§ 50-1505.01 — Definitions.

District of Columbia § 50-1505.01

• Jurisdiction: District of Columbia
• Title 50: Motor and Non-Motor Vehicles and Traffic.
• Ch. 15: Registration of Motor Vehicles.
• Subch. III: Rental Vehicle Registration.

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For the purposes of this subchapter:

(1) The term “jurisdiction” means any state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, a foreign country or a state or province of a foreign country.

(2) The term "motor vehicle" means any device propelled by an internal-combustion engine, and designed to carry passengers. The term "motor vehicle" shall not include road rollers, farm tractors, trucks, motorcycles, motorized bicycles, vehicles with a seating capacity of 10 or more persons, vehicles propelled only upon rails and tracks, personal mobility devices, as the term is defined in § 50-2201.02(13) , electric mobility devices, as the term is defined in § 50-2201.02(6A) , or a battery-operated wheelchair when operated by a person with a disability.

(3) The term “owner” means the person, corporation or firm that holds the legal title to a motor vehicle or utility trailer, the registration of which is required in the District of Columbia. If a motor vehicle is the subject of an agreement for the conditional sale or lease thereof to an operator of a rental fleet, with an immediate right of possession vested in the conditional vendee or lessee, the conditional vendee or lessee of said vehicle shall be deemed the owner for the purposes of this subchapter. If a mortgagor of a motor vehicle is entitled to possession of said vehicle, such mortgagor shall be deemed to be the owner.

(4) The term “preceding year” means the period of 12 consecutive months immediately prior to September 1st of the year immediately preceding the commencement of the registration or license year for which allocation registration, as provided in § 50-1505.03 , is sought.

(5) The term “rental fleet” or “fleet” means 5 or more rental vehicles or 5 or more utility trailers which a rental operator designates as a rental fleet.

(6) The term “rental operator” means an owner of 5 or more rental vehicles or utility trailers who is engaged in the business of renting or leasing, or of offering to rent or lease, to others, such vehicles or trailers without drivers.

(7) The term “rental transaction” means the renting or leasing of a rental vehicle or utility trailer and shall be deemed to occur in the jurisdiction where such vehicle or trailer first comes into possession of the person, firm or corporation renting or leasing said vehicle or trailer.

(8) The term “rental vehicle” means a motor vehicle owned by a rental operator and which is a part of a rental fleet. The term “rental vehicle” shall not include motor vehicles which are registered for commercial, livery, sightseeing or taxi purposes, nor shall the term include hearses.

(9) The term “utility trailer” means a vehicle without motor power intended or used for carrying property and drawn or intended to be drawn by a motor vehicle, whether such vehicle without motor power carries the weight of the property wholly on its own structure or whether a part of such weight rests upon or is carried by a motor vehicle. For the purposes of this subchapter, the term “utility trailer” shall be deemed to include only those vehicles which are owned by a rental operator and which are part of a rental fleet.

Legislative History

Mar. 6, 1979, D.C. Law 2-157, § 2, 25 DCR 6995; Mar. 15, 1985, D.C. Law 5-176, § 3, 32 DCR 748; Mar. 25, 2003, D.C. Law 14-235, § 8, 49 DCR 9788; Mar. 13, 2004, D.C. Law 15-105, § 90(a), 51 DCR 881; Mar. 6, 2007, D.C. Law 16-224, § 207, 53 DCR 10225