§ 39-04-18 — Motor vehicles exempt from registration fees - Reciprocal use of state highways by foreign licensed motor vehicles

highways by foreign licensed motor vehicles.
1. a. Except as provided in this section, a motor vehicle as defined in section 39-01-01
or a trailer operated or intended to be operated upon a highway, road, or street in
this state must be registered annually with the department.
b. A semitrailer or a farm trailer operated or intended to be operated upon a
highway, road, or street in this state must be registered with the department either
annually or permanently, at the discretion of the registrant.
c. A vehicle being operated on highways, roads, or streets of this state must display
license plates as furnished by the department upon payment of the fees
prescribed in this chapter.
d. Upon satisfactory proof to the department that a motor vehicle owned by a
resident of this state was not used upon any of the highways of this state in any
one or more years, the motor vehicle may be registered upon payment of the
registration fee for the current year.
e. A resident of the state of North Dakota, serving in the armed forces of the United
States for a period of time greater than one year, may relicense a motor vehicle
owned by the veteran without paying a fee or penalty for the intervening years
when the vehicle was not licensed, providing the veteran shows by suitable
affidavit that the vehicle was not in use during a year in which it was not licensed.
The vehicle must be licensed for the license fee applicable to the month of the
year in which application for license is made.
2. The following motor vehicles may be operated upon the highways, roads, and streets
of this state without being registered, under such limitations as are herein specified;
provided, however, that whenever the department determines that it is to the best
interest of the state of North Dakota and determines by reciprocal agreement or
otherwise that as great or greater privileges are not granted North Dakota residents
while traveling in other states or territories, the department may cancel or limit the
application of any exception to residents or motor vehicles from such other state or
territory:
a. Farm tractors as defined in section 39-01-01, special mobile equipment and road
rollers and other road construction or maintenance machinery that cannot be
operated on the highways and streets of this state in a normal operating manner.
b. Motor vehicles owned by or in possession of Indian mission schools, by this state
or any of its agencies, departments, or political subdivisions, including school
districts possessing a motor vehicle or vehicles used for driver education
instruction, or by any entity located upon the international boundary line between
the United States of America and Canada used and maintained as a memorial to
commemorate the long-existing relationship of peace and good will between the
people and the governments of the United States of America and Canada and to
further international peace among the nations of the world; provided, however,
that the vehicles must display license plates provided by the department at actual

cost. Upon request, qualifying law enforcement motor vehicles must be issued a
license plate under section 39-04-10.9.
Each motor vehicle loaned or furnished by a licensed North Dakota motor
vehicle dealer to a school district in North Dakota to be used exclusively for
instructing pupils in the driver education and training program conducted by the
school district will be assigned an official license plate. The license plates must be
used only on the motor vehicles furnished by dealers and used in the driver
education program, and for no other purpose except for garaging and
safekeeping of the motor vehicle.
A person may not use a driver education motor vehicle bearing official
license plates for any purpose other than driver education course instruction. A
person is not in violation of this subdivision if the person is required by the dealer
or a school administrator to house or otherwise protect the vehicle at the person's
home or other facility.
c. Motor vehicles registered in any other state or territory when coming into this
state a distance not exceeding twenty miles [32.19 kilometers]; provided,
however, that such motor vehicles have displayed thereon the current license
plates issued by the state or territory in which they are registered and provided
further that the owners or operators thereof are not residents of this state. Nor
may such vehicles be required to pay any other tax, and no registration fee or tax
may be required when such vehicles do not leave the incorporated limits of any
city while in the state of North Dakota within a zone circumscribed by a line
running parallel to the corporate limits of any city or contiguous cities and twenty
miles [32.19 kilometers] distant therefrom. This section does not prevent trucks
from coming into the state such distance as shall be necessary to reach the
nearest railway shipping station. For purposes of this subdivision, an individual is
a resident of this state if the individual is gainfully employed or engages in any
trade, profession, or occupation within this state and owns, leases, or rents a
place of residence or otherwise lives within this state for the purposes of
employment, or regardless of domicile or any other circumstance, remains in this
state for a period of at least ninety consecutive days. For purposes of this
subdivision, a resident does not include a student at a university, college, or
technical school in this state or a daily commuter from another jurisdiction if that
jurisdiction exempts the vehicle of a daily commuter from this state from
registration in that jurisdiction under a reciprocity agreement.
d. Motor vehicles owned and operated by the United States government, or any
foreign government, or any of their agencies or departments; provided, however,
that such motor vehicles must display identification plates.
e. Passenger motor vehicles registered in any other state or territory; provided,
however, that such motor vehicles have displayed thereon the current license
plates issued by the state or territory in which they are registered and provided
further that the owners or operators thereof are not residents of this state. For
purposes of this subdivision, an individual is a resident of this state if the
individual is gainfully employed or engages in any trade, profession, or
occupation within this state and owns, leases, or rents a place of residence or
otherwise lives within this state for the purposes of employment, or regardless of
domicile or any other circumstance, remains in this state for a period of at least
ninety consecutive days. For purposes of this subdivision, a resident does not
include a student at a university, college, or technical school in this state or a
daily commuter from another jurisdiction if that jurisdiction exempts the vehicle of
a daily commuter from this state from registration in that jurisdiction under a
reciprocity agreement.
f. Motor vehicles owned and operated by a manufacturer of motor vehicles when
such motor vehicles are operated or moved such distance as may be authorized
by the director from the factory where manufactured or assembled, to a depot or
place of shipment or other point of delivery; provided, however, that such vehicles

