Iowa Code
Chapter 321 - MOTOR VEHICLES AND LAW OF THE ROAD
Section 321.105A - Fee for new registration.

321.105A Fee for new registration.
1. Definitions. The following terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings, except in those instances where the context clearly indicates otherwise:
a. “Department” means the department of revenue.
b. “Director” means the director of revenue.
c. “Owner” means as defined in section 321.1. For purposes of the fee for new registration imposed on leased vehicles under subsection 3, “owner” means the “lessor”.
d. “Purchase” means any transfer, exchange, or barter, conditional or otherwise, in any manner or by any means whatsoever, for consideration.
2. Fee imposed — exemptions. In addition to the annual registration fee required under section 321.105, a “fee for new registration” is imposed in the amount of five percent of the purchase price for each vehicle subject to registration. The fee for new registration shall be paid by the owner of the vehicle to the county treasurer at the time application is made for a new registration and certificate of title, if applicable. A new registration receipt shall not be issued until the fee has been paid. The county treasurer or the department of transportation shall require every applicant for a new registration receipt for a vehicle subject to registration to supply information as the county treasurer or the director deems necessary as to the time of purchase, the purchase price, and other information relative to the purchase of the vehicle. On or before the tenth day of each month, the county treasurer or the department of transportation shall remit to the department of revenue the amount of the fees for new registration collected during the preceding month.
a. For purposes of this subsection, “purchase price” applies to the measure subject to the fee for new registration. “Purchase price” shall be determined in the same manner as “sales price” is determined for purposes of computing the tax imposed upon the sales price of tangible personal property under chapter 423, pursuant to the definition of sales price in section 423.1. The following are exempt from the fee for new registration imposed by this subsection:
(1) The amount of any cash rebate which is provided by a motor vehicle manufacturer to the purchaser of the vehicle subject to registration so long as the rebate is applied to the purchase price of the vehicle.
(2) (a) In transactions, except those subject to subparagraph division (b), in which a vehicle subject to registration is traded toward the purchase price of another vehicle subject to registration, the portion of the purchase price which is not valued in money, whether received in money or not, if the following conditions are met:
(i) The vehicle traded to the retailer is the type of vehicle normally sold in the regular course of the retailer’s business.
(ii) The vehicle traded to the retailer is intended by the retailer to be ultimately sold at retail or is intended to be used by the retailer or another in the remanufacturing of a like vehicle.
(b) In a transaction between persons, neither of which is a retailer of vehicles subject to registration, in which a vehicle subject to registration is traded toward the purchase price of another vehicle subject to registration, the amount of the trade-in value allowed on the vehicle subject to registration traded.
(c) The person listed on the title and registration of the newly acquired vehicle must be the same person listed on the title and registration of the traded vehicle being traded in order to exclude the trade-in value from the purchase price. Additionally, the following trades qualify under this subparagraph division (c):
(i) A trade between spouses, if the traded vehicle and the acquired vehicle are titled in the name of one or both of the spouses, with no outside party named on the title.
(ii) A trade between lineal family members, including adopted and step relationships, if one of the family members from the title of the traded vehicle is also on the title of the newly acquired vehicle.
(iii) A trade involving an entity, if one of the owners listed on the title of the traded vehicle is an entity. If multiple names are on the names on the title must be separated by “or”. For purposes of trades under this subparagraph subdivision, a sole proprietorship shall not be distinguished from an individual owner.
(iv) A trade in which the vehicle being purchased is titled in the name of an individual other than the owner of the traded vehicle due to the cosigning requirements of a financial institution.
(3) The fair market value of a replacement motor vehicle owned by a motor vehicle dealer licensed under chapter 322 which is being registered by that dealer and is not otherwise exempt from the fee for new registration, if all of the following conditions are met:
(a) The motor vehicle being registered is being placed in service as a replacement motor vehicle for a motor vehicle registered by the motor vehicle dealer.
