North Carolina can't account for nearly 7,000 permanent license plates

About 7,000 permanent license plates issues by the state are missing or being used improperly.

A legislative oversight committee broke the news to state lawmakers Tuesday. "This is a mess," said Rep. Stephen LaRoque, a Kinston Republican.

The Program Evaluation Division review is part of an ongoing effort by lawmakers to examine the state's vehicle fleet. About 2,600 permanent yellow plates are unaccounted for or missing, the report found. About 30,000 plates exist, dating back to 1900. "Some of those are gone, destroyed, in the junkyard," said Johanna Reese, the Division of Motor Vehicles deputy commissioner. "They are so old we don't know where they are."

The 120,000 state-issued permanent silver plates are given to qualified entities, such as local governments, religious institutions, health-related organizations and others, for just $6 and don't need annual renewal. But more than 4,200 likely illegally belong to non-qualified entities, such as power companies. "How does Duke Power get silver plates," asked committee chairwoman Julia Howard, a Mocksville Republican.

Unsatisfied with the answers, lawmakers are devising legislation to tighten controls on state plates ahead of the May legislative session.