-thirds of its water allotment. Nevada is seen as a conservation and recycling model for other states to follow.

“This proposal is about moving from ideas to implementation,” John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), said in a statement included in the news release.

“It pairs real measurable water contributions with sensible dry-condition operations at Lake Powell and across the Upper Initial Units. Now is the time for every water user in the Basin to double down on water conservation as we face historically dry hydrology.”

The timing of the announcement comes as the federal government is working on a plan to replace a set of Colorado River rules that expire at the end of 2026. The three states behind the proposal, along with the four states in the Upper Colorado River Basin — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — were unable to reach a consensus agreement. That’s when the federal government said it would put its own plan in place.

The Upper Basin states are asking for mediation, but the new proposal addresses what Lower Basin states see as an urgent need for immediate action — from every state. “The Lower Basin states stand ready to engage in a meaningful process for long-term solutions while encouraging the Upper Basin to step forward now with verifiable water contributions to help stabilize the system and support a near-term, seven-state bridge,” the news release said.

Friday’s plan involves cuts from the Lower Basin states, but those are contingent on actions at Lake Powell and reservoirs farther up the river. Without federal backing, those upstream actions are unlikely to happen. The plan also asks for congressional funding to assist states in making changes.

“I think the scariest thing about this proposal is that we are hearing the top water officials on the Colorado River system talk about elevations of Lake Mead going to depths that we have never seen before,” Kyle Roerink, executive director of the Great Basin Water Network, told 8 News Now on Monday.

“It’s no surprise that the leadership of the Southern Nevada Water Authority played a big role in developing this because it focuses on conservation. And the conservation that we are seeing proposed is the type of thing that Las Vegas is built and ready to handle. It also signals that other communities are getting serious about this as well,” he said.

Roerink said Nevada can handle big cuts that are coming, but other states are far behind in adjusting to the realities of drier conditions.

“They’re manageable because we’ve taken on the challenge of turf removal, watering restrictions, septic tank removal, moratoriums on evaporative cooling and data centers. This is why we have the resiliency,” Roerink said.

While every state is conserving some amount of water, the Lower Basin states are doing the hard work of trying to come up with a plan, Roerink said. The Upper Basin hasn’t been a part of that. Instead, those states are “digging in their heels,” he said.

California is by far the biggest user of Colorado River water, which flows through pipes and channels to metro Los Angeles and farmland in the Imperial Valley.

“With this proposal, the Lower Basin is putting forth real action to stabilize water supply along the Colorado River. We’re putting forward additional measurable water contributions for the system. Without that, the system will continue to decline,” JB Hamby, chairman of the Colorado River Board of California, said.

Up to now, Arizona has taken the steepest cuts as the desert Southwest has struggled through a federally declared water shortage since 2022. Farmers in Arizona were the first to have their water supplies reduced.

Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, said the proposal reflects the creativity and commitment of water users across the Lower Basin. “We have shown that collaborative, voluntary efforts and reductions that are certain can produce meaningful water savings,” he said.

Roerink, who acknowledges that this year will likely be “one of the worst ever in recorded history in the Colorado River system,” said the plan from the Lower Basin states could go a long way in preventing hysteria. Making changes now could ensure that Lake Mead doesn’t drop to dangerous levels, he said.