(b) The motor vehicle being registered is taken from the motor vehicle dealer’s inventory.
(c) Use tax or the fee for new registration on the motor vehicle being replaced was paid by the motor vehicle dealer when that motor vehicle was registered.
(d) The replaced motor vehicle is returned to the motor vehicle dealer’s inventory for sale.
(e) The application for registration and title of the motor vehicle being registered is filed with the county treasurer within two weeks of the date the replaced motor vehicle is returned to the motor vehicle dealer’s inventory.
(f) The motor vehicle being registered is placed in the same or substantially similar service as the replaced motor vehicle.
b. For purposes of this subsection, the fee for new registration on a vehicle registered in this state by the manufacturer of that vehicle from a manufacturer’s statement of origin is calculated on the base value of fifty percent of the retail list price of the vehicle.
c. The following are exempt from the fee for new registration imposed under this subsection, as long as a valid affidavit is filed with the county treasurer at the time of application for registration:
(1) Entities listed in section 423.3, subsections 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 31, and 79, to the extent that those entities are exempt from the tax imposed on the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in the state to consumers or users.
(2) Vehicles as defined in section 321.1, subsections 41, 64A, 71, 85, and 88, except such vehicles subject to registration which are designed primarily for carrying persons, when purchased for lease and actually leased to a lessee for use outside the state of Iowa and the subsequent sole use in Iowa is in interstate commerce or interstate transportation.
(3) (a) Vehicles subject to registration which are transferred from an entity doing business within this state to another entity doing business within this state if all of the following apply:
(i) The receiving entity was formed by the transferring entity for the purpose of continuing the business.
(ii) (A) All ownership remains the same and in the same proportions as the previous ownership with no fewer or additional owners or replacement owners.
(B) In the case of a sole proprietorship, the spouse of the sole proprietor may stand in place of the sole proprietor.
(b) This exemption also applies where the vehicles subject to registration are transferred from a corporation as part of the liquidation of the corporation to its stockholders if within three months of such transfer the stockholders retransfer those vehicles subject to registration to a sole proprietorship, partnership, or limited liability company for the purpose of continuing the business of the corporation when all of the incidents of ownership are owned by the same person or persons who were stockholders of the corporation.
(c) For an exemption under this subparagraph, a receiving entity shall have been in existence for not longer than twenty-four months.
(4) Vehicles subject to registration which are transferred from a corporation that is primarily engaged in the business of leasing vehicles subject to registration to a corporation that is primarily engaged in the business of leasing vehicles subject to registration when the transferor and transferee corporations are part of the same controlled group for federal income tax purposes.
(5) (a) Vehicles registered or operated under chapter 326 and used substantially in interstate commerce. For purposes of this subparagraph (5), “substantially in interstate commerce” means that a minimum of twenty-five percent of the miles operated by the vehicle accrues in states other than Iowa. This subparagraph (5) applies only to vehicles which are registered for a gross weight of thirteen tons or more.
(b) For purposes of this subparagraph (5), trailers and semitrailers registered or operated under chapter 326 are deemed to be used substantially in interstate commerce and to be registered for a gross weight of thirteen tons or more.
(c) For the purposes of this subparagraph (5), if a vehicle meets the requirement that twenty-five percent of the miles operated accrues in states other than Iowa in each year of the first four-year period of operation, the exemption from the fee for new registration shall continue until the vehicle is sold or transferred. If the vehicle is found to have not met the exemption requirements or the exemption was revoked, the value of the vehicle upon which the fee for new registration shall be imposed is based on the original purchase price if revocation or nonqualification for this exemption occurs during the first year following registration. If revocation or nonqualification for this exemption occurs after the first year following registration, the value of the vehicle upon which the fee shall be imposed is the book or market value, whichever is less, at the time the exemption requirements were not met or the exemption was revoked.
