Sec. 14-15. Leasing or renting of motor vehicles. Issuance of temporary transfers.
Sec. 14-15. Leasing or renting of motor vehicles. Issuance of temporary transfers. (a) Any person, firm or corporation before engaging in the business of leasing or
renting motor vehicles without drivers in this state and any person, firm or corporation
which is the lessor of or rents any vehicle required to be registered under the provisions
of section 14-15a shall make a sworn application to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles
for a license to engage in such leasing or renting. Each such application and each application for renewal shall be accompanied by a fee of three hundred dollars. Each such
license shall be renewed biennially according to renewal schedules established by the
commissioner so as to effect staggered renewal of all such licenses. If the adoption of
a staggered system results in the expiration of any license more or less than one year
from its issuance, the commissioner may charge a prorated amount for such license fee.
Not less than forty-five days prior to the date of expiration of each such license, the
commissioner shall mail to each licensee an application for renewal. An application for
renewal filed with the commissioner after the date of expiration shall be accompanied
by a late fee of one hundred dollars provided the commissioner shall not renew any
license under this subsection that has expired for more than forty-five days. No such
license shall be transferred. Such licensee shall furnish proof of financial responsibility
satisfactory to the commissioner, as provided by section 14-112 or 14-129, provided
such licensee may furnish such proof separately with respect to each vehicle or each
group of vehicles leased to any single lessee. Each application for such license shall
contain the name and address of the owner and shall be accompanied by a surety bond
as required pursuant to section 14-52. Each application for registration of a motor vehicle
to be leased for a period of more than thirty days shall contain the name and address of
the owner and the lessee of such vehicle. The owner of such vehicle shall disclose the
name and address of any subsequent lessee of such vehicle to the commissioner in such
manner as the commissioner may require. The commissioner shall ensure that such
information relative to the lessee is available to the Connecticut on-line law enforcement
communications teleprocessing system. Each person, firm or corporation licensed under
the provisions of this subsection shall keep such books, records and accounts as the
commissioner may require provided each licensee shall retain a copy of each rental or
lease contract for a period of three years, which shall be subject to inspection by the
commissioner or the commissioner's designee at all reasonable times. The provisions
of this subsection shall not apply to any person, firm or corporation which, incidental
to the conduct of its principal business, leases or rents any motor vehicle without a driver
to other persons, firms or corporations whose principal business is the same as that of
the lessor. Violation of any provision of this subsection shall be an infraction.
(b) Each person, firm or corporation licensed under the provisions of subsection
(a) of this section that in the opinion of the commissioner is qualified and holds a current
registration certificate for a motor vehicle used in connection with its business may
issue a sixty-day temporary transfer of such registration to any other vehicle used in
connection with its business with an official stamp issued by the commissioner to such
licensee. The licensee, within five days from the issuance of such temporary registration,
shall submit to the commissioner an application together with all necessary documents
for a permanent registration for the vehicle transferred. The commissioner shall adopt
regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to implement the provisions
of this subsection.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 14-22, the commissioner may authorize any person, firm or corporation licensed under the provisions of subsection (a) of
this section who in the opinion of the commissioner is qualified and who holds a current
registration certificate for a motor vehicle used in connection with its business to renew
such registration by means of an electronic data processing system connected to the
system of registration records maintained by the commissioner. The commissioner shall
adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to implement the
provisions of this subsection.
(1955, S. 1286d; 1957, P.A. 413; 1967, P.A. 822; 1969, P.A. 747, S. 1; P.A. 75-577, S. 13, 126; P.A. 84-254, S. 23,
62; P.A. 87-329, S. 1; P.A. 88-340, S. 1; P.A. 90-285, S. 1, 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-13, S. 5, 21; P.A. 93-164, S. 1; P.A.
95-260, S. 4, 24; P.A. 96-167, S. 3; P.A. 00-169, S. 3; P.A. 02-70, S. 18, 56.)
History: 1967 act clarified applicability of provisions and required that books, records and accounts be kept as required
by commissioner and that they be open to inspection by commissioner or designee; 1969 act restated applicability provision
to specify persons, firms and corporations leasing or renting cars without drivers and lessors of vehicles required to be
registered under Sec. 14-15a and increased application fee from $25 to $50; P.A. 75-577 excluded leasing of cars by one
corporation to another having the same principal business and added provision re violation of provisions; P.A. 84-254
periodically increased the existing $50 fee to $100 as of July 1, 1992; P.A. 87-329 maintained the fee at the level existing
on and after July 1, 1986, and decreased the fee effective July 1, 1992, to the level formerly existing on and after July 1,
1988; P.A. 88-340 required licensee to retain copy of rental or lease contract for three years; P.A. 90-285 added Subsec.
(b), authorizing licensees to issue 20-day temporary transfers of registration; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-13 increased fee from
$78 to $150 and removed increase scheduled for July 1, 1992; P.A. 93-164 added a requirement in Subsec. (a) that applications be accompanied by a surety bond; P.A. 95-260 amended Subsec. (a) to make technical changes and to require that
each application for registration of a motor vehicle to be leased for a period of more than 30 days contain the name and
address of the owner and lessee of the vehicle, that the owner of such vehicle disclose name and address of any subsequent
lessee of such vehicle to commissioner in such manner as he may require and that commissioner ensure that information
re lessee is available to COLLECT system; P.A. 96-167 amended Subsec. (b) to make a technical change, to authorize
issuance of 45-day temporary transfers in lieu of 20-day transfers and to require submission of application for permanent
registration within 7 days from issuance of temporary registration instead of 5 days and added Subsec. (c), allowing
commissioner to authorize licensees to renew registration by means of an electronic data processing system; P.A. 00-169
amended Subsec. (b) to replace a 45-day with a 60-day temporary transfer of a registration, and changed the period of time
within which a licensee shall submit an application to the commissioner for a permanent registration from 7 to 5 days;
P.A. 02-70 amended Subsec. (a) to require biennial in lieu of annual license renewal, to provide for a license fee of $300
in lieu of $150, to require renewal according to schedules established by the commissioner to effect staggered renewal of
licenses, to impose a late fee of $100 for an application for renewal filed after the date of expiration, to provide that no
license that has expired for more than forty-5 days shall be renewed, and to make technical changes for purposes of gender
neutrality, and, effective July 1, 2002, amended Subsec. (b) to make technical changes.
See Secs. 14-153 and 14-153a for similar provisions re renting of vehicles.
See chapter 881b re infractions of the law.
Cited. 203 C. 667.