GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 386
Short Title: Increase Vehicle Registration Fee/SHP Pay. (Public)
Sponsors: Representative Clampitt.
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Transportation, if favorable, Appropriations, if favorable, Finance, if favorable,
Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
March 13, 2025
*H386 -v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT INCREASING VE HICLE REGISTRATION FEES FOR PRIVATE PASSENGER 2
VEHICLES TO FUND STA TE HIGHWAY PATROL SA LARIES AND 3
APPROPRIATING FUNDS TO PROVIDE COMPENSAT ION INCREASES TO 4
MEMBERS OF THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
7
PART I. VEHICLE REGISTRATION FEE INCREAS E 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 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 386-First Edition
the base fee. The Commissioner shall, on a monthly basis, transfer the revenue 1
from the additional fee to the Department of Public Safety. The funds 2
transferred pursuant to this subdivision shall, in addition to any other funds 3
appropriated for this purpose, be used to fund State Highway Patrol salaries. 4
(5a) Provided, that Notwithstanding subdivision (5) of this section, a fee of only 5
one dollar and thirty cents ($1.30) shall be charged for any vehicle given by 6
the federal government to any veteran on account of any disability suffered 7
during war so long as such vehicle is owned by the original donee or other 8
veteran entitled to receive such gift under Title 38, section 252, United States 9
Code Annotated. 10
…." 11
SECTION 1.(c) This section becomes effective July 1, 2025, and applies to vehicle 12
registrations issued or renewed on or after that date. 13
14
PART II. APPROPRIATI ON TO PROVIDE COMPEN SATION INCREASES TO 15
MEMBERS OF THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL 16
SECTION 2.(a) Effective July 1, 2025, there is appropriated from the General Fund 17
to the Reserve for Compensation Increases to provide pay raises for the State Highway Patrol the 18
sum of forty million four hundred thousand dollars ($40,400,000) in recurring funds for each 19
year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to establish the pay scales set forth in this section. 20
SECTION 2.(b) Effective July 1, 2025, the law enforcement officers of the State 21
Highway Patrol shall be paid based upon the following experience-based annual salary schedule: 22
Years of Experience 2025-2027 Biennium 23
0 $56,000 24
1 62,125 25
2 68,250 26
3 75,375 27
4 80,500 28
5 86,625 29
6 92,750 30
7 98,875 31
8+ 105,000 32
SECTION 2.(c) Effective July 1, 2025, State Highway Patrol employees who are 33
not subject to an experience-based annual salary schedule shall be paid at the following rates by 34
rank: 35
Rank 2025-2027 Biennium 36
Sergeant $120,750 37
First Sergeant 132,825 38
Lieutenant 146,108 39
Captain 160,718 40
Major 176,790 41
Lieutenant Colonel 194,469 42
Deputy Commander 204,193 43
Colonel 224,612 44
45
PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE 46
SECTION 3. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes 47
law. 48