ASSEMBLY, No. 839

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Assemblyman ARNONE and Assemblywoman FARRAGHER

An Act concerning refunds 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 its registration shall become void. If the motor vehicle is sold the original owner shall remove the license plates therefrom, and, within 48 hours, notify the director of the name and address of the purchaser.

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

    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 a calendar month basis. No owner shall be entitled to a refund for an unexpired term of less than two months.

    b. Register another motor vehicle for the unexpired portion of the registration period of the original vehicle, upon payment of 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 upon the payment of 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, 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, 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.1978, c.96, s.1)

    2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the third month following enactment.

STATEMENT

    This bill provides for refunds of portions of the registration fees of certain motor vehicles when they are sold or transferred to new owners or when they are destroyed.

    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 monthly basis. The bill provides, however, that an owner is not entitled to a refund for an unexpired registration period of less than two months.

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

Provides for DMV refunds of certain motor vehicle registration fees.