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StumbleProgram launches to increase vehicle registration
Hotline set up to report drivers who haven’t registered
Edgar Roberts, director of the Nevada DMV, discusses the new “Fair Share” program at a press conference Monday
Monday, July 26, 2010 | 1:03 p.m.
Clark County officials are intensifying a statewide effort to crack down on Nevada residents who fail to register their vehicles with the state.
Las Vegas Township Constable Robert Gronauer announced a new initiative Monday to target drivers who have avoided those long and costly trips to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The key component of the program is the “Fair Share Hotline." Gronauer encouraged the public to call and report potential violations, which the constable’s office will then investigate.
Fines run up to $1,000 and must be paid before the vehicle can be registered. New residents are required to register their vehicle with the state within 60 days of arrival.
A 30-day grace period, ending Aug. 24, was also established to allow unregistered drivers to make a trip to their local DMV office.
The “Fair Share” program plans to enhance enforcement of a new law, passed by the Nevada state legislature in 2009, which authorizes constables to issue citations to drivers who fail to register their automobiles.
Kelvin Atkinson, state assemblyman and chairman of the transportation committee, pointed out that, because Nevada collects no state income tax, the fees and taxes from vehicle registration are essential for providing essential services.
That money pays for schools, roads and other local government services.
For that reason, Edgar Roberts, director of Nevada’s DMV, said no cuts would be made to registration fees and taxes, which can total in the hundreds of dollars.
He said the DMV gathers each month about 2,000 names of people who received a Nevada driver’s license and never registered their car, truck or SUV.
“It’s very important if you’re in our state, using our roads, using our schools that you pay your fair share,” he said.
Roberts said the DMV has undergone efficiency evaluations to improve the long waits that often discourage residents from registering. New computer program may also follow.
“Fair Share” is a pilot program of sorts, the first to actively enforce the state’s new legislation. Gronauer said his officers would not pull over out-of-state license plates on a whim, instead relying on tips from the hotline.
The hotline’s number is 702-455-FAIR.
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They need to do something. I would say at least 70% of cars have stickers from 05 or older. Bike cops don't do anything about it, as I witnessed just today at a stop light a motorcycle cop was behind a car with 02 sticker on his license plate, didn't do anything.
SevenHills: Nevada law does not require the sticker to be placed on the license plate, believe it or not, so people do not usually get pulled over for the wrong sticker. The officer might had noticed it and asked the dispatcher to run the plate for him (no computer on a bike) at which time it may have returned valid. The officer might have been on his way to a call, such as a traffic accident. Patrol cars do not usually get dispatched to traffic accidents, so it is very important to get their as a fast as possible for a bike cop. Also, officers are not required to stop a vehicle just because they see a violation. Bike cops like writing tickets, we all know that, so if it was really that expired, he would have taken care of it if he could have. You need to stop assuming the police are doing wrong and try for once to put yourself in their shoes.
Ah, my mistake, what kind of stupid law makers would not require you to put the sticker on the license plate? That's like saying you don't need to put license plates on your car, oh wait...
dumb dumb and dumber...
Don't you love these articles? Here I am like a sucker following the law every year and what I should be doing is simply evading the law until an amnesty period opens up. Then I could earn interest and only pay every 5 years. What a joke.
"Oops, we've out of money, better round up the scofflaws and give them a free ride in exchange for a few bucks."
no kidding, I pay around $900 for two cars every year, I couldn't just not paid and even with the fine come out ahead.
hmm. guess I wont be paying next year.
I've got an idea. Drop the freaking price. One year on my 8 year old Jeep is the same price as 2 years on my then 6 year old Jeep in Arizona...
Vehicle and gas taxes should pay for roads only, they should not be used to subsidize other government services or other modes of transportation.
