Whoops! Texas boo-boo results in thousands of duplicate license plates
Somehow, thousands of duplicate Texas motorcycle tags got manufactured, leaving tax offices across the state scrambling to deal with the fallout.
Wichita County Tax Assessor-Collector Tommy Smyth said the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles notified his office about the mistake Wednesday.
"There's 19,000 plates out there that ain't worth a nickel," Smyth said.
He said about 2,000 of the metal plates were distributed to motorcycle owners statewide before the error was discovered.
"The horse was out of the barn before they knew it," Smyth said.
He said the snafu meant someone could get plates in Wichita County while people in other counties were being issued identical plates.
That has put the issuance of new motorcycle tags on hold. Smyth said the flub affects 241 of Texas' 254 counties.
"If this was car tags this would really be a train wreck," he said.
He said those who have already received plates must be notified to bring them back to the taxes offices.
"We're going to give them a no-fee replacement," Smyth said. "I think the state of Texas is going to send them a letter starting Nov. 10."
The tax collector said he has notified Wichita County Sheriff David Duke and Wichita Falls Police Chief Manuel Borrego about the snafu because it could affect traffic stops.
"Right now it's potluck if you ran a plate as to who it would come back to," he said.
License plates are made by Texas prison inmates.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Whoops! Texas boo-boo results in thousands of duplicate license plates