have displayed in plain sight the name and address of the manufacturer and a
written permit from local police authorities.
g. Motor vehicles owned and operated by a licensed North Dakota motor vehicle
dealer from a railway depot, warehouse, salesroom, or place of shipment;
provided, however, that such vehicles have displayed in plain sight the name and
address of the dealer and a written permit from the local police authorities.
h. Motor vehicles owned and operated by nonresidents engaged in harvest of
agricultural products from June first through December thirty-first of any one year;
provided, however, that such motor vehicles have displayed thereon a decal or
other means of identification issued by the director upon payment of a fee of fifty
dollars.
i. Vehicles owned by nonresident military personnel stationed in this state and
operated by such military personnel or their dependents, provided such vehicle is
registered in the state or territory whereof such military person is a resident, and
provided further that current license plates from such state or territory are
displayed on such vehicle.
j. Motor vehicles not exceeding twenty-six thousand pounds [11793.40 kilograms]
registered gross weight owned and operated by a disabled veteran under the
provisions of Public Law 79-663 [38 U.S.C. 3901], a disabled veteran who has a
one hundred percent service-connected disability as determined by the
department of veterans' affairs, or a disabled veteran who has an extra-schedular
rating to include individual unemployability which results in the veteran being paid
at the one hundred percent rate as determined by the department of veterans'
affairs is entitled to display either a distinctive license plate or a standard plate
that does not identify the veteran as a veteran or disabled veteran which is issued
by the department at no cost to the qualifying veteran or surviving spouse or any
other distinctive or vanity plate purchased from the department by the qualifying
veteran or surviving spouse. This exemption applies to no more than two such
motor vehicles owned by a disabled veteran at any one time. A surviving spouse
of a disabled veteran who is receiving United States department of veterans
affairs dependency and indemnity compensation is eligible for the exemption
under this subdivision for one vehicle. If the determination of disability or service-
connected death occurs subsequent to the qualifying veteran's death through
application of a law that renders a surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran eligible
for United States department of veterans affairs disability and indemnity
compensation, the determination for purposes of the exemption under this
subdivision is presumed to precede the veteran's death. Sufficient proof of receipt
of United States department of veterans affairs dependency and indemnity
compensation includes correspondence directed to a surviving spouse of a
qualifying veteran by the United States department of veterans affairs which
indicates the surviving spouse is a survivor of the qualifying veteran and is in
receipt of United States department of veterans affairs dependency and
indemnity compensation.
k. Motor vehicles having not over two axles and not being used in combination
owned and operated by nonresidents and any motor vehicle or combination of
three axles or more operated in this state pursuant to a proportional licensing or
other agreement or arrangement with any jurisdiction having motor vehicle
registration authority.
l. Motor vehicles owned and operated by a resident building mover or by a resident
well driller; provided, however, that such vehicles are used only for moving
buildings or building-moving equipment, or are used only for drilling water wells or
moving water well-drilling equipment; provided, further, that such vehicles display
a license plate issued by the director upon the payment of a fee of twenty-five
dollars for two axle trucks, fifty dollars for tandem axle trucks and single axle
truck-tractor units, and seventy-five dollars for each tandem axle truck-tractor
unit.

Any vehicle which has been issued this special motor vehicle license may be
registered under the regular motor vehicle registration law, by payment of the
difference between the amount paid for the special motor vehicle license and the
regular registration fee for such vehicle.
Any vehicle which has been issued this special motor vehicle license and is
found being operated upon the highways of this state without being equipped with
special house-moving or well-drilling equipment shall forfeit the fee paid and, in
addition, must be required to register under the regular motor vehicle registration
law of this state. None of the above limitations may be construed as restricting
the operation of the special licensed vehicle when such operation would not
require a greater fee than that paid for this operation.
m. Any trailer, semitrailer, or farm trailer when the gross weight, not including the
weight of the towing vehicle, does not exceed one thousand five hundred pounds
[680.39 kilograms] and it is not for hire or commercial use, or when used to
transport recreational vehicles or boats and it is not for hire or commercial use.
n. Any vehicle which is driven or moved upon a highway only for the purpose of
crossing the highway from one property to another. The crossing must be made
at an angle of approximately ninety degrees to the direction of the highway.
o. Passenger motor vehicles, house cars, or pickup trucks not exceeding twenty
thousand pounds [9071.84 kilograms] registered gross weight owned and
operated by a resident who, while serving in the United States armed forces, was
a prisoner of war and has received an honorable discharge from the United
States armed forces is entitled to display a distinctive license plate issued by the
department. This exemption also applies to any passenger motor vehicle, house
car, or pickup truck not exceeding twenty thousand pounds [9071.84 kilograms]
registered gross weight subsequently purchased or acquired by such a former
prisoner of war. This exemption applies to no more than two motor vehicles
owned by a former prisoner of war at any one time. A surviving spouse of a
former prisoner of war who has not remarried retains the exemption of the
deceased veteran who qualified under this subdivision for one vehicle.
p. Motor vehicles not exceeding twenty-six thousand pounds [11793.40 kilograms]
registered gross weight owned and operated by a veteran who was awarded the
purple heart is entitled to a distinctive license plate issued by the department.
This exemption applies to one motor vehicle owned by a veteran who was
awarded the purple heart.