GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H D
HOUSE BILL DRH40238-NEfa-55A
Short Title: Increase Vehicle Registration Fee/SHP Pay. (Public)
Sponsors: Representative Clampitt.
Referred to:
*DRH40238 -NEfa-55A*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT INCREASING VEHICLE REGISTRATION FEES FOR PRIVATE PASSENGER 2
VEHICLES TO FUND STATE HIGHWAY PATROL SALARIES AND 3
APPROPRIATING FUNDS TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION INCREASES TO 4
MEMBERS OF THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
7
PART I. VEHICLE REGISTRATION FEE INCREASE 8
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 20-4.02 reads as rewritten: 9
"§ 20-4.02. Quadrennial adjustment of certain fees and rates. 10
(a) Adjustment for Inflation. – Beginning July 1, 2020, and every four years thereafter, 11
the Division shall adjust the fees and rates imposed pursuant to the statutes listed in this 12
subsection for inflation in accordance with the Consumer Price Index computed by the Bureau 13
of Labor Statistics. The adjustment for per transaction rates in subdivision (8b) of this subsection 14
shall be rounded to the nearest cent and all other adjustments under this subsection shall be 15
rounded to the nearest twenty-five cents (25¢): 16
… 17
(11) G.S. 20-87, except for including the additional fee for private passenger 18
vehicles set forth in G.S. 20-87(5) but excluding the additional fee set forth in 19
G.S. 20-87(6) for private motorcycles. 20
…." 21
SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 20-87 reads as rewritten: 22
"§ 20-87. Passenger vehicle registration fees. 23
These fees shall be paid to the Division annually for the registration and licensing of 24
passenger vehicles, according to the following classifications and schedules: 25
… 26
(5) Private Passenger Vehicles. – 27
There shall be paid to the Division annually, as of the first day of January, for 28
the registration and licensing of private passenger vehicles, fees 29
according to the following classifications and schedules: 30
Private passenger vehicles of not more than fifteen passengers.........$38.75 31
Private passenger vehicles over fifteen passengers............................. 43.25 32
An additional fee of six dollars and twenty-five cents ($6.25) is imposed on 33
each private passenger vehicle registered under this subdivision in addition to 34
the base fee. The Commissioner shall, on a monthly basis, transfer the revenue 35
from the additional fee to the Department of Public Safety. The funds 36
H.B. 386
Mar 12, 2025
HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 DRH40238-NEfa-55A
transferred pursuant to this subdivision shall, in addition to any other funds 1
appropriated for this purpose, be used to fund State Highway Patrol salaries. 2
(5a) Provided, that Notwithstanding subdivision (5) of this section, a fee of only 3
one dollar and thirty cents ($1.30) shall be charged for any vehicle given by 4
the federal government to any veteran on account of any disability suffered 5
during war so long as such vehicle is owned by the original donee or other 6
veteran entitled to receive such gift under Title 38, section 252, United States 7
Code Annotated. 8
…." 9
SECTION 1.(c) This section becomes effective July 1, 2025, and applies to vehicle 10
registrations issued or renewed on or after that date. 11
12
PART II. APPROPRIATION TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION INCREASES TO 13
MEMBERS OF THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL 14
SECTION 2.(a) Effective July 1, 2025, there is appropriated from the General Fund 15
to the Reserve for Compensation Increases to provide pay raises for the State Highway Patrol the 16
sum of forty million four hundred thousand dollars ($40,400,000) in recurring funds for each 17
year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to establish the pay scales set forth in this section. 18
SECTION 2.(b) Effective July 1, 2025, the law enforcement officers of the State 19
Highway Patrol shall be paid based upon the following experience-based annual salary schedule: 20
Years of Experience 2025-2027 Biennium 21
0 $56,000 22
1 62,125 23
2 68,250 24
3 75,375 25
4 80,500 26
5 86,625 27
6 92,750 28
7 98,875 29
8+ 105,000 30
SECTION 2.(c) Effective July 1, 2025, State Highway Patrol employees who are 31
not subject to an experience-based annual salary schedule shall be paid at the following rates by 32
rank: 33
Rank 2025-2027 Biennium 34
Sergeant $120,750 35
First Sergeant 132,825 36
Lieutenant 146,108 37
Captain 160,718 38
Major 176,790 39
Lieutenant Colonel 194,469 40
Deputy Commander 204,193 41
Colonel 224,612 42
43
PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE 44
SECTION 3. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes 45
law. 46