Bill Text: WV SB429 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to motor vehicle registration classifications
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2012-03-16 - Approved by Governor 3/14/12 - House Journal [SB429 Detail]
Download: West_Virginia-2012-SB429-Introduced.html
Senate Bill No. 429
(By Senators Beach and Klempa)
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[Introduced January 25, 2012; referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §17A-10-1 and §17A-10-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to classification of motor vehicles for purpose of registration; changing the definition of “Class A” vehicles by increasing the maximum weight of Class A to include certain vehicles now classified as Class B; establishing the fee for those reclassified vehicles; and defining “Class Farm Truck” as “Class X”.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §17A-10-1 and §17A-10-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 10. FEES FOR REGISTRATION, LICENSING, ETC.
§17A-10-1. Classification of vehicles for purpose of registration.
Vehicles subject to registration under the provisions of this chapter shall be placed in the following classes for the purpose of registration:
Class A. Motor vehicles of passenger type and trucks with a gross weight of not more than eight ten thousand pounds: Provided, That wherever the term “passenger vehicle” is used in this code, this definition applies regardless of a reference to a specific weight;
Class B. Motor vehicles designated as trucks with a gross weight of more than eight ten thousand pounds, truck tractors or road tractors;
Class C. All trailers and semitrailers, except house trailers and trailers or semitrailers designed to be drawn by Class A motor vehicles and having a gross weight of less than two thousand pounds;
Class G. Motorcycles and parking enforcement vehicles;
Class H. Motor vehicles operated regularly for the transportation of persons for compensation under a certificate of convenience and necessity or contract carrier permit issued by the Public Service Commission;
Class J. Motor vehicles operated for transportation of persons for compensation by common carriers, not running over a regular route or between fixed termini;
Class M. Mobile equipment as defined in subdivision (oo), section one, article one of this chapter;
Class R. House trailers;
Class T. Trailers or semitrailers of a type designed to be drawn by Class A vehicles and having a gross weight of less than two thousand pounds; and
Class X Farm Truck. Motor vehicles designated as trucks having a minimum gross weight of more than eight thousand pounds and a maximum gross weight of eighty thousand pounds, used exclusively in the conduct of a farming business, engaged in the production of agricultural products by means of: (a) The planting, cultivation and harvesting of agricultural, horticultural, vegetable or other products of the soil; or (b) the raising, feeding and care of livestock, poultry, bees and dairy cattle. A farm truck may be used only for the transportation of agricultural products produced by the owner of the truck, for the transportation of agricultural supplies used in the production or for private passenger use.
§17A-10-3. Registration fees for vehicles equipped with pneumatic tires.
The following registration fees for the classes indicated shall be paid to the division for the registration of vehicles subject to registration under this chapter when equipped with pneumatic tires:
(a) Registration fees for the following classes shall be paid to the division annually:
(1) Class A. -- The registration fee for all motor vehicles of this class is $28.50: Provided, That the registration fees and any other fees required by this chapter for Class A vehicles under the optional biennial staggered registration system shall be multiplied by two and paid biennially to the division.
No license fee may be charged for vehicles owned by churches, or by trustees for churches, which are regularly used for transporting parishioners to and from church services. Notwithstanding the exemption, the certificate of registration and license plates shall be obtained the same as other cards and plates under this article.
(2) Class B. -- The registration fee for all motor vehicles of this class is as follows:
(A) For declared gross weights of eight ten thousand one pounds to sixteen thousand pounds -- $28 plus $5 for each one thousand pounds or fraction of one thousand pounds that the gross weight of the vehicle or combination of vehicles exceeds eight thousand pounds.
(B) For declared gross weights greater than sixteen thousand pounds, but less than fifty-five thousand pounds -- $78.50 plus $10 for each one thousand or fraction of one thousand pounds that the gross weight of the vehicle or combination of vehicles exceeds sixteen thousand pounds.
(C) For declared gross weights of fifty-five thousand pounds or more -- $737.50 plus $15.75 for each one thousand pounds or fraction of one thousand pounds that the gross weight of the vehicle or combination of vehicles exceeds fifty-five thousand pounds.
(3) Class G. -- The registration fee for each motorcycle or parking enforcement vehicle is $8: Provided, That the registration fee and any other fees required by this chapter for Class G vehicles shall be for at least one year and under an optional biennial registration system the annual fee shall be multiplied by two and paid biennially to the division.
(4) Class H. -- The registration fee for all vehicles for this class operating entirely within the state is $5; and for vehicles engaged in interstate transportation of persons, the registration fee is the amount of the fees provided by this section for Class B, reduced by the amount that the mileage of the vehicles operated in states other than West Virginia bears to the total mileage operated by the vehicles in all states under a formula to be established by the Division of Motor Vehicles.
(5) Class J. -- The registration fee for all motor vehicles of this class is $85. Ambulances and hearses used exclusively as ambulances and hearses are exempt from the special fees set forth in this section.
(6) Class M. -- The registration fee for all vehicles of this class is $17.50.
(7) Class X farm truck. -- The registration fee for all motor vehicles of this class is as follows:
(A) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of eight thousand one pounds to sixteen thousand pounds -- $30.
(B) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of sixteen thousand one pounds to twenty-two thousand pounds -- $60.
(C) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of twenty-two thousand one pounds to twenty-eight thousand pounds -- $90.
(D) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of twenty-eight thousand one pounds to thirty-four thousand pounds -- $115.
(E) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of thirty-four thousand one pounds to forty-four thousand pounds -- $160.
(F) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of forty-four thousand one pounds to fifty-four thousand pounds -- $205.
(G) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of fifty-four thousand one pounds to eighty thousand pounds -- $250: Provided, That the provisions of subsection (a), section eight, article one, chapter seventeen-e of this code do not apply if the vehicle exceeds sixty-four thousand pounds and is a truck tractor or road tractor.
(b) Registration fees for the following classes shall be paid to the division for a maximum period of three years, or portion of a year based on the number of years remaining in the three-year period designated by the commissioner:
(1) Class R. -- The annual registration fee for all vehicles of this class is $12.
(2) Class T. -- The annual registration fee for all vehicles of this class is $8.
(c) The fees paid to the division for a multiyear registration provided by this chapter shall be the same as the annual registration fee established by this section and any other fee required by this chapter multiplied by the number of years for which the registration is issued.
(d) The registration fee for all Class C vehicles is $50. On or before July 1, 2000, all All Class C trailers shall be registered for the duration of the owner’s interest in the trailer and do not expire until either sold or otherwise permanently removed from the service of the owner: Provided, That a registrant may transfer a Class C registration plate from a trailer owned less than thirty days to another Class C trailer titled in the name of the registrant upon payment of the transfer fee prescribed in section ten of this article.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to expand the definition of Class A vehicles to include larger pickup type trucks registered at more then 8,000 pounds but less than 10,001 pounds. This change would allow these vehicles to display special license plates and allow sheriffs to renew these registrations in their offices. The bill also designates class farm trucks as class X.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.
