New Jersey-2020-A507-Introduced

An Act concerning the refund of certain motor vehicle registration fees and amending R.S.39:3-30.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. R.S.39:3-30 is amended to read as follows:

39:3-30. Upon the transfer of ownership or the destruction of any motor vehicle or vehicle its registration shall become void. If the motor vehicle or vehicle is sold the original owner shall remove the license plates therefrom, and surrender them to the [division] commission in a manner specified by the [director] chief administrator if such plates are not transferred to another vehicle pursuant to this section.

The original owner may, by proper sworn application on a form to be furnished by the [division, register] commission:

a. Receive a refund of that percentage of the registration fee proportionate to the unexpired term of the registration of a passenger automobile registered under R.S.39:3-8 or a noncommercial truck registered under section 2 of P.L.1968, c.439 (C.39:3-8.1). The percentage amount of the refund shall be computed on an annual basis. No owner shall be entitled to a refund of any portion of an unexpired registration of less than one year.

b. Register another motor vehicle for the unexpired portion of the registration period of the original vehicle. A person applying to use the unexpired portion of a registration under this section shall pay a fee of $4.50 if the vehicle is of a weight or other classification equal with or less than the one originally registered, and shall pay a fee of $4.50 and the difference between the fee originally paid and that due if the new motor vehicle is properly registerable in a higher class. Unless the original license plates have been destroyed, the owner shall be assigned the license number previously issued to him and shall receive a new registration certificate. If the original license plates have been destroyed, replacement of the plates will be made under the provisions of R.S.39:3-32.

The surviving husband, wife, child or children of a deceased registered owner of any motor vehicle in whom title thereto shall vest by virtue of the terms of the will of such deceased owner, or otherwise, shall, upon application to the [director] chief administrator, and upon the payment of a fee of $4.50, be entitled to have the registration of such vehicle transferred to his or her name.

The registered owner of any motor vehicle shall, upon application to the [director] chief administrator, and payment of a fee of $4.50, be entitled to have the vehicle registered jointly in the name of the registered owner and the spouse of said owner. The registration certificate and certificate of ownership shall be amended accordingly without the payment of any additional fee.

(cf: P.L.1995, c.112, s.34)

2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of enactment, except that the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill provides for the refund of a portion of the registration fee of a motor vehicle if it is sold or transferred to a new owner or destroyed prior to the expiration of the registration.

Current law permits owners to transfer portions of unexpired registrations to other motor vehicles, but does not provide for any refund of registration fees.

Under the provisions of the bill, the owners of passenger automobiles and noncommercial trucks would be entitled to a percentage refund of the registration fee paid for those vehicles if they are sold or destroyed before the expiration of their registration terms. The percentage refund is to be calculated on a yearly basis. The bill specifies that no owner will be entitled to a refund of any portion of an unexpired registration of less than one year.