Expired vehicle registration; establishes a tiered fine system.
One of the key aspects of this bill is the introduction of an optional multi-year registration for vehicles. This provision would allow vehicle owners to register their vehicles for periods longer than the standard annual registration, potentially streamlining the registration process and reducing the frequency of renewals. This could have significant implications for both vehicle owners, who may appreciate less frequent interactions with the registration system, and for the state's vehicle registration administrative workload.
House Bill 1784 aims to amend the existing provisions related to expired vehicle registration in Virginia. The bill proposes alterations to Code of Virginia section 46.2-646, which governs the expiration and renewal of vehicle registrations. Under this bill, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles would have the discretion to extend the validity of an expiring registration under specific circumstances, particularly when the Department encounters processing issues beyond its control, allowing for extensions of up to 90 days.
The bill also introduces specific penalties for failing to renew a vehicle registration in a timely manner. If a registration has been expired for less than a year, a fine of $25 is imposed, while registrations expired for over a year could attract fines ranging from $25 to $250. Notably, the bill stipulates that failure to renew a registration shall not be considered a traffic infraction if the registration expired within the last 60 days, offering some leniency to vehicle owners.
Furthermore, the bill contains a provision that protects vehicle owners from being stopped for expired registrations until four months after the original expiration date. This means that law enforcement officers would be prohibited from initiating stops solely based on expired registration during this grace period. This is aimed at preventing unnecessary traffic stops and potential legal complications that could arise from such interactions.