So your tag is lost if you make a police report and say the tag is stolen there's no charge to get a new one if you say it's lost it's negligence on your behalf You will have to pay for a new one
Not sure if this will be similar but it might give you some insight. My vehicle plate was stolen one morning. I was able to get a free replacement plate from octc with a police report. Might work the same way with you. I would ask this question to the orange county sheriff's office as im 95% sure they would know. You can call their non emergency number and speak to human.
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