SB 948 amends Virginia’s aircraft registration law to raise several registration fee caps and to authorize multi-year registration options. The bill applies to residents owning civil aircraft, certain nonresidents whose aircraft are based in Virginia for more than 90 days in a 12-month period, aerial application aircraft operating in the Commonwealth, and civil aircraft used as for-hire intrastate air carriers. It also preserves the existing exemption for unmanned aircraft (drones) and keeps the exemption for aircraft brought into Virginia solely for major maintenance or major repair, subject to proof requirements.
The bill increases the maximum annual fee for noncommercial single-aircraft registration from $5 to $30 and allows two- and three-year registrations with capped total fees. It similarly raises fee caps for noncommercial dealer fleet registrations, commercial fleet registrations, and commercial single-aircraft registrations, while authorizing multi-year versions of each. The measure also clarifies that aircraft registration counts as the licensure required for purposes of Virginia’s aircraft tax provisions, including related tax credits.
Impact
SB 948 changes Code of Virginia § 5.1-5 by expanding the Department’s authority to charge higher aircraft registration fees and to issue multi-year registrations for individual, dealer fleet, and commercial registrations. It affects aircraft owners, aircraft dealers, air carriers, and agricultural aviation operators, while continuing to exempt unmanned aircraft and maintenance-only aircraft visits from registration. The bill also ties aircraft registration to the licensure requirement used in Virginia’s aircraft tax chapter, preserving the connection between registration and tax administration.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have received generally favorable treatment in both chambers, passing committee and floor votes by wide margins. The Senate advanced it 40-0 after committee approval, and the House passed it 91-4, indicating broad bipartisan support. The only recorded dissent was limited, suggesting the measure was viewed as a routine fee and administrative update rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the increase in registration fee caps, which raises costs for aircraft owners, dealers, and commercial operators. Some opposition may also stem from the broader policy choice to allow the Department to collect more revenue and to structure multi-year registrations, though the vote history shows little organized resistance. The maintenance-and-repair exemption includes documentation requirements that could matter to out-of-state aircraft owners, but no committee transcript indicates significant debate over that provision.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 67, Chapter 6, Part 3, relative to exemption from sales and use tax on aircraft repair services and parts.