CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Some fees West Virginians pay to the Division of Motor Vehicles are going up with the start of July.
SB 1006, affecting fees for vehicle and driver services, officially takes effect on Saturday with the money from those increases designated for roads.
“The idea is to try to get our roads better in West Virginia and this was the way the Legislature approached it,” said Pat Reed, DMV commissioner.
Most noticeable to motorists, Reed said, will be increases to fees for vehicle registration renewals which are going up by $21.50 — from the current $30 to $51.50 — for standard issue plates on passenger vehicles.
Drivers who’ve already received vehicle registration renewals for July and August must include the difference in their DMV payments returned either at regional officials, online, at DMV kiosks and through the mail if payments are made on July 1 or later.
“There’s no grandfathering in. We have to go by the statute which is July 1,” Reed said.
That means any fee payments made or postmarked by Friday can be at the current rates.
Reed noted drivers have a 90-day window for vehicle registration renewals in West Virginia which currently stretches into September and those renewals can be paid for two years.
The other vehicle fee changes taking effect on July 1 include the following:
· Vehicle Sales Tax, 5% to 6%
· Title Fee, $10 to $15
· Duplicate Title, $10 to $15
· Salvage Title/Cosmetic Loss, $15 to $22.50
· Reconstructed Title, $10 to $15
· Legal Heir Title Transfer, $0 to $15
· Lien Recording, $5 to $10
· Registration Transfer, $5.50 to $10.50
· Legal Heir Registration Transfer, $0 to $10.50
· Duplicate Decals, Plates, and Registrations, $5 to $10
Driver services changes include an increase in fees for the Class E Driver’s License to $5 per year, according to the DMV. Adult and child identification cards will also increase by $5 per year.
Here are the other affected fees:
· Level One GDL Knowledge Test, $7.50 per attempt
· Level One GDL Permit Test, $7.50
· Level Two GDL Skills Test, $7.50 per attempt
· Level Three, Full Class E (18 and over) $5 per year
· Class E Knowledge Test, 18 and older, $7.50 per attempt
· Class E Permit, 18 and older, $7.50
· Duplicate Permits and License, $7.50
· Docket Fee, $15.00
· Driving Record, $7.50
This list came directly from the DMV. Additional information about the specifics of the DMV fee increases is available HERE.
The money from the fee increases will be combined with additional revenues from recalculations of the state gas tax based on the average wholesale gasoline price to generate an estimated $130 million annually for the State Road Fund.
“All the monies that are raised or collected by the DMV, except for our little budget which is like ten percent, all that money goes to road construction and road repair,” Reed explained on Thursday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
The Legislature passed the legislation in Special Session. When he signed it last week, Governor Jim Justice called the measure “truly landmark” and said “what it will do for our state is unbelievable.”
Next month, the Division of Highways is expected to begin work on $30 million in overdue road maintenance projects with many more on the waiting list.
Eventually, the additional DMV, vehicle purchase tax and gas tax money could be used to pay off bonds issued for $2 billion in road construction projects.
Voters in West Virginia take up that bond issue during an Oct. 7 election.