I'm for all people living here, except military, needing to register their vehicles here in Nevada to help pay for street maintenance. I suggest that cops need to check on out-of-state license plates more often because I see a lot of people driving around with non-Nevada plates for years. The state also need to change their estimates of MSRP on the vehicles because they are so outrageously inflated. My beat up 1995 Ford Ranger that I bought used in 2002 for $3900.00 has a MSRP of over $10,000.00 and when I asked the DMV lady, she brushed me off and told me that the state set the price and not DMV. This is strong arm robbery to me.
sevenhills; I beg to differ with Icare2009 but I think he had given you a bum information on the registration decals. We are required to put the decals on the upper right hand corner of the rear plate and he can find the information online.
unclegig: I agree, one of my cars I bought is worth $20k max, but dmv, or should I say the state, thinks its worth $58k. uh, ok.
Wonder if there is an appeal process? lol
This is such a foolish law. There are a lot of transplants in Las Vegas who moved from out of state. Why should they have to pay the DMV such over inflated registration and sales tax fees if the majority of them aren't even sure they will be living here permanently. In many cases they move out here and decide to leave after a few months. Switching over the registration is such a huge hassle (long waits in lines) that it's not even worth the trouble. They leave for many reasons be it they can't find a job or they aren't happy with the job they got or they found better opportunities somewhere else. Many leave once they realize they can't put up with the high summer temperatures. In other words, it's way too hot for them. So they go back to where they came from where it's cooler. Clark county is simply over reacting to a problem that really isn't a problem to begin with. They make enough money off of gas taxes. The problem is, is that they waste it on stuff they don't need. The streets out here are actually over lighted. They could cut costs by not having as many lamps.
Received my two registration renewals in the mail today.
My 98 truck went from $48 to $85
My 99 car when from $85 to $155
The supl gov svcs tax and gov svcs tax tripled!
Did they not notice the economy is lame, that jobs and money are scarce?
So thank you Edgar Roberts and nevada dmv for once again finding a way to shaft the middle class Americans.
As far as this program goes, it's nothing more then a snitch program.
@ Unclegig: NRS 482.270 and 482.275 do not talk at all about the placement of the registration sticker. All the website says is to place it in the upper right hand corner, but it is not an enforceable law.
Icare2009: When you look for regulations, you don't just look in one place. Try looking at the Nevada DMV site, go to Registration and Decals section and there it will tell you exactly what to do and where to put your new decal. If you need more help, let me know.
"That money pays for schools, roads and other local government services."
How about we do away with other local government services and just use the fees to pay for schools and roads? Sounds like an idea. Probably would cut the fees by 90%.
On second thought, how about using the fees to pay for roads ONLY, since the registration is a fee that deals with cars that drive on roads. Hum, sounds like that makes too much sense. These fees have nothing to do with schools and "other" services. And what the heck are all the tax monies collected from gasoline sales used for? I'm sick of taxes. Tax this.
Sun - do a story on this. P - L - E - A -S - E - ! Where does the money GO?
So the d.m.v now starts the "Rat Line". Maybe if the registration and insurance rates were not so high, more people would register their vehicles here..
I got pulled over for not having a current sticker. That's how I found out that someone had stolen it. There were scratch marks all over the top right corner. The officer said that the stickers are color coded by year so that they can easily tell if they are current or expired.
My sticker expires in August and last year I had mechanical problems with my truck. I had to use my other truck to go to the DMV for a move permit to get the first truck smogged. On the way to the smog place, a Henderson cop pulled me over because of expired sticker. It was September first. When I showed him the move permit, there was no problem. Thank God he didn't shoot me.
In Boulder City, there are a ton of these people and everyone of them pi$$es me off. The problem is that they live here all year. If I have to pay, we all have to pay. So I will be pro-active and report these people. But think about it. What's happens next? If I call in an out of state plate, there is no way to enforce it. The cops run the tag and it comes back with the out of state address. I may not know these people personally, but always see their car in the driveway. How are they going to investigate this?
I sense people are confused a little. The new law does not make it obligatory to register your car in Nevada, that's old law and can be enforced by any Police Officer.
The new law makes it possible for, and the responsibility of, the Las Vegas Constables Office to receive complaints and perform investigations into persons not registering their cars as required.
