§ 50-1501.02. Motor vehicles and trailers; expiration; certificates and tags; sale or transfer; Mayor to issue rules.
(a) Except as provided by § 50-1401.02, any motor vehicle or trailer operated in the District of Columbia shall be registered with the Department of Transportation by the owner of that motor vehicle or trailer.
(b)(1) Except as provided in subsections (d) and (e) of this section, a registration shall be valid for a period determined by the Mayor and shall expire at midnight of the last day of the designated period. During the 30-day period immediately preceding the date, as specified by the Mayor, on which registration expires, it shall be lawful to operate a motor vehicle or trailer registered for the ensuing registration year.
(2) The Mayor shall notify an owner of the expiration date of the owner's motor vehicle or trailer registration. The required notice shall be mailed to the named owner at the address of record at least 30 days prior to the date of expiration. If the Director does not deliver the notice as required, the first of any tickets issued for failure to display current registration for that registration period may be dismissed through mail or in-person adjudication.
(c) The Mayor shall issue a registration certificate and identification tag or tags for a motor vehicle or trailer to the owner of the motor vehicle or trailer, if the owner:
(1) Has applied for registration on a form supplied by the Mayor;
(2) Has paid all applicable fines, fees, and taxes for the motor vehicle or trailer pursuant to § 50-2301.05;
(3) Has a valid certificate of title in effect for the motor vehicle or trailer;
(4) Has a valid document issued by the District of Columbia attesting that the vehicle meets applicable District of Columbia vehicle inspection standards as of the date of the application; and
(5)(A) Is domiciled in the District of Columbia; except that the person need not be domiciled in the District of Columbia if:
(i)(I) The owner is a leasing company and the lessee is not domiciled in the District of Columbia;
(II) The vehicle is housed in the District of Columbia;
(III) The vehicle is provided to an employee of the lessee for the employee's use;
(IV) The employee is domiciled in the District of Columbia; and
(V) The owner submits an affidavit affirming compliance with this paragraph and agreeing that the address on the registration certificate and in the Department of Motor Vehicles' records shall be the address of the operator and that the employee's address shall be considered the owner's address for the purpose of sending any notices required by any statute or regulation for that vehicle.
(ii) The owner is a member of Congress and has a District of Columbia residence;
(iii) The owner is a lessor and the vehicle is leased to a person domiciled in the District of Columbia; or
(iv) The owner meets the requirements set forth in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph.
(B) An owner of a vehicle need not be a resident of the District if:
(i) The owner is an individual who holds a valid license to operate a taxicab or limousine within the District of Columbia;
(ii) The owner held a valid license to operate a taxicab or limousine within the District of Columbia at some point during the 5 years prior to the owner's first attempt to register a vehicle under this subparagraph; provided, that the license to operate a taxicab or limousine shall have been first issued no later than March 1, 2006;
(iii) The owner resided outside the District of Columbia on March 1, 2006;
(iv) The owner had registered a vehicle with the Department of Motor Vehicles on or before March 1, 2006, while residing outside the District of Columbia;
(v) The owner has no other vehicle currently registered within the District of Columbia;
(vi) The owner is registering the vehicle for use as a taxicab or limousine within the District of Columbia; and
(vii) The owner of the vehicle has, no later than September 28 of the year prior to first registering a vehicle under this subparagraph, registered with the Office of Tax and Revenue for business taxes by completing a tax registration form; provided, that:
(I) The owner of the vehicle shall be permitted to register the vehicle for the 2007 year without having to undergo Clean Hands certification pursuant to §§ 47-2862 and 47-2863; and
(II) The owner of the vehicle must meet the franchise tax filing and payment requirements as set forth in §§ 47-1805.02, 47-1807.02, and 47-1808.03 on a prospective basis for the 2007 year and subsequent years.
