Pay your vehicle registration. It's the law of the road

Is your vehicle registration due? Whether you choose to pay online or in person is up to you, but if you reside or work in California and own a car, motorcycle, trailer or boat, you are required by law to pay registration fees.

Revenue received from these fees is used to maintain our infrastructure, in theory, by the vehicles which use it. While most of us play by the rules, there are still many who do not. In fact, the state is losing millions of dollars per year in revenue from vehicles being unlawfully registered in other states or countries.

To help locate vehicles which are out of compliance with our registration laws, the CHP has enlisted the help of the public. In 2004, we began encouraging all Californians to report violators to the “CHEATERS” program. What does CHEATERS stand for? “California Help Eliminate All The Evasive Registration Scofflaws.” It is a long acronym, but since its inception, the program has recovered more than $18.5 million in registration fees.

The CHP has discovered there are three common reasons for not completing the registration process. The first is due to a lack of knowledge regarding the law. If you are new to California, you may be wondering how much time you have to register your vehicle. The law requires an owner of an out-of-state vehicle to register their vehicle within 20 days of accepting employment or establishing residency in California. The second is due to vehicles unable to comply with California air pollution control laws. Those of us who were raised in the San Joaquin Valley can appreciate the state's efforts to improve our pollution problem. The third comes from individuals who are found to be purposely evading transfer fees. Depending on the year of your vehicle, these fees can vary. Failure to comply with registration laws will result in penalties. Who is exempt from this law? Only active duty military members are exempt from registering their out-of-state vehicles.

Although the CHP is continuously on the lookout for registration violations, we can always use your help! If you spot an out-of-state vehicle that has been driving around town for some time, you can report it anonymously at (www.chp.ca.gov). If you would like to report an out-of-state plate, please attempt to include the following information: The state of the license plate; license plate number; date and time you observed the vehicle and the location you observed the vehicle. Also if you can include the make, model and color of the vehicle and any additional comments that would help identify it, such as decals or bumper stickers.

On average, the CHEATERS program across the state receives 1,500 reports per month of possible registration violators. Once the required information is submitted, it is automatically entered into the CHEATERS database. If there is enough information to prove the owner or driver of the vehicle is a California resident, a compliance letter will be sent requiring the owner to properly register their vehicle.

Please keep safety in mind when you are attempting to gather information on an out-of-state vehicle. Never write down license plate numbers while driving, either have a passenger write it down for you or wait until you can safely pull over. Also, please never confront anyone regarding an out-of-state license plate. Just simply obtain the information, and we will take it from there.

The CHP wants to make sure everyone who enjoys California’s roadway system is paying their fair share. By asking for the public’s help, we too can ensure individuals who reside within our communities are held accountable to the laws of our state.

Lastly, if you would like information regarding how to register your out-of-state vehicle, please visit the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website (www.dmv.ca.gov). There you will find a checklist which will assist you in obtaining the necessary paperwork needed to have a successful trip to the DMV.

CHP Officer Robert Montano can be reached at rmotano@chp.ca.gov. For more from the CHP Central Division, go to the division’s Facebook page.

This story was originally published March 2, 2018 at 3:23 PM with the headline "Pay your vehicle registration. It's the law of the road."