I'm not sure how they will look into complaints as it is difficult to establish residency unless the owner has a work card or something. I think a lot of the time the registered owner isn't even the one driving or using the car.
I do agree that if I have to register mine then so should they. Too bad So Sad.
Didn't Robert Gronauer just lose his parties nomination in the primaries for Constable? I hope this program sticks around awhile. Could be a good thing since no other departments will investigate this.
I guess I shouldn't say new law as stated in the article. Please replace that with new pilot program.
Simple economics. Decrease the tax rate and more people will comply.
If you want people to register their cars - then fix the DMV so it's not a full day affair to register and get a Nevada ID. I have never seen longer lines than I have in this state. There are not enough DMVs.
IF that's true avitech, they must be leaving behind their kids. Our classrooms are as crowded as ever.
cinderella-Save your snitch comment for the ghetto. You an ex-con?
Patrick_R -- excellent points.
Not seeing much about the REAL point here -- what is the legal justification requiring us to register our personal (non-commercial) property to use on the public right-of-way? These fees exist for little more than to feed government that should be decreasing in size and reach, not the opposite.
"I heartily accept the motto, 'That government is best which governs least'; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically." -- Henry David Thoreau 1849 "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience"
Oddly, these desert Geckos aren't bragging about how much motorists can save registering vehicles with them but rather how much more it will cost motorists that don't.
We demand more of the money you don't have campaign?
"Fair Share Hotline"?
LOL
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Took 2 days off this year since transferring through work to do the process of getting plates.Every time we were there it was a super long line and each time you get to the counter there was something that you did not have.The last straw was I need my marriage certificate to get a license.I have a home in another state and that is where the cars will stay registered.
GoldenNuts -- I not only needed my marriage license; I had to show my divorce papers from my divorce 12 years ago and also 20 years ago, along with that marriage license, too. (I have been married 3 times) I had the divorce papers but I had to obtain the marriage license from those marriage as I didn't think I would possibly ever need them again. So to get my license here in Nevada, I had to provide my:
1. Birth Certificate
2. Current Out-of-state License
3. Current Marriage License
4. Divorce papers from 12 years ago
5. Marriage License from that marriage - 15 1/2 years ago
6. Divorce papers from my first marriage 20 years ago
7. Marriage License,too.
8. Being as that my maiden name was not on either I had to go to the SS office to get a print out showing that I was the correct person holding the birth Certificate.
Total time getting information to prove I was who I said I was, 3 weeks and 4 trips (with about a 4-6 hour wait each time) to the DMV. THEN I was told that my current marriage license that I got in Nevada wasn't correct and I needed to get it amended then resubmit it to the DMV. As of date, I have refused to go back. I also have a home in another state and that is where my license and also my registration for my car will stay!
There is no reason I need to obtain information from 20 years years ago to prove who I am. I have my current license (with a picture), I have my SS card, I have my birth certificate, medical insurance cards, and I also have my marriage license with the same name on it. I have a car in my name with the registration in my name and also car insurance... So who else could I be? Give me a break people! The DMV needs to back off some and maybe people would be more inclined to get the things they need to get in Nevada. I shouldn't have to go to the DMV 4 times for one thing.
Also if they gave you a complete list of what you need, then it would save some time. They could have told me the first time my current marriage license needed to be amended then that would have saved another trip. I HATE the way the DMV is run in this state.
Prevent sticker theft.
1. Don't put stickers on top of each other. It makes them easy to peel off.
2. Remove all or most of the old sticker with a blade scraper (available at Home Depot, Lowes, or hardware store for a couple of bucks).
3. Carefully apply the new sticker and make sure it is well adhered. use the back of your fingernail all over it to ensure solid application.
4. Take your blade scraper and cut a series of lines through the sticker in two directions.
5. Smooth it out again over each of the blade marks.
This won't prevent a thief from peeling it off, but it will come off in so many pieces, it will be useless, and impossible to reuse.
This practice is commonplace in Hawaii where a bumper sticker is used to certify state safety inspection. Sticker theft was rampant until most drivers started scoring the decal.