Will an unpaid red light ticket prevent me from renewing my tag?

Depends on your state; some will require you to pay it when you renew the tag, others have separate systems for traffic tickets and taxes/licensing receipts. You need to call your county clerks office and ask them.

I’m in FL. When I went to renew my tag online a few minutes ago it directed me to contact my local tax collectors office because I was not elligible to do it online .. ”/

Barnacle Bill is on the right track. Some states allow this, while others do not. Why not just pay the traffic ticket and carry on with your license plate renewal?

True on how it varies.
I however highly suggest you take care of it long before it turns to being past due.
Once past due, your drivers license will be at risk of being suspended. Once you go past that you are at risk of being pulled into jail if you are caught driving without a license.
Simply pay the ticket or appear if you intend to dispute it.
The additional cost associated with each offense past this is not worth it.
You also may have costs associated with insurance each additional offense if you leave it unpaid.
Don’t run the risk.
Driving is a privilege you don’t want to lose.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles offers this web page with links where you can determine if you have problems either with your drivers license or with your motor vehicle.

What happens when you try both of those?

It’s like 300$ honestly at the moment just cant afford it (single mom) thanks!

In looking into this, I couldn’t find any evidence that Florida requires you to discharge all warrants, fines, and tickets in order to renew your registration. That’s why I’m curious as to what you’ll see when you try the links I suggested above.

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If you get pulled over for an expired registration, the police officer will give you a ticket.

If you get your registration renewed before your scheduled court date, then take the receipt (or other proof of payment) to court with you. There’s a very good chance that the judge will simply dismiss the case, not costing you a dime. After all, they just want their records up to date.

However, this is a risky approach to take. I only suggest it because it might buy you the time you need to pay the $300 for your traffic ticket(s). But remember, the judge gets to make the call as to the punishment (unless you insist on a jury trial) or if you’re responsible for court costs (easily a couple hundred bucks).

In my state, photo tickets are just fines – they don’t count as points against you, and are not turned over to your insurance. Something to look in to.

@Lothloriengaladriel I understand and feel for you (single dad here). Still have to be responsible for it. I’d hate to hear that it got worse.
Hope you can stretch it out correctly