The Department of Motor Vehicles wants to increase about a third of all fees, including registrations, tests, inspection stickers and the sale of electronic information to insurers.
Rob Ide, the commissioner of the department, says the uptick in prices is within the cost of living price index for inflation. Fees were last increased in 2009.
If the proposal is approved by the Legislature, car registration fees will go up from $65 to $69 a year and $122 to $128 for two-year periods. The increase will raise about $3 million to support Agency of Transportation programs, or about half of the additional revenue generated by the fee hikes, or about $6.3 million.
Vermont’s registration rates for cars, motorcycles and heavy trucks are already the highest in New England, nearly double in most instances, according to a chart provided by Ide.
The biggest proposed flat fee increase is for diesel trucks under 6,100 pounds. Owners would see a $42 hike.
The registration fees for large gas and diesel trucks, calculated by weight, would go up by 6.61 percent. Big truck owners now pay $96 to $2,348.50 in annual registration costs. The rate in most neighboring states is about half that amount.
The increases are necessary, Ide said, because of funding pressures within the Agency of Transportation and the impact of Tropical Storm Irene on the state’s highway infrastructure. Ide described fees as the department’s “bread and butter” business.
The department’s operations costs are about $25 million a year; it raises about $260 million, Ide said. All of the money goes to the Transportation Fund.
Here is a list of the proposed registration fee increases: special plate registration from $38 to $41; duplicate registration from $13 to $15; registration transfers from $22 to $23; motorcycle registration from $41 to $43; registration of gas/diesel trucks under 6,100 pounds from $65/$27 to $69; trailer registration under 1,499 pounds from $23 to $25; registration trailer over 1,500 pounds from $45 to $49.
In addition, licenses will also go up: non-driver IDs from $17 to $20; four-year operator licenses from $45 to $48; two-year operator licenses from $28 to $30; junior operator license from $28 to $30; driver exam fees from $28 to $30; inspection stickers from $4 to $5; titles from $31 to $33; lien fees from $9 to $10; title certificates for motorboats, snowmobiles and ATVs from $19 to $20; lien fees for motorboats, snowmobiles and ATVs from $9 to $10; CDL skill tests from $30 to $40; subsequent CDL tests from $25 to $35; CDL endorsement fee from $10 to $15; CDL duplicate fee from $10 to $15.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 6:36 a.m. Feb. 1.
