(a) Staggered renewal system to be established.--The department shall establish a system of staggered registration renewal in a manner that an approximately equal number of registrations will expire every month throughout the year. In order to implement and maintain the staggered registration system, the department may prorate annual registration fees over registration periods of from 6 to 18 months.
(a.1) Seasonal registration.--Upon application on a form prescribed by the department, the owner or lessee of a passenger car, recreational motor vehicle, motorcycle, truck or farm vehicle which does not have a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 14,000 pounds may register the vehicle with the department for a period of successive months of less than one year. The applicant shall specify the period of months during which the vehicle shall be registered. Except when the department initially converts a currently valid annual registration to a seasonal registration, the annual fee prescribed for the vehicle by Chapter 19 (relating to fees) shall be paid in full by the applicant regardless of the number of months chosen for registration by the applicant. Upon receipt of the appropriate fee and the properly completed form, including all information required by this chapter, the department shall issue a seasonal registration that shall expire on the last day of the expiration month chosen by the registrant. No insurer of a vehicle belonging to any owner or lessee who obtains a seasonal registration and who applies for or receives a reduced automobile insurance premium on account thereof shall be required to provide any contractual coverage, whether in the form of the provision of a defense or the payment of first-party or third-party benefits or otherwise, to the owner or lessee in connection with any event occurring during that part of the year in which the vehicle is not registered; and such owner or lessee shall be treated for all purposes, including, without limitation, ascertaining rights to stack coverages and to uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, as a person who does not own that vehicle and has no duty to carry financial responsibility on it for that part of the year.
(b) New registration.--A new registration is effective on the date of issuance of a registration card by the department or the date of issuance of a temporary registration card by an authorized agent of the department under section 1310 (relating to temporary registration cards).
(c) Renewal of registration.--A renewed registration shall be effective on issuance by the department of a renewed registration card.
(d) Expiration of registration.--A registration shall expire on the last day of the month designated on the registration card.
(e) Antique, classic and collectible vehicles.--Antique, classic and collectible motor vehicle registrations shall expire upon the salvaging, scrapping or transfer of ownership of the vehicle, except that if the transfer is between spouses or between parent and child the registration may be transferred upon payment of a transfer fee.
(f) Optional permanent trailer registration.--Except as set forth in section 1920(c) (relating to trailers), the registration of trailers permanently registered as provided in section 1920(c) shall expire upon salvaging of the vehicle or transfer of ownership.
(g) Election.--Upon application on a form prescribed by the department, the owner or lessee of a motor vehicle, except a motor vehicle registered under the International Registration Plan and a motor vehicle with a seasonal registration or a circus or carnival plate, may elect to pay an annual registration fee for a two-year period. The fee shall be two times the amount of the registration fee otherwise payable for the motor vehicle under this title.
(May 26, 1982, P.L.435, No.129, eff. imd.; Dec. 20, 1995, P.L.669, No.75, eff. 120 days; July 11, 1996, P.L.660, No.115, eff. 60 days; Apr. 17, 1997, P.L.6, No.3, eff. July 1, 1997; Dec. 1, 2004, P.L.1771, No.229, eff. 60 days; Dec. 18, 2007, P.L.436, No.67, eff. 60 days; Nov. 25, 2013, P.L.974, No.89; July 2, 2014, P.L.988, No.109, eff. 60 days)
2014 Amendment. Act 109 amended subsec. (a.1).
2013 Amendment. Act 89 amended subsec. (f) and added subsec. (g), effective January 1, 2014, as to subsec. (f) and December 31, 2016, as to subsec. (g). See the preamble to Act 89 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to legislative findings and declarations.
2004 Amendment. Act 229 amended subsec. (a).
1995 Amendment. Act 75 amended subsec. (e).
1982 Amendment. Act 129 amended subsecs. (a) and (c).
Cross References. Section 1307 is referred to in section 1786 of this title.
Structure Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Chapter 13 - Registration of Vehicles
Section 1301 - Registration and certificate of title required
Section 1302 - Vehicles exempt from registration
Section 1303 - Vehicles of nonresidents exempt from registration
Section 1304 - Registration criteria
Section 1305 - Application for registration
Section 1306 - Grounds for refusing registration
Section 1307 - Period of registration
Section 1307.1 - Permanent fleet registration
Section 1308 - Issuance of registration card
Section 1309 - Renewal of registration
Section 1309.1 - Apportioned registration renewal
Section 1310 - Temporary registration cards
Section 1310.1 - Temporary registration permits
Section 1311 - Registration card to be signed and exhibited on demand
Section 1312 - Notice of change of name or address
Section 1313 - Duplicate registration cards
Section 1314 - Transfer of registration
Section 1315 - Operation of vehicle following death of owner
Section 1316 - Department records
Section 1317 - Acknowledgment of littering provisions
Section 1318 - Duties of agents
Section 1319 - Duties of motor carrier vehicle owners
Section 1320 - Contributions to Veterans' Trust Fund
Section 1321 - Contributions for pediatric cancer research
Section 1322 - Contributions to Keystone Tree Restricted Account
Section 1323 - Contributions for breast cancer research
Section 1324 - Contributions for the prevention of child abuse and neglect
Section 1331 - Issuance and reissuance of registration plates
Section 1332 - Display of registration plate
Section 1333 - Lost, stolen, damaged or illegible registration plate
Section 1334 - Return of registration plate
Section 1334.1 - Seizure of registration plate
Section 1335 - Registration plates for manufacturers and dealers
Section 1336 - Use of dealer registration plates
Section 1336.1 - Use of multipurpose dealer registration plates
Section 1336.2 - Farm equipment dealer registration plates
Section 1337 - Use of "Miscellaneous Motor Vehicle Business" registration plates
Section 1337.1 - Fleet owner transporter registration plate
Section 1338 - Person with disability plate and placard
Section 1339 - Legislative plate
Section 1340 - Antique, classic and collectible plates
Section 1340.1 - Street rod plate
Section 1341 - Special registration plates
Section 1341.1 - Personal organization registration plates
Section 1342 - Veteran plates and placard
Section 1343 - Use of school bus or school vehicle plates
Section 1344 - Use of farm vehicle plates
Section 1344.1 - Use of farm equipment dealer registration plates
Section 1345 - Special plates for recipients of the Medal of Honor
Section 1346 - Special plates for recipients of Purple Heart
Section 1347 - Hearing impaired plates
Section 1348 - Special plates for Pearl Harbor survivors
Section 1349 - Circus or carnival plates
Section 1350 - Special plates for veterans of Korean War
Section 1350.1 - Special plates for recipients of Korean Defense Service Medal
Section 1351 - Special plates for veterans of Persian Gulf War
Section 1352 - Wild resource conservation plate
Section 1352.1 - Appalachian Trail organization registration plates
Section 1352.2 - Pollinator conservation registration plate
Section 1353 - Preserve our heritage registration plate
Section 1353.1 - Pennsylvania monument registration plate
Section 1354 - Flagship Niagara commemorative registration plate (Repealed)
Section 1354.1 - United States Olympic plate
Section 1355 - Zoological plate
Section 1355.1 - Pennsylvania Hunting Heritage registration plates
Section 1356 - Special plates for recipients of Expeditionary Forces Medal
Section 1357 - Special plates for World War II veterans
Section 1357.1 - Special plates for individuals in the service of the United States Merchant Marine
Section 1358 - DARE plate (Repealed)
Section 1358.1 - Share the Road plate
Section 1358.2 - Distracted Driving Awareness plate
Section 1359 - Special plates for steelworkers
Section 1360 - Special plates for veterans of Vietnam Conflict
Section 1361 - Special motorcycle plates related to veterans
Section 1362 - Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans plate
Section 1363 - Operation Enduring Freedom veterans plate
Section 1363.1 - Afghanistan and Iraq veterans plate
Section 1364 - Special plates for veterans
Section 1364.1 - Special plates for current members of the armed forces of the United States
Section 1365 - Gold Star Family plate
Section 1366 - Special plates for recipients of Silver Star
Section 1366.1 - Special plates for United States military airborne units
Section 1366.2 - Blue Star Family plate
Section 1366.3 - Special plates for recipients of Air Medal
Section 1367 - Special plates for recipients of Bronze Star
Section 1368 - Special plates for recipients of Bronze Star for Valor
Section 1368.1 - Special plates for recipients of Soldier's Medal
Section 1368.2 - Special plates for recipients of Presidential Service Badge
Section 1368.3 - Special plates for recipients of Legion of Merit
Section 1369.2 - Special "In God We Trust" plates
Section 1369.3 - Special plates for veterans of an ally foreign country
Section 1369.4 - USA semiquincentennial registration plates
Section 1370 - Report to General Assembly
Section 1371 - Operation following suspension of registration
Section 1372 - Unauthorized transfer or use of registration
Section 1373 - Suspension of registration
Section 1374 - Suspension or revocation of vehicle business registration plates
Section 1375 - Suspension of registration of unapproved carriers
Section 1376 - Surrender of registration plates and cards upon suspension or revocation
Section 1377 - Judicial review
Section 1378 - Suspension of motor carrier vehicle registration