(d)(1) The Mayor shall issue annually, upon payment by a dealer of all applicable fees and taxes, dealer's registration certificates and identification tags bearing a distinguishing dealer's mark or symbol for the interchangeable use on motor vehicles and trailers;
(2) The Mayor shall issue, without charge, registration certificates and identification tags for all motor vehicles and trailers owned by the District of Columbia and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority;
(2A) The Mayor, through the issuance of rules, shall permit the use of vintage license plates on historic motor vehicles in place of historic motor vehicle license plates, provided that the plate is legible and corresponds to the year of the vehicle's make. The owner, through approval and registration of the vintage license plates, shall have the same rights, privileges, and obligations as if he or she had purchased new historic motor vehicle license plates. The rules promulgated pursuant to this paragraph, shall be issued no later than 90 days from March 26, 1999. The Mayor may impose a reasonable fee to carry out the provisions of this paragraph.
(3) The Mayor shall issue, without charge, registration certificates and identification tags for all motor vehicles and trailers officially used by any accredited representative of a foreign government;
(4)(A) The Mayor shall issue a duplicate registration certificate or identification tag or tags for any motor vehicle or trailer which is registered, upon proof satisfactory to the Mayor of the loss, mutilation, or destruction of the previously issued registration certificate or identification tags;
(B) The Mayor shall issue a dealer's proof of ownership certificate to any dealer upon application and upon proof of ownership as the Mayor may require; and
(C) A fee of $20 shall be paid for each duplicate registration certificate issued, a fee of $10 shall be paid for each replacement tag issued, and a fee of $26 shall be for each dealer's proof of ownership certificate issued;
(5)(A) The Mayor shall issue, for a temporary period not to exceed 45 days, a special use certificate and special use identification tags bearing a distinguishing mark to the owner of a motor vehicle or trailer upon payment of the fee of $13;
(B) The Mayor shall issue a special use certificate and special use identification tags bearing a distinguishing mark to the owner of a motor vehicle or trailer, for the exclusive purpose of allowing that person to comply with the requirements of Chapter 11 of this title, upon payment of a fee of $13; and
(C) The issuance of a special use certificate and special use identification tags under this subsection shall not constitute a registration of a motor vehicle or trailer for any other purposes than herein provided.
§ 50-1501.03. Fees classified and use of proceeds designated.
(b)(1) Class A. For each passenger vehicle, including a motor vehicle classified by the Mayor or his or her designated agent as a class F(I) historic motor vehicle which meets the criteria established under § 50-1501.01(10A), except for passenger vehicles licensed under § 47-2829, based upon the manufacturer's shipping weight, as follows:
Weight Class
Registration Fee
Class I (3,499 pounds or less) : $ 72
Class II (3,500--4,999 pounds) : $115
Class III (5,000 pounds or greater) : $155
Class IV (A new motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle and motorized bicycle, with an estimated average miles per gallon ("MPG") for city driving at or above 40 MPG, as determined in accordance with 40 CFR §§ 600.001-08, and published in the Fuel Economy Guide by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Energy). This provision shall only apply to the first 2 years of the vehicle's registration, after which the vehicle shall be treated as a Class I, Class II, or Class III, whichever is applicable.) : $ 36
(6) Class F. For each motor vehicle classified by the Mayor or his or her designated agent as a class F(II) historic motor vehicle which meets the criteria established under § 50-1501.01(11), $25.
From D.C. Municipal Regulations
435 VINTAGE TAGS
435.1 Vintage license tags shall be permitted on historic motor vehicles in place of historic motor vehicle license tags if approved by the Director pursuant to this section.
435.2 A person who seeks to display vintage license tags shall submit an application to the Director by letter, or at the discretion of the Director, by email or through the Department's website.
435.3 The application shall include the applicant's name, address, vehicle information number ("VIN"), make, model, year of manufacture, and a color photograph of the vintage tag. The Director may request the applicant to appear in person with the vintage tag for the purposes of inspection.
435.4 The Director may deny the application if:
(a) The tag does not meet reflective or safety standards as set forth in §§ 422.5 and 422.8;
(b) The tag is illegible;
(c) The letters, numbers, or combination of letters and numbers of the tag is the same as the configuration of letters, numbers, or combination of letters and numbers of any tag either issued or for which application has been made pursuant to § 423;
(d) The Director is unable to verify the tag is from the same year as the model year of the historic vehicle; or
(e) The Director concludes that the use of the vintage tags would adversely impact public safety.
435.5 The Director may rescind or revoke the use of a vintage tag for violation of any District of Columbia law or regulation relating to motor vehicles, or for any reason described in § 435.4.