(6) Vehicles, excluding autocycles, motorcycles, and motorized bicycles, subject to registration in any state when purchased for rental or registered and titled by a motor vehicle dealer licensed pursuant to chapter 322 for rental use, and held for rental for a period of one hundred twenty days or more and actually rented for periods of sixty days or less by a person regularly engaged in the business of renting vehicles, including but not limited to motor vehicle dealers licensed pursuant to chapter 322 who rent automobiles to users, if the rental of the vehicles is subject to taxation under section 423.2 or chapter 423C.
(7) Vehicles subject to registration in this state for which the applicant for registration has paid to another state a state sales, use, or occupational tax, or paid the equivalent sales or excise tax of another country to that country. However, if the tax paid to another state or country is less than the fee for new registration calculated for the vehicle, the difference shall be the amount to be collected as the fee for new registration.
(8) A vehicle subject to registration in this state which is owned by a person who has moved from another state or country with the intention of changing residency to Iowa, provided that the vehicle was purchased for use in the state or country from which the applicant moved and was not, at or near the time of purchase, purchased for use in Iowa.
(9) A vehicle that was previously registered in this state and was subsequently registered in another state is not subject to the fee for new registration when it is again registered in this state, provided that the applicant for registration has maintained ownership of the vehicle since its initial registration in this state and has previously paid the use tax or fee for new registration for the vehicle in this state.
(10) Vehicles transferred by operation of law as provided in section 321.47.
(11) Vehicles for which ownership is transferred to or from a revocable or irrevocable trust, if no consideration is present.
(12) Vehicles transferred to the surviving corporation for no consideration as a result of a corporate merger according to the laws of this state in which the merging corporation is immediately extinguished and dissolved.
(13) Vehicles purchased in this state by a nonresident for removal to the nonresident’s state of residence if the purchaser applies to the county treasurer for a transit plate under section 321.109.
(14) Vehicles purchased by a licensed motor vehicle dealer for resale or primarily for use by the dealer’s customers while the customers’ vehicles are being serviced or repaired by the dealer.
(15) Vehicles purchased by a wholesaler of new motor vehicles licensed under section 322.27A for resale by the same wholesaler.
(16) Homemade vehicles built from parts purchased at retail, upon which the consumer paid a tax to the seller, but only on such vehicles never before registered. This exemption does not apply for vehicles subject to registration which are made by a manufacturer engaged in the business for the purpose of sales or rental.
(17) Vehicles titled under a salvage certificate of title. However, when such a vehicle has been repaired and a regular certificate of title is applied for, the fee for new registration is due as follows:
(a) If the owner of the vehicle is a licensed recycler, unless the applicant is licensed as a vehicle dealer, the fee for new registration applies based on the fair market value of the vehicle, with deduction allowed for the cost of parts, supplies, and equipment for which sales tax was paid and which were used to rebuild the vehicle.
(b) If the owner is a person who is not licensed as a recycler or vehicle dealer, the fee for new registration applies based on the fair market value of the vehicle, with deduction allowed for the cost of parts, frames, chassis, auto bodies, or supplies that were purchased to rebuild the vehicle and for which sales tax was paid.
(18) A vehicle delivered to a resident Native American Indian on a reservation.
(19) A vehicle transferred from one individual to another individual as a gift in a transaction in which no consideration is present.
(20) A vehicle given by a corporation as a gift to a retiring employee.
(21) A vehicle sold by an entity where the profits from the sale are used by or donated to a nonprofit entity which is exempt from federal income taxation pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, a government entity, or a nonprofit private educational institution, and where the entire proceeds from the sale of the vehicle are expended for any of the following purposes:
(a) Educational.
(b) Religious.
(c) Charitable. A charitable act is an act done out of goodwill, benevolence, and a desire to add to or to improve the good of humankind in general or any class or portion of humankind, with no pecuniary profit inuring to the person performing the service or giving the gift.
(22) A vehicle given or sold to be subsequently awarded as a raffle prize under chapter 99B.
