§508. Registration; commercial vehicles; exemption

            A.(1) Except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, every vehicle registration under this Chapter other than those licensed under R.S. 47:463(A), R.S. 47:511(B), and those included, by regulation of the secretary, in the staggered registration system, shall expire on June thirtieth of each year. The registrations shall be renewed annually between May first and June thirtieth of each year.

            (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, every registration of an automobile or truck to be used as a commercial rental or leased vehicle shall expire one year from the date of issuance and shall be renewed annually thereafter.

            (3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, every registration of a truck in excess of sixteen thousand pounds or trailer licensed pursuant to R.S. 47:462, except those trailers provided in R.S. 47:462(B)(1)(b), shall expire one year from the date of issuance and thereafter shall be renewed annually.

            (4) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, every registration of a truck between ten thousand pounds and sixteen thousand pounds shall expire annually from the date of issuance.

            B. In odd numbered years every registration of a private passenger carrying automobile, registered or to be registered under R.S. 47:463(A), shall expire on December thirty-first and shall be renewed on or before February sixth of the year immediately following that in which the registration expires, except that the expiration date for vehicles registered under R.S. 47:463(A) which are included in a staggered registration system by rules and regulations of the secretary shall be those established in such rules and regulations.

            C. Failure to make application and payment of registration fees, as provided herein, on or before the renewal dates provided in this Section, or on or before renewal dates established by rule of the secretary, shall cause the license due to become delinquent and subject to penalties and interest charges as provided in Chapter 18 of this Title.

            D.(1) Except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, any person acquiring any vehicle subject to registration and license subsequent to July first of any year in which renewal of registration is required shall, before operating the same, make the required application for registration and shall pay the license. Failure to make application and payment as herein directed shall cause the license on any such vehicle to become delinquent and subject to the penalties fixed in Chapter 18 of this Subtitle. New vehicles purchased subsequent to July first of any year in which renewal of registration is required shall be entitled to a monthly pro rata reduction of license as hereinafter provided. Any person owning a vehicle other than those licensed by R.S. 47:463(A) during any part of the current registration period and not having used it on the highways during the period commencing July first of the year in which renewal of registration is required shall be entitled to a monthly pro rata reduction of the license after July thirty-first, upon furnishing sworn proof satisfactory to the secretary that the vehicle had not been used as hereinabove stated or that any sale, transfer, or assignment thereof was bona fide and not for the purpose of evading the provisions of the Chapter. In no event, however, shall the amount of the license tax payable hereunder be less than the minimums as fixed in R.S. 47:475.

            (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, every person acquiring an automobile or truck to be used as a commercial rental or leased vehicle shall, before operating the same as a commercial rental or leased vehicle, make the required application for registration and shall pay the license fee which shall expire one year from the date of issuance. Failure to make application and payment as herein directed shall cause the commercial license on such automobile or truck to become delinquent and subject to the penalties fixed in Chapter 18 of this Subtitle.

            E. Any owner who has made proper application and paid the proper license tax for the renewal of registration of a vehicle but who has not received the number plates or registration certificate for the current registration period, shall be entitled to operate or permit the operation of such vehicle upon the public highways by displaying upon said vehicle the number plate or plates issued for the preceding registration period, upon furnishing sworn proof satisfactory to the secretary or the division of state police of his timely application and failure to receive the number plate or plates or registration certificate for the current registration period. This privilege shall be limited to and extended no further than September first of the year in which the registration period begins.

            F. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, every registration of a motor truck or tandem truck having a gross weight per load carrying axle up to and including ten thousand pounds or less and motorcycles for which the registration or license tax is paid for four years as provided for in R.S. 47:462(B)(6) shall expire four years from the date the registration or license tax is paid and shall be renewed every fourth year on or before the last day of the month.

            G. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, every registration of a boat trailer having a gross weight per load carrying axle of one thousand five hundred pounds or less, a farm use trailer having a gross weight per load carrying axle of six thousand pounds or less, or a privately owned trailer having a gross weight per load carrying axle of five hundred pounds or less for which the registration or license tax is paid for two years as provided for in R.S. 47:462B(7) shall expire two years from the date the registration or license tax is paid and shall be renewed every second year on or before the last day of the month immediately following the month in which the previous registration expired.

            H. The secretary of the Department of Public Safety is hereby authorized to issue permanent license plates at the time of first issuance for a commercial vehicle. Said registration thereafter shall be renewed annually by the affixing of a registration sticker on the license plate. The secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this Section. Such vehicles registered under the Interstate Registration Plan are exempt from the provision of this Section.

            Amended by Acts 1952, No. 216, §1; Acts 1962, No. 318, §1; Acts 1966, No. 513, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1967, Acts 1977, No. 727, §1; Acts 1978, No. 250, §1; Acts 1978, No. 257, §1; Acts 1983, No. 81, §1; Acts 1987, No. 823, §1; Acts 1995, No. 256, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996, Acts 1997, No. 1386, §1; Acts 2011, No. 85, §1; Acts 2014, No. 94, §1; Acts 2024, No. 573, §1.