Obtain an N.C. driver's license before registering vehicle. Bring your title and a valid registration card from your previous state of residency. If your title is held by a lienholder, you must provide the lienholder's name and address on a state form for title release. You must also present proof of insurance by a licensed N.C. insurer, at or above minimum standards. While the state does not levy sales tax on motor vehicles, N.C. counties do annual assessments of personal property.
Car dealers collect the tax and send it on to the state.
If you buy a car from a private party, you are responsible for paying the tax when you register the car. Don't pay it and you can't renew your license plate. Handicapped plates and placards can be obtained from DMV license plate offices and by mail by submitting Form MVR-37, which must be signed by a physician. Your vehicle must pass a state safety inspection within 10 days of when you receive your N.C. license plate or by the last day of the month printed on the inspection sticker. All vehicles registered in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Gaston and Union counties also must pass an emissions inspection, usually done at the same time as the safety inspection.