(23) A vehicle won as a raffle prize under chapter 99B.
(24) A vehicle that is directly and primarily used in the recycling or reprocessing of waste products.
(25) Vehicles subject to registration under this chapter when purchased for lease and titled by the lessor licensed pursuant to chapter 321F and actually leased for a period of six months or more if the lease of the vehicle is subject to the fee for new registration under subsection 3 or exempt from the fee for new registration pursuant to subsection 3, paragraph “f”.
(a) A lessor may maintain the exemption under this subparagraph (25) for a qualifying lease that terminates at the conclusion or prior to the contracted expiration date if the lessor does not use the vehicle for any purpose other than for lease.
(b) Once the vehicle is used by the lessor for a purpose other than for lease, the exemption under this subparagraph (25) no longer applies and, unless there is another exemption from the fee for new registration, the fee for new registration is due on the fair market value of the vehicle determined at the time the lessor uses the vehicle for a purpose other than for lease, payable to the department.
(c) If the lessor holds the vehicle exclusively for sale, the fee for new registration is due and payable on the purchase price of the vehicle at the time of purchase pursuant to this subsection.
(26) A vehicle repossessed by a licensed vehicle dealer pursuant to the uniform commercial code, chapter 554, provided there is a valid lien on the title and the dealer anticipates reselling the vehicle.
(27) A vehicle repossessed by a financial institution or an individual by means of a foreclosure affidavit pursuant to the uniform commercial code, chapter 554, provided there is a valid lien on the vehicle and the foreclosure affidavit is used for the sole purpose of retaining possession of the vehicle until a new buyer is found. However, if the financial institution or individual uses the foreclosure affidavit to take title to the vehicle and register the vehicle, the fee for new registration shall be due based on the outstanding loan amount on the vehicle.
(28) A damaged vehicle acquired by an insurance company from a client or financial institution, provided the insurance company has a vehicle dealers license.
(29) A vehicle returned to a manufacturer and titled in the manufacturer’s name under section 322G.12.
(30) A vehicle purchased directly by a federal, state, or local governmental agency and titled in an individual’s name pursuant to a governmental program authorized by law.
(31) (a) A new completed motor vehicle purchased at retail by an equipment dealer who is licensed as a motor vehicle dealer under chapter 322, provided that all of the following apply:
(i) The equipment dealer modifies the vehicle as provided in subparagraph division (b), subparagraph subdivision (i) or (ii).
(ii) The total value of the work performed and the equipment installed on the vehicle equals or exceeds eighty percent of the purchase price paid for the new vehicle.
(iii) Notwithstanding section 322.3, the equipment dealer sells the modified vehicle as a used vehicle to a purchaser that is a business or government entity, and not an individual consumer.
(b) For purposes of this subparagraph, “equipment dealer” means a person who does at least one of the following:
(i) Rebuilds new completed motor vehicles by fabricating, altering, adding, or replacing essential parts, components, or equipment for the purpose of building an ambulance, rescue vehicle, fire vehicle, or towing or recovery vehicle.
(ii) Installs cranes, hook loaders, buckets, aerial ladders, tanks, or special equipment on new completed motor trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of fourteen thousand five hundred pounds or more.
3. Leased vehicles.
a. A fee for new registration is imposed in an amount equal to five percent of the leased price for each vehicle subject to registration which is leased by a lessor licensed pursuant to chapter 321F for a period of six months or more. The fee for new registration shall be paid by the owner of the vehicle to the county treasurer from whom the registration receipt or certificate of title is obtained. A registration receipt for a vehicle subject to registration or issuance of a certificate of title shall not be issued until the fee for new registration is paid in the initial instance.
b. The amount of the lease price subject to the fee for new registration shall be computed on each separate lease transaction by taking the total of the lease payments, plus the down payment, and excluding the following charges, if included as part of the lease payment:
(1) Title fee.
(2) Annual registration fees.
(3) Fee for new registration.
(4) Federal excise taxes attributable to the sale of the vehicle to the owner or to the lease of the vehicle by the owner.
(5) Optional service or warranty contracts subject to tax pursuant to section 423.2, subsection 1.
(6) Insurance.
(7) Manufacturer’s rebate.
(8) Refundable deposit.
(9) Finance charges, if any, on items listed in subparagraphs (1) through (8).
c. If any or all of the items in paragraph “b”, subparagraphs (1) through (8), are excluded from the lease price subject to the fee for new registration, the owner shall maintain adequate records of the amounts of those items. If the parties to a lease enter into an agreement providing that the fee for new registration is to be paid by the lessee or included in the monthly lease payments to be paid by the lessee, the total cost of the fee for new registration shall not be included in the computation of the lease price for the purpose of the fee for new registration under this section. The county treasurer or the department of transportation shall require every applicant for a registration receipt for a vehicle subject to a fee for new registration to supply information as the county treasurer or the director deems necessary as to the date of the lease transaction, the lease price, and other information relative to the lease of the vehicle.
d. On or before the tenth day of each month, the county treasurer or the department of transportation shall remit to the department of revenue the amount of the fees for new registration collected during the preceding month.
e. If the lease is terminated or voided prior to the termination date contained in the lease agreement, no refund shall be allowed for a fee for new registration previously paid under this section, except as provided in section 322G.4.
f. The following are exempt from the fee for new registration imposed under this subsection as long as a valid affidavit is filed with the county treasurer at the time of application for registration:
(1) Vehicles leased to entities listed in section 423.3, subsections 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 31, and 79, to the extent that those entities are exempt from the tax imposed on the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in the state to consumers or users.
(2) A vehicle leased directly to a federal, state, or local governmental agency and titled in an individual’s name pursuant to a governmental program authorized by law.
4. Administration and enforcement — director of revenue.
a. The director of revenue in consultation with the department of transportation shall administer and enforce the fee for new registration as nearly as possible in conjunction with the administration and enforcement of the state use tax law, except that portion of the law which implements the streamlined sales and use tax agreement.
b. Section 422.25, subsection 4, sections 422.30, 422.67, and 422.68, section 422.69, subsection 1, sections 422.70, 422.71, 422.72, 422.74, and 422.75, section 423.14, subsection 2, and sections 423.23, 423.24, 423.25, 423.32, 423.33, 423.35, 423.37 through 423.42, 423.45, and 423.47, consistent with the provisions of this section, apply with respect to the fees for new registration authorized under this section in the same manner and with the same effect as if the fees for new registration were retail use taxes within the meaning of those statutes.
5. Collections by dealers.
a. If an amount of the fee for new registration represented by a dealer to the purchaser of a vehicle is computed upon a purchase price that is not subject to the fee for new registration or the amount represented is in excess of the actual amount subject to the fee and the amount represented is actually paid by the purchaser to the dealer, the excess amount of fee for new registration paid shall be returned to the purchaser upon notification to the dealer by the department that an excess payment exists.
b. If an amount of the fee for new registration represented by a dealer to a purchaser is computed upon a purchase price that is not subject to the fee for new registration or the amount represented is in excess of the actual amount subject to the fee and the amount represented is actually paid by the purchaser to the dealer, the excess amount of fee for new registration paid shall be returned to the purchaser upon proper notification to the dealer by the purchaser that an excess payment exists. “Proper” notification is written notification which allows a dealer at least sixty days to respond and which contains enough information to allow a dealer to determine the validity of a purchaser’s claim that an excess amount of fee for new registration has been paid. No cause of action shall accrue against a dealer for excess fee for new registration paid until sixty days after proper notification has been given the dealer by the purchaser.
c. In the circumstances described in paragraphs “a” and “b”, a dealer has the option to either return any excess amount of fee for new registration paid to a purchaser, or to remit the amount which a purchaser has paid to the dealer to the department.
6. Refunds.
a. A fee for new registration is not refundable, except in the following circumstances:
(1) If a vehicle is sold and later returned to the seller and the entire purchase price is refunded by the seller, the purchaser is entitled to a refund of the fee for new registration paid. To obtain a refund, the purchaser shall make application on forms provided by the department and show proof that the entire purchase price was returned and that the fee for new registration had been paid.
(2) If a vehicle manufacturer reimburses a purchaser for the fee for new registration paid on a returned defective vehicle, the manufacturer may obtain a refund from the department by providing proof that the fee was paid and the purchaser reimbursed in accordance with the provisions of chapter 322G.
(3) If the department determines that, as a result of a mistake, an amount of the fee for new registration has been paid which was not due, such amount shall be refunded to the vehicle owner by the department.
b. A claim for refund under this subsection that has not been filed with the department within three years after the fee for new registration was paid shall not be allowed by the director.
7. Penalties.
a. False statement. A person who willfully makes a false statement in regard to the purchase price of a vehicle subject to a fee for new registration or willfully attempts in any manner to evade payment of the fee required by this section is guilty of a fraudulent practice. A person who willfully makes a false statement in regard to the purchase price of such a vehicle with the intent to evade payment of the fee for new registration or willfully attempts in any manner to evade payment of the fee required by this section shall be assessed a penalty of seventy-five percent of the amount of the fee unpaid and required to be paid on the actual purchase price less trade-in allowance.
b. Evasion fee. An Iowa resident found to be in control of a vehicle which is owned by a shell business and for which the fee for new registration has not been paid, as provided in section 321.55, subsection 2, is guilty of a fraudulent practice. An Iowa resident found to be in control of a vehicle which is owned by a shell business and for which the fee for new registration has not been paid, as provided in section 321.55, subsection 2, shall be assessed a penalty of seventy-five percent of the amount of the fee unpaid and required to be paid on the actual purchase price less trade-in allowance.
c. Failure to file. If a person required by this chapter to file an application for certificate of title or registration with the county treasurer fails to file such application or registration on or before the due date for such application or registration, a penalty in the amount of ten percent of the fee for new registration due shall be added to the fee.
d. Underpayment. If a person required by this chapter to file an application for certificate of title or registration with the county treasurer files such application or registration with any inaccurate information that results in the person paying less than the full amount of the fee for new registration, penalties, or interest that was due at the time of application, a penalty in the amount of five percent of the fee for new registration due shall be added to the fee.
2008 Acts, ch 1113, §40; 2008 Acts, ch 1191, §128; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §251, 263; 2009 Acts, ch 60, §2, 3; 2009 Acts, ch 179, §122 – 124; 2010 Acts, ch 1145, §1, 17; 2011 Acts, ch 110, §1, 2; 2013 Acts, ch 30, §68; 2013 Acts, ch 140, §161; 2014 Acts, ch 1065, §2; 2014 Acts, ch 1110, §3; 2014 Acts, ch 1123, §31; 2016 Acts, ch 1098, §14; 2021 Acts, ch 86, §13 – 19, 49
Referred to in §312.2, 321.2, 321.20, 321.24, 321.48, 321.129, 321.145, 321.152, 322G.12, 331.557, 421.60, 423.3
Fraudulent practices, see §714.8 – 714.14
Subsection 2, paragraph a amended
Subsection 2, paragraph c, subparagraph (1) amended
Subsection 2, paragraph c, subparagraph (3), subparagraph divisions (a) and (c) amended
Subsection 2, paragraph c, subparagraphs (7), (8), (15), (18), and (19) amended
Subsection 2, paragraph c, subparagraph (25), unnumbered paragraph 1 amended
Subsection 3, paragraphs a and e amended
Subsection 3, paragraph f, subparagraph (1) amended
Subsection 7 amended

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