AN ACT to amend and reenact sections 39-04-11, 39-04-12, 39-04-36, 39-04-37, and 39-04-56 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to display of temporary registration permits; and to provide a penalty.
Summary
HB 1118 updates North Dakota motor vehicle registration laws, with a primary focus on how temporary registration permits must be displayed. The bill requires temporary permits issued by the Department of Transportation or a licensed motor vehicle dealer to be placed on the rear window, rear-most driver’s side window, or in the rear license plate location, and it requires the permit to be clearly visible and unobstructed. It also clarifies existing rules for number plates, tabs, and registration materials, including visibility and reflectorization requirements.
The bill also changes the vehicle-transfer and temporary-operation rules. It extends the temporary registration period after a vehicle transfer from 30 days to 75 days, while keeping the five-day grace period for operating a vehicle after purchase with dated proof of ownership. In addition, it reduces the penalty for altering or forging a registration card or temporary registration permit from a class C felony to a misdemeanor, and it updates the violations section to specifically include temporary registration permits among prohibited registration documents.
Impact
HB 1118 amends multiple sections of the North Dakota Century Code governing vehicle registration, plate display, temporary permits, transfer of registration, and related offenses. It affects vehicle owners, dealers, law enforcement, and the Department of Transportation by standardizing where temporary permits must be displayed, extending the post-transfer temporary operating window, and lowering the criminal penalty for certain fraudulent acts involving registration documents. The bill also reinforces that temporary permits are treated as part of the state’s registration enforcement framework.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House and Senate with overwhelming margins, including unanimous Senate approval and only one dissenting vote in the House on the final House vote. The lack of committee transcript material suggests there was little recorded public dispute or extended debate in the available record.
Contention
The main substantive policy changes are the extension of the temporary registration period from 30 to 75 days and the reduction of the penalty for forging or altering registration documents from a felony to a misdemeanor. Those changes could draw different reactions from law enforcement, prosecutors, dealers, and motorists: some may view the longer temporary period as a practical accommodation for vehicle transfers, while others may see the reduced penalty as weakening deterrence against fraud. The bill also imposes a more specific display requirement for temporary permits, which may be viewed as an enforcement aid rather than a point of controversy.