Of vehicle licenses, laws, and fees

I got my license tab renewals last week, and I was a little shocked at the price. I noticed a large chunk of it came from a new license plate. In 2000, our state made a law that cars should get new license plates periodically, to keep them shiny so the police could see them. I didn't really mind so much last time because my plate was obviously old (it had a mountain on it, but it was rather dull) and my budget was higher. And, I think the fee was less that time.

But this year, my plate is still shiny--it looks almost brand-new. I don't have $24 to pay for an unnecessary thing, like replacing a shiny nearly-new license plate with a shiny quite-new license plate. And $24 seemed like a lot for a new plate.

So I looked it up.

As expected, I found that RCW 46.16.0621 sets auto license renewal fees at $30 (or no more than $30). It defines the fee set here as the "general fees paid annually" for any private vehicle license (section 1).

I also found the law about new license plates. RCW 46.16.233, Section (1), states, "to ensure maximun legibility and reflectivity, the department shall periodically provide for the replacement of license plates. . . Frequency of replacement shall be established in accordance with empirical studies documenting the longevity of the reflective materials used to make license plates."

Furthermore, I found that RCW 46.16.270 sets the fee for replacing a plate that is "difficult to distinguish" at ten dollars per plate.

I thought the $3 charge was probably lawful because it had been being charged for years. However, I couldn't find any legal provision for the other fees they were charging ($3 Filing Fee, $10 Weight Base Fee, and $0.75 License Service Fee).

The DOL provided a list of other laws related to license fees.

I looked them up. RCW 46.01.140 does give authorization for the $3 filing fee. RCW 46.16.685 does give authorization for the $0.75 License Service Fee. Both appear to have been passed prior to RCW 46.16.0621.

RCW 46.17 does authorize the Weight Fee, but it was passed in 2005 and directly contradicts the 2000 RCW 46.16.0621. Furthermore, it is curious that it states that "The vehicle weight fee shall be that portion of the fee as reflected on the scale weight set forth in schedule B provided in RCW 46.16.070 that is in excess of the fee imposed under RCW 46.16.0621." RCW 46.16.0621 is titled "License fee on trucks, buses, and for hire vehicles based on gross weight" and provides, "In lieu of all other vehicle licensing fees, unless specifically exempt, and in addition to the mileage fees prescribed for buses and stages in RCW 46.16.125, there shall be paid and collected annually for each truck, motor truck, truck tractor, road tractor, tractor, bus, auto stage, or for hire vehicle with seating capacity of more than six, based upon the declared combined gross weight or declared gross weight under chapter 46.44 RCW, the following licensing fees by weight: . . ." The lowest class, 4,000 lbs., pays $40. So, each and every carowner in the State of Washington is being charged a fee as if their vehicle were a taxi or other for-profit vehicle. Interesting.

I still cannot explain $4 of the license plate fees, and I believe the Weight Fees are unlawful under RCW 46.16.0621 (after all, if you have to pay it to get your license, it is a "license fee"). I also believe the 7 year automatic replacement policy is a bad law and/or based on a bad study, since my plates are still shiny and, according to both the lady that answered the phone at the DOL and my congressman, everyone else's plates are fine after 7 years, too, and because it seems to target those with lower incomes (hey, if I could afford to buy a newer car, I wouldn't still be driving the same old car with minor systems failures that I was driving 7 years ago).