§ 261:153 — Fees for Registration Permits

I. The treasurer of each city, or such other person as the city government may designate, and the town clerk of each town shall collect fees for such permits as follows: on each vehicle offered for registration a sum equal to 18 mills on each dollar of the maker's list price for a current model year vehicle, 15 mills on each dollar of the maker's list price for the first preceding model year vehicle, 12 mills on each dollar of the maker's list price for the second preceding model year vehicle, 9 mills on each dollar of the maker's list price for the third preceding model year vehicle, 6 mills on each dollar of the maker's list price for the fourth preceding model year vehicle, and 3 mills on each dollar of the maker's list price for the fifth preceding model year vehicle and any model year prior thereto. In no event, however, shall the fee be less than $5. Registration permit fees for construction equipment, as defined in RSA 259:42, shall be governed by RSA 261:64. The director shall make the final determination of any vehicle model year in any case in which a dispute arises. The fee collected hereunder for a vehicle used only in the manner and for the purposes specified in RSA 261:82 and for an agricultural/industrial utility vehicle, as defined in RSA 259:2-a, shall be $5; and provided further, that the fee collected hereunder for a farm tractor shall be $5. In cases of doubt, the director may investigate for the purpose of determining eligibility for limited purpose registrations.
II. In all cases the manufacturer's list price shall be rounded off to the nearest $100 and the actual permit fee shall be rounded off to the nearest dollar.
III. If the permit is issued for a vehicle specified in RSA 261:141, III in a month other than the month in which the anniversary of the owner's birth occurs, the amount of the permit fee shall be changed as follows:
(a) If the month in which the anniversary of the owner's birth occurs will be one of the next 4 months, the permit fee shall be increased by 1/12 for each whole month or part thereof remaining until the end of the month in which such anniversary will occur and the owner shall not be required to obtain a permit for the next registration period.
(b) In all other cases for vehicles specified in RSA 261:141, III the permit fee shall be determined by multiplying 1/12 of the permit fee for the vehicle times the total number of whole months and any part of a month remaining until the end of the month in which the anniversary of the owner's birth occurs, and the owner shall be required to obtain a permit for the next registration period.
IV. Each designated city official as the city government may designate and the town clerk of each town shall use the straight line method in computing fees stipulated in paragraph I for any registration. The straight line method means that no registrant shall pay less or more than 12 months at each stipulated mill rate, whether such 12 months extend over one or more registration periods. The mill rate to be charged on a vehicle originally offered for registration by a registrant shall be based on the year of manufacture of the said vehicle and shall continue for the next 12 months, including the month of registration. For each successive 12 months registration of the same vehicle thereafter, whether or not such 12 months registration extends beyond one or more registration periods, the fees to be charged shall be computed successively at the next lower mill rate; provided, that the minimum rate to be charged for any registration shall always be 3 mills on each dollar of the maker's list price of a vehicle.
V. Beginning July 1, 1989, in addition to each registration fee collected under paragraph I, there may be collected an additional fee for the purposes of a town reclamation trust fund as established in RSA 149-M:18. Of this amount, $.50 shall be retained by the city official designated by the city government or by the town clerk for administrative costs and the remaining amount shall be deposited into the reclamation trust fund established by the town for the purpose of paying collection and disposal fees for the town's motor vehicle waste and paying for the recycling and reclamation of other types of solid waste. For the purposes of this paragraph, "motor vehicle waste" means "motor vehicle waste" as defined in RSA 149-M:18. A town which collects such additional fees shall not charge a disposal fee for motor vehicle waste at the town's solid waste disposal facility. If a town finds the additional fee is not sufficient to cover fees for collection and disposal of town motor vehicle waste, it shall notify the office of planning and development. The office shall study the fee in accordance with RSA 12-O:53 and make recommendations, if necessary, for increases in the fee. The additional fee schedule shall be graduated by class of vehicle as follows:
(a) The fee for heavy vehicles, including mobile homes and house trailers, heavy trucks and truck-tractors whose gross weight exceeds 18,000 pounds, and buses shall be $5.
(b) Unless otherwise provided, the fee for automobiles, light vehicles including trucks, and commercial motorized vehicles including tractor trailers, shall be $3.
(c) Unless otherwise provided, the fee for special use vehicles including all-terrain vehicles, agricultural and farm vehicles, and antique vehicles and for 2-wheeled vehicles including mopeds, motorcycles, and automobile utility trailers, shall be $2.
VI. (a) Beginning on July 1, 1997, in addition to the motor vehicle registration fees collected under paragraphs I and V, the legislative body of a municipality may vote to collect an additional fee for the purpose of supporting a municipal and transportation improvement fund, which shall be a capital reserve fund established for this purpose and governed by the provisions of RSA 34 and RSA 35 for cities and towns, respectively. Of the amount collected, up to 10 percent, but not more than $0.50 of each fee paid, may be retained by the local official designated by the municipal government or by the town or city clerk for administrative costs. The remaining amount shall be deposited into the municipal transportation improvement fund established to allow a community to fund, wholly or in part, improvements in the local or regional transportation system including roads, bridges, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, parking and intermodal facilities, electric vehicle charging stations, and public transportation. The funds may be used for engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and construction costs of transportation facilities, including electric vehicle charging stations, and for operating and capital costs of public transportation only. The funds may be used as matching funds for state or federal funds allocated for local or regional transportation improvements. Such funds shall not be used to offset any other non-transportation appropriations made by the municipality.
(b) The maximum fee charged under this paragraph shall be $5. The municipality shall establish the required fee, up to the maximum amount allowable, based on anticipated funding needs for transportation improvements. The additional fee shall be collected from all vehicles, both passenger and commercial, with the exception of all terrain vehicles as defined in RSA 215-A:1, I-b and antique motor vehicles, farm tractors, or motorcycles, as defined in RSA 259:4.
(c) Any town or city may adopt the provisions of subparagraphs (a) and (b) for an optional additional motor vehicle registration fee to fund municipal transportation improvements in the following manner:
(1) In a town, the question shall be placed on the warrant of a special or annual town meeting under the procedures set out in RSA 39:3, and shall be voted on by ballot. In a city, the legislative body may consider and act upon the question in accordance with their normal procedures for passage of resolutions, ordinances, and other legislation. The legislative body of a city may vote to place the question on the official ballot for any regular municipal election, or in the alternative, shall place the question on the official ballot for any regular municipal election upon submission to the legislative body of a petition signed by 5 percent of the registered voters.
(2) The selectmen or city council shall hold a public hearing on the question at least 15 days but not more than 30 days before the question is to be voted on. Notice of the hearing shall be posted in at least 2 public places in the municipality and published in a newspaper of general circulation at least 7 days before the hearing.
(3) A town or city may choose to restrict the use of the municipal transportation improvement fund to one or more of the transportation system modes provided for in paragraph VI(a). Any such restriction shall be so stated in the wording of the question.
(d) If a majority of those voting on the question vote "Yes," the additional motor vehicle registration fee shall apply within the town or city on the date set by the selectmen or the city council.
(e)(1) A town or city may consider rescinding its action in the manner described in subparagraph (c). The wording of the question shall be the same as that was adopted by the town or city, except the word "adopt" shall be changed to "rescind."
(2) If a majority of those voting on the question vote "Yes," following the action taken to rescind, the additional motor vehicle registration fee shall not apply within the town or city.

Legislative History

1919, 55:5. 1921, 120:3. 1925, 136:1. PL 100:14. 1927, 12:1. 1933, 29:1. 1941, 75:1. RL 116:20. 1945, 81:1. 1953, 130:2. RSA 260:27. 1963, 184:2. 1965, 153:2. 1975, 497:9. 1976, 3:3, 7. 1977, 314:4. 1979, 215:2. 1981, 146:1; 446:1, 2. 1983, 285:12. 1989, 263:9. 1991, 225:2. 1994, 42:2, 3. 1996, 251:10. 1998, 4:1. 1999, 265:1. 2003, 319:9. 2004, 257:44. 2010, 85:1. 2013, 168:2, 3, eff. July 1, 2013. 2016, 93:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2017; 99:1, eff. July 18, 2016. 2017, 156:64, eff. July 1, 2017. 2021, 91:203, eff. July 1, 2021. 2022, 27:3, eff. June 17, 2022.