What Happens If You Dont Register Your Car

What'south Driving Y'all Crazy? Out-of-state license plates without a yr sticker

Walt from Denver writes, "A couple of people that accept moved to Colorado have told me they know a "loophole" in the law. They stated that they cannot be ticketed for not registering their vehicles in Colorado if the out of state license plate "year" sticker is not displayed. I have noticed dozens of out of state license plates without expiration stickers in parking lots. In fact, in the downtown parking garage I frequent, I have noticed for over three years the same vehicles with non-Colorado license plates (without the year expiration sticker). Is the "loophole" a legitimate way to avoid having to pay Colorado vehicle licensing/registration fees or are non-Colorado licensed vehicles not being ticketed and given a complimentary pass?"

The answer comes down to this, Walt. Can someone drive on Colorado roads with an expired out of state plate for a long time and seemingly get abroad with it? Yes. Is this a "legitimate loophole" to avert paying vehicle registration fees in Colorado or their home country? No.

Colorado police states, after becoming a Colorado resident, you must transfer your driver license inside 30 days and register your vehicle within 90 days. Vehicle registration is completed in the county y'all reside. Co-ordinate to the Colo Department of Revenue, a person is considered a Colorado resident if, "Colorado is the person's state of domicile or the person qualifies equally a "statutory" resident. When evaluating whether a person's state of domicile is Colorado, the Department of Acquirement will consider, among other factors, Colorado voter registration, Colorado vehicle registration, Colorado driver's license, school registration, holding buying, and residence of spouse and children. A person is a "statutory" resident of Colorado if the person maintains a permanent identify of abode in Colorado and spends, in aggregate, more than six months of the tax year in Colorado."

Colorado residency tin also be established if a person owns or operates a business in Colorado, is gainfully employed in Colorado or resides in Colorado for ninety consecutive days. Once someone becomes a resident of Colorado, they have ninety days to obtain valid Colorado Registration.

"For police enforcement, it comes down to stopping the vehicle and figuring out if the person is a resident, when they became a resident, and if they are in violation at that point," says Josh Lewis with the Colorado State Patrol. "Obviously, just having a plate from out of state is not probable cause for the states to terminate a vehicle and cheque how long they have been a resident."

Lewis says since not all states crave a year tab to be shown on their plate, that can hinder knowing if it's expired just by looking. However, if a commuter is stopped for any other reason, troopers will check the registration status of the plates. If the plate comes back as expired in the abode state, the driver can be charged for driving with expired plates or non having valid registration.

"Fifty-fifty if they do not have to switch their plates over, for example, armed forces or out of state higher students, they yet have to have a current, valid registration to drive here. If they fall nether ane of those exemptions, they accept to brand certain their plates are valid through their home state," Lewis says.

You tin can't always assume that someone who is living and working in Colorado and is driving a vehicle with out of state plates is breaking the law. Even if a person qualifies under the law to be eligible as a resident of Colorado, they might still claim residency in another state. In cases like that, the vehicle owner is required to keep their vehicle registration upward to appointment in their home state. The only way to know if that is the case is by asking the owner of the vehicle or if pulled over past constabulary enforcement.

MORE: Read more traffic bug driving people crazy

You also can't assume that a plate on a vehicle without a year sticker has an expired registration. In a country similar Texas, the license plate validation is not a sticker on the license plate like it is in Colorado. Texas problems a decal that is supposed to be displayed on the inside of the windshield. New York and the District of Columbia also use windshield stickers rather than stickers on license plates. New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania don't crave whatever validation stickers. Not on the plate or on the windshield. Connecticut hasn't required validation stickers of whatsoever kind for the past 10 years. The state DMV there says, "There is no longer whatsoever visual proof of registration; only the registration certificate carried in the vehicle. Police cheque all plates for validity solely by means of computer in this cost cut change."

Permit'southward say, for arguments sake, a person from Pennsylvania moves to Colorado, doesn't claim residency in Pennsylvania anymore and can legally be considered a Colorado resident. When that person doesn't annals their vehicle with the Colorado DMV after 90 days, that person is breaking the police force. Then, if that same driver lets the Pennsylvania registration expire and still drives in Colorado, that driver is again breaking the law. If that driver eventually decides to register the vehicle in Colorado, Kyle Boyd with the Colorado Department of Revenue tells me, "When a vehicle is registered outside of that fourth dimension period above, prior Specific Ownership Taxes (SOT) will exist collected. SOT is based on the year of manufacture of the vehicle and the original taxable value, which is adamant when the vehicle is new. That does not change throughout the life of the vehicle."

You tin can come across why someone from Pennsylvania might effort do skip registering their vehicle in Colorado. The registration in Pennsylvania is a flat fee for passenger cars of but $36.00. In Texas, the flat fee to register a car or lighter pickup truck is just $50.75. In New Jersey, the nearly expensive registration fee tops out at $84.00 for a rider car or commuter van. You can meet what some of the other base of operations fees are for vehicle registration in other states from the National Conference of State Legislators page.

Even though the above scenario is frustrating to us who bide by the law and pay the hundreds or even thousands of dollars in Colorado vehicle registration fees, there volition still be people who break the law every bit a mode to salvage money. Douglas county allows you to report suspected out-of-state plates or expired temporary tags to their motor vehicle department. They forrad any responses they receive to the law enforcement jurisdiction in which the vehicle is located.

If y'all would like some more than general information about license plates, the lndex of U.S. License Plate Pages has images and history of license plates in each state and how they have changed over the years.

Denver7 traffic anchor Jayson Luber says he has been roofing Denver-metro traffic since Ben-Hur was driving a chariot. (We believe the bodily number is over 20 years.) He's obsessed with letting viewers know what'due south happening on their drive and the best way to avoid the problems that spring upward. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or listen to his Driving You Crazy podcast on iTunes , Stitcher , Google Play or Podbean.

Copyright 2020 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This cloth may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Source: https://www.thedenverchannel.com/traffic/driving-you-crazy/driving-you-crazy-can-you-get-away-with-not-registering-your-vehicle-in-colorado-if-the-out-of-state-license-plate-year-sticker-is-not-displayed

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