Pennsylvania House Bill HB2210

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/11/26
• Refer: 2/11/26
• Refer: 4/15/26
• Report Pass: 4/27/26
• Engrossed: 4/27/26
• Refer: 5/1/26

Caption

In general provisions, further providing for definitions; and, in registration of vehicles, further providing for issuance of registration card, for registration card to be signed and exhibited on demand and for acknowledgment of littering provisions.

Summary

HB2210 amends Pennsylvania’s Vehicle Code to authorize and define electronic vehicle registration products, including an electronic registration card that can be displayed on a smartphone, tablet, or other electronic device. The bill requires the Department of Transportation to issue either a physical registration card or an electronic registration card when a vehicle is registered, and it treats an electronic registration card as legally equivalent to a physical card. The bill also updates the rules for carrying and exhibiting registration cards during vehicle operation. A driver may satisfy the requirement to produce proof of registration by showing either a physical or electronic registration card, and a person who is cited for violating registration requirements may avoid conviction by producing a valid card within five days. The measure adds specific protections for electronic devices, stating that a police officer may review only the electronic registration card, that exhibition of the card does not consent to searches of other data or apps on the device, and that officers are generally immune from liability for inadvertent viewing, deletion, interception, or breakage associated with the device. In addition, HB2210 revises the Vehicle Code’s littering acknowledgment provision. It requires registration cards to include a notice about section 3709, which covers littering from vehicles and the associated fine of up to $300, including liability for violations committed by others using the vehicle with the owner’s permission if the driver is not identified with reasonable certainty. The act takes effect 60 days after enactment. The bill’s impact on state law is to modernize vehicle registration administration by recognizing digital proof of registration and setting procedures for law enforcement verification, while also preserving privacy limits around device access. It affects the Department of Transportation, vehicle owners and registrants, and police officers who inspect registration during traffic stops. It also reinforces the existing anti-littering notice requirement on registration materials. The overall sentiment appears strongly favorable. The House Transportation Committee advanced the bill by a 25-1 vote on both amendment adoption and reporting, the House Appropriations Committee re-reported it unanimously 37-0, and the House passed it 196-3. The only notable area of contention suggested by the text is privacy and device access during traffic stops, which the bill addresses directly by limiting officer review to the registration display and barring use of inadvertently viewed unrelated information.

Impact

HB2210 would amend Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to recognize electronic registration cards as the legal equivalent of physical registration cards and to require PennDOT to issue either form upon vehicle registration. It changes the rules for exhibiting registration by allowing digital presentation on an electronic device, adds limits on law enforcement access to the device, provides immunity for inadvertent device-related harm in good-faith inspections, and updates the mandatory littering acknowledgment language on registration cards.

Sentiment

Committee and floor action indicate broad bipartisan support for the bill. The House Transportation Committee approved the amendment and reported the bill by 25-1 votes, the House Appropriations Committee re-reported it 37-0, and final passage in the House was 196-3. The discussion record provided does not include transcript debate, but the voting pattern suggests the measure was viewed as a practical modernization of registration procedures with limited opposition.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the balance between convenience and privacy when a driver presents an electronic registration card. The bill responds to that concern by limiting officers to viewing only the registration information, requiring prompt return of the device, and stating that presentation of the card does not consent to searches of other data or applications. A secondary issue is liability for accidental damage or data exposure while an officer handles a device, which the bill addresses by granting immunity for inadvertent actions taken in good faith.