Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:508 – Registration; commercial vehicles; exemption
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:508
- Boat trailer: means a noncommercial vehicle of the trailer or semitrailer type used solely and exclusively for transporting pleasure watercraft and having a loaded gross weight of not more than one thousand five hundred pounds. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:451
- Commercial vehicle: means every vehicle used or operated upon the public highways in connection with any business function except that of a common carrier or a contract or charter carrier, and except vehicles owned and used by churches, church schools, and religious orders for their purposes. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:451
- Department: means the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, acting directly through its duly authorized officers and agents, or whatever state board, official, or body may hereafter be authorized by law to exercise the functions now devolving upon it under the law. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:451
- Gross weight: means the weight of a vehicle or vehicle combination without load on all axles, including the steering axle plus the weight of any load thereon. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:451
- Owner: means a person who holds the legal title to a vehicle or in the event a vehicle is the subject of an agreement for the conditional sale, lease, or transfer of the possession, howsoever, thereof with right of purchase upon performance of the conditions stated in the agreement and with the right of immediate possession vested in such vendee, lessee, possessor, or in the event such similar transaction is had by means of mortgage and the mortgagor of a vehicle is entitled to possession, then such conditional vendee or lessee or possessor or mortgagor shall be deemed the owner for the purpose of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:451
- Person: means every natural person, individual, firm, copartnership, corporation, company, association, or joint stock association or other organization. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:451
- Subtitle: means and includes all the Chapters in Subtitle II of this Title 47 and any other Title of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 except the provisions of Chapter 1 of Subtitle IV of Title 47 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 and estate taxes for the assessment, collection, administration, and enforcement of taxes, fees, licenses, penalties, and interest due the state of Louisiana which have been delegated to the Department of Revenue. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:1501
- Tandem truck: means every motor propelled single vehicle designed for the conveyance of property or things for hauling purposes and having one front or steering axle and two rear or load carrying axles, even though one of said load carrying axles is not permanently affixed to the frame of the vehicle and may be removed therefrom. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:451
- Trailer: means every single vehicle without motive power designed for carrying property or passengers wholly on its own structure and designed to be drawn by a truck, tractor, or another motor vehicle and having two or more load carrying axles. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:451
- Truck: means every motor propelled single vehicle for the conveyance of property or things for hauling purposes and having one front or steering axle and one rear or load carrying axle. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:451
- Vehicle: means every device in, upon, or by which any person, property, or thing is or may be transported or drawn upon a public highway excepting devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks; provided, that for the purpose of this Chapter, a bicycle or a ridden animal shall not be deemed a vehicle, and provided further that a trailer or semitrailer shall be held and deemed each to be and constitute a separate vehicle. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:451
A.(1) Except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, every vehicle registration under this Chapter other than those licensed under La. Rev. Stat. 47:463(A), La. Rev. Stat. 47:511(B), and those included, by regulation of the secretary, in the staggered registration system, shall expire on June thirtieth of each year. The registrations shall be renewed annually between May first and June thirtieth of each year.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, every registration of an automobile or truck to be used as a commercial rental or leased vehicle shall expire one year from the date of issuance and shall be renewed annually thereafter.
(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, every registration of a truck in excess of ten thousand pounds or trailer licensed pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. 47:462, except those trailers provided in La. Rev. Stat. 47:462(B)(1)(b), shall expire one year from the date of issuance and thereafter shall be renewed annually.
B. In odd numbered years every registration of a private passenger carrying automobile, registered or to be registered under La. Rev. Stat. 47:463(A), shall expire on December thirty-first and shall be renewed on or before February sixth of the year immediately following that in which the registration expires, except that the expiration date for vehicles registered under La. Rev. Stat. 47:463(A) which are included in a staggered registration system by rules and regulations of the secretary shall be those established in such rules and regulations.
C. Failure to make application and payment of registration fees, as provided herein, on or before the renewal dates provided in this Section, or on or before renewal dates established by rule of the secretary, shall cause the license due to become delinquent and subject to penalties and interest charges as provided in Chapter 18 of this Title.
D.(1) Except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, any person acquiring any vehicle subject to registration and license subsequent to July first of any year in which renewal of registration is required shall, before operating the same, make the required application for registration and shall pay the license. Failure to make application and payment as herein directed shall cause the license on any such vehicle to become delinquent and subject to the penalties fixed in Chapter 18 of this Subtitle. New vehicles purchased subsequent to July first of any year in which renewal of registration is required shall be entitled to a monthly pro rata reduction of license as hereinafter provided. Any person owning a vehicle other than those licensed by La. Rev. Stat. 47:463(A) during any part of the current registration period and not having used it on the highways during the period commencing July first of the year in which renewal of registration is required shall be entitled to a monthly pro rata reduction of the license after July thirty-first, upon furnishing sworn proof satisfactory to the secretary that the vehicle had not been used as hereinabove stated or that any sale, transfer, or assignment thereof was bona fide and not for the purpose of evading the provisions of the Chapter. In no event, however, shall the amount of the license tax payable hereunder be less than the minimums as fixed in La. Rev. Stat. 47:475.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, every person acquiring an automobile or truck to be used as a commercial rental or leased vehicle shall, before operating the same as a commercial rental or leased vehicle, make the required application for registration and shall pay the license fee which shall expire one year from the date of issuance. Failure to make application and payment as herein directed shall cause the commercial license on such automobile or truck to become delinquent and subject to the penalties fixed in Chapter 18 of this Subtitle.
E. Any owner who has made proper application and paid the proper license tax for the renewal of registration of a vehicle but who has not received the number plates or registration certificate for the current registration period, shall be entitled to operate or permit the operation of such vehicle upon the public highways by displaying upon said vehicle the number plate or plates issued for the preceding registration period, upon furnishing sworn proof satisfactory to the secretary or the division of state police of his timely application and failure to receive the number plate or plates or registration certificate for the current registration period. This privilege shall be limited to and extended no further than September first of the year in which the registration period begins.
F. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, every registration of a motor truck or tandem truck having a gross weight per load carrying axle up to and including ten thousand pounds or less and motorcycles for which the registration or license tax is paid for four years as provided for in La. Rev. Stat. 47:462(B)(6) shall expire four years from the date the registration or license tax is paid and shall be renewed every fourth year on or before the last day of the month.
G. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, every registration of a boat trailer having a gross weight per load carrying axle of one thousand five hundred pounds or less, a farm use trailer having a gross weight per load carrying axle of six thousand pounds or less, or a privately owned trailer having a gross weight per load carrying axle of five hundred pounds or less for which the registration or license tax is paid for two years as provided for in La. Rev. Stat. 47:462B(7) shall expire two years from the date the registration or license tax is paid and shall be renewed every second year on or before the last day of the month immediately following the month in which the previous registration expired.
H. The secretary of the Department of Public Safety is hereby authorized to issue permanent license plates at the time of first issuance for a commercial vehicle. Said registration thereafter shall be renewed annually by the affixing of a registration sticker on the license plate. The secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this Section. Such vehicles registered under the Interstate Registration Plan are exempt from the provision of this Section.
Amended by Acts 1952, No. 216, §1; Acts 1962, No. 318, §1; Acts 1966, No. 513, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1967, Acts 1977, No. 727, §1; Acts 1978, No. 250, §1; Acts 1978, No. 257, §1; Acts 1983, No. 81, §1; Acts 1987, No. 823, §1; Acts 1995, No. 256, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996, Acts 1997, No. 1386, §1; Acts 2011, No. 85, §1; Acts 2014, No. 94, §1.