Most of us pay our registration fees to the State so that we can legally driver our vehicles on the street. Some even pay fees for off-road vehicles used in our deserts and mountains. The majority of residents pay their share on time and in accordance with the law. However, it is not uncommon to see vehicles with an out of State license plate being driven on our roads. Some of these out of State vehicles may be visitors, relatives coming and going, or even rental cars, but many of them are not.
California law requires that a vehicle used in our State be registered in California within 20 days of either establishing residency or accepting employment. There are few exceptions to this law for persons who live near our border or are in school. It is usually much cheaper to register a car out of State and some people take advantage of that, cheating the State of California. Not only does the State lose money, but this failure to pay helps keep our rates high. The California Highway Patrol launched a website called “Cheaters” that was started to allow drivers to send “tips” to the CHP reporting vehicles being unlawfully used in California.
According to the CHP website, the three most common reasons for not completing the registration process are; people unaware of California registration laws, people evading payments of registration fees and taxes, and people unable to comply with air pollution control laws.
Take a look at the “Cheaters” website. If you are aware of one of these vehicles in your neighborhood, pull up the on-line form and submit the info to the CHP for follow-up.
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