Late budget causes DMV gaffe




Motorists with vehicle registration due in July should wait until they receive a billing notice in the mail to pay it, the Department of Motor Vehicles announced.

The DMV started mailing billing notices on July 1, and all customers will be given a 30-day grace period to pay fees without penalty.

Due to budget uncertainties, the DMV postponed sending out renewal notices to the state’s vehicle owners. Many people received their renewal notices mid-week only to find that the bill stated that the payment was due in one day or penalties would be assessed.

The information is not accurate, the DMW says. A flyer was included in the renewal notice correcting the due date, but not everyone noticed the flyer.

The department will regularly update its website with the specific registration expiration dates for which customers can renew their vehicle registration.

Recent law prohibits the renewal of a vehicle registration until either the registration expiration date or the DMV generates a renewal notice, whichever comes first. The law requires registration renewal notices to be mailed out on or close to the expiration date of a vehicle license, instead of 60 days in advance.

Customers whose vehicles require a biennial smog check will still be reminded on the registration renewal, as in previous years. However, customers may smog their vehicles before they receive their renewal notice since smog certificates are good for 90 days.

For more information, go to www.dmv.ca.gov or call DMV customer service at (800) 777-0133.



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