Sec. 14-50. Fees for operator's license, passenger endorsement and examination. Waiver of operator's license and registration fees. Regulations.
Sec. 14-50. Fees for operator's license, passenger endorsement and examination. Waiver of operator's license and registration fees. Regulations. (a) Subject to
the provisions of subsection (c) of section 14-41, there shall be charged a fee of forty-three dollars for each renewal of a motor vehicle operator's license issued for a period
of four years, a fee of sixty-five dollars for each renewal of a motor vehicle operator's
license issued for a period of six years and an additional fee of twelve dollars for each
year for each passenger endorsement.
(b) There shall be charged for each examination of an operator of a motor vehicle
a fee of forty dollars. There may be charged for each advance appointment for an operator's license examination a fee of fifteen dollars which fee shall be paid to the commissioner at least six business days prior to the date of the appointment and shall be applied
toward the examination fee if the applicant keeps the appointment. If the applicant fails
to keep the appointment, the appointment fee shall be forfeited, unless (1) in the judgment
of the commissioner, the applicant's failure to keep the appointment was due to exigent
circumstances, or (2) the applicant reschedules the appointment.
(c) The commissioner shall waive any operator's license or registration fee, including any renewal fee in the case of any person in the active service of the armed forces
of the United States who was a legal resident of Connecticut at the time of his induction;
and for one licensing period to any person honorably separated from such service who
applies therefor within two years following the date of separation and was a legal resident
of Connecticut at the time of his induction. The commissioner may adopt regulations,
in accordance with chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this subsection.
(d) Upon request by the chief of any regular fire department or volunteer fire company operating in the state of Connecticut, the commissioner shall waive the operator's
examination fee in the case of any member of any such fire department or company
who applies for a class 1 operator's license as provided in section 14-36a. The applicant
for such license shall satisfy all prerequisites for the issuance of a class 1 license.
(e) The commissioner may assess a fee to cover the cost of the collection of number
plates, motor vehicle registration certificates or operators' licenses, upon the holders
thereof; and such number plates, motor vehicle registration certificates or operators'
licenses shall not be returned to the holder thereof or reissued until such fee is paid.
(f) Whenever any check issued to the commissioner in payment of any fee is returned
as uncollectible, the commissioner shall charge the drawer of such check or the person
presenting such check to him a fee of thirty-five dollars for each such check which is
drawn in an amount of not more than two hundred dollars, and a fee of fifteen per cent
of the full amount of each such check which is drawn in an amount in excess of two
hundred dollars, plus all protest fees, to cover the cost of collection.
(g) All fees provided for in this chapter shall be construed to be license fees imposed
for the administration of this chapter and as compensation for the privilege of using the
highways of this state, and to reimburse the state in whole or in part for injury done to
the highways by the operation of motor vehicles.
(1949 Rev., S. 2389; 1953, 1955, S. 1299d; 1957, P.A. 322; 599, S. 1; 1961, P.A. 481, S. 2; 581, S. 9; 1967, P.A. 807,
S. 5, 6; 1969, P.A. 759, S. 9; