N.Y. Vehicle & Traffic Law § 2222: Registration

§ 2222. Registration. 1. Except as hereinafter provided, no person

shall operate any snowmobile within the state unless: (a) such

snowmobile has been registered and numbered in accordance with the

provisions of this article, and the registration number for such

snowmobile is in full force and effect as hereinafter provided; and (b)

the registration number for such snowmobile is displayed as hereinafter

provided.

2. The commissioner is authorized to register a snowmobile, issue a

registration certificate and assign a registration number to such

snowmobile. All such registrations shall be valid until the thirty-first

day of August following the date of such registration; except that

registrations issued between the first day of April and the thirty-first

day of August, inclusive, shall be valid until the thirty-first day of

August in the following year; and unless, prior to expiration of the

period of registration, it is surrendered, cancelled, revoked or

suspended pursuant to the provisions of this article.

3. A number once assigned under this section shall remain with the

registered snowmobile until the snowmobile is destroyed, abandoned or

permanently removed from the state, or until changed or terminated by

the commissioner.

4. Fees. Fees for registration of snowmobiles, to be collected by the

commissioner under this article, are as follows:

(a) A fee of ten dollars for each individual resident registration.

(b) A fee of ten dollars for each individual nonresident registration.

(c) A fee of fifty dollars for each two-year dealer registration.

(d) A fee of five dollars for each additional dealer demonstrator

registration number.

(e) A fee of one dollar for replacement of a lost, mutilated or

destroyed certificate.

* (f) A fee of five dollars for each individual resident and

non-resident registration of a snowmobile manufactured more than thirty

years prior to the current calendar year.

* NB Effective December 31, 2028

* 4-a. Additional fee. In addition to the other fees provided for in

paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subdivision four of this section the

commissioner shall, upon application in such cases for the registration

of a snowmobile or the renewal thereof, collect the annual one hundred

twenty-five dollar fee for residents and one hundred twenty-five dollar

fee for nonresidents or a fifty-five dollar fee for residents and

fifty-five dollar fee for nonresidents who provide proof, at the time of

registration, that such individual is a member of an organized New York

state snowmobile club that is a member of the New York state snowmobile

association or is a member of an organized New York state snowmobile

club that is a trail maintenance entity and a member of the New York

state snowmobile association which are imposed by section 21.07 of the

parks, recreation and historic preservation law. In the event that an

individual seeking snowmobile club membership is unable, for any reason,

to secure such club membership, he or she may contact the New York state

snowmobile association, who shall secure such membership for such

person. This fee shall also be collected from dealers at the time of

original registration and at the time of each renewal. The commissioner

shall effectuate regulations regarding what is required as proof of

membership in an organized New York state snowmobile club that is a

trail maintenance entity and a member of the New York state snowmobile

association for the purposes of this subdivision.

* NB Effective until December 31, 2028

* 4-a. Additional fee. (a) In addition to the other fees provided for

in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subdivision four of this section the

commissioner shall, upon application in such cases for the registration

of a snowmobile or the renewal thereof, collect the annual one hundred

twenty-five dollar fee for residents and one hundred twenty-five dollar

fee for nonresidents or a fifty-five dollar fee for residents and

fifty-five dollar fee for nonresidents who provide proof, at the time of

registration, that such individual is a member of an organized New York

state snowmobile club that is a member of the New York state snowmobile

association or is a member of an organized New York state snowmobile

club that is a trail maintenance entity and a member of the New York

state snowmobile association which are imposed by section 21.07 of the

parks, recreation and historic preservation law. In the event that an

individual seeking snowmobile club membership is unable, for any reason,

to secure such club membership, they may contact the New York state

snowmobile association, who shall secure such membership for such

person. This fee shall also be collected from dealers at the time of

original registration and at the time of each renewal.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this

subdivision, in addition to the other fees provided for in paragraphs

(a), (b), (c) and (f) of subdivision four of this section, the

commissioner shall, upon application in such cases for the registration

of a snowmobile manufactured more than thirty years prior to the current

calendar year or the renewal thereof, collect the annual one hundred

twenty-five dollar fee for residents and one hundred twenty-five dollar

fee for nonresidents or a twenty dollar fee for residents and twenty

dollar fee for nonresidents who provide proof, at the time of

registration, that such individual is a member of an organized New York

state snowmobile club that is a member of the New York state snowmobile

association or is a member of an organized New York state snowmobile

club that is a trail maintenance entity and a member of the New York

state snowmobile association which are imposed by section 21.07 of the

parks, recreation and historic preservation law. In the event that an

individual seeking snowmobile club membership is unable, for any reason,

to secure such club membership, such person may contact the New York

state snowmobile association, who shall secure such membership for such

person.

(c) The commissioner shall effectuate regulations regarding what is

required as proof of membership in an organized New York state

snowmobile club that is a trail maintenance entity and a member of the

New York state snowmobile association for the purposes of this

subdivision.

* NB Effective December 31, 2028

5. Application. The owner of each snowmobile requiring registration

under this section shall present an application for registration to the

commissioner, on a blank to be prepared and furnished by the

commissioner for that purpose. Such application shall contain or be

accompanied by such evidence of the ownership of the snowmobile

described in the application as may be required by the commissioner.

6. Dealers. Any person who is a dealer shall register as a dealer. The

commissioner, upon receipt of an application and the required fee, shall

assign a distinctive dealer registration number to the registrant and

issue an appropriate registration certificate to him and assign two

dealer demonstrator registration numbers and upon the payment of the

appropriate fee, such additional numbers as shall be requested. Dealer

registrations and dealer demonstrator registration numbers shall not be

transferable.

7. Renewal. After payment of the registration fees as provided in

subdivisions four and four-a of this section, every owner of a

snowmobile shall renew his or her registration annually on or before

September first of each year and every dealer shall renew his or her

registration biennially in such form and manner as the commissioner

shall prescribe. If a dealer registration is issued for a period of more

or less than two years, the fee for such registration shall be prorated

on a monthly basis.

* 8. The validating date tag. At the time of the original registration

and at the time of each annual renewal thereof, the commissioner shall

also issue to said registrant a date tag or tags indicating the validity

of the current registration and the expiration date thereof, which

validating date tag or tags should be affixed to the snowmobile in such

manner as the commissioner may prescribe. Notwithstanding the fact that

a snowmobile has been assigned an identifying number, it shall not be

considered as validly registered within the meaning of this section

unless a validating date tag and current registration certificate have

been issued.

* NB Effective until December 31, 2028

* 8. The validating date tag. At the time of the original registration

and at the time of each annual renewal thereof, the commissioner shall

also issue to said registrant a date tag or tags indicating the validity

of the current registration and the expiration date thereof, which

validating date tag or tags should be affixed to the snowmobile in such

manner as the commissioner may prescribe. Notwithstanding the fact that

a snowmobile has been assigned an identifying number, it shall not be

considered as validly registered within the meaning of this section

unless a validating date tag and current registration certificate have

been issued. The commissioner may develop a vintage design for the date

tag or tags issued to a snowmobile manufactured more than thirty years

prior to the current calendar year.

* NB Effective December 31, 2028

9. Denial of current registration. In the event that a snowmobile

sought to be registered or re-registered does not, after inspection and

testing, comply with the provisions respecting equipment established by

section 25.17 of the parks and recreation law or by the regulations of

the commissioner promulgated pursuant to this title, the commissioner

may deny the issuance of a validating date tag and current certificate

of registration.

10. Snowmobiles owned by governmental agencies. A registration number

shall be assigned, without payment of a fee, for snowmobiles owned by

governmental agencies, or by volunteer organizations if used exclusively

for emergency purposes, provided that each such snowmobile shall display

the proper registration number assigned to it.

11. Exemption. No registrations shall be required for the following

described snowmobiles:

(a) Snowmobiles owned and used by the United States.

(b) Snowmobiles covered by a valid registration or license of another

state, province or country, as provided in subdivision twelve of this

section.

(c) Snowmobiles operated on lands owned by the owner of such

snowmobile, or on lands to which such owner has a contractual right

other than as a member of a club or association provided (i) the

snowmobile is not operated elsewhere within the state, and (ii) no

consideration, either direct or indirect, is paid to the owner of the

snowmobile with respect to such operation.

12. Out of state snowmobile registration. The registration provisions

of this article shall apply to non-resident owners of snowmobiles used

in New York state as provided for by the commissioner except when their

snowmobile is used on trails which proceed along a New York state border

and which, occasionally as dictated by the terrain, cross into another

state, in which such snowmobile is registered; such cross border trails

on which nonresident owned snowmobiles may proceed without New York

state registration shall be designated by the state commissioner of the

office of parks, recreation and historic preservation as provided in

section 25.04 of the parks, recreation and historic preservation law and

he shall publish such trail designation in the New York state register

and other publications accessible to the snowmobiling public. Such

non-resident registration applications shall be made available at the

place of business of all registered dealers and by mail from the

department. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to authorize

the operation of any snowmobile contrary to the provisions of this

article.

13. State aid. The Lake George park commission shall be entitled to

receive state aid in an amount relating to the percentage of fees

collected under this section that can be estimated to be attributed to

snowmobile use within the Lake George park. The amount of such aid shall

be annually determined by the commissioner of parks, recreation and

historic preservation and the director of the budget.

14. Registration at time of sale. Snowmobiles sold by dealers shall be

registered at the time of sale of such snowmobile. Such registration

shall be valid until the thirty-first day of August following the date

of such sale; provided however that snowmobiles sold after April first

of each year shall be issued a registration valid until the thirty-first

day of August in the year following that in which the snowmobile is

sold. Snowmobiles purchased to be used in accordance with paragraph (c)

of subdivision eleven of this section or for use exclusively outside of

the state of New York shall not require registration at the time of

purchase, and the purchaser of such snowmobile shall sign a declaration,

provided by the dealer, which shall state that such purchaser

understands the conditions under which a snowmobile must be registered

and the penalty for violation of such registration provisions; the form

of such declaration shall be provided by the commissioner to each dealer

and shall be forwarded to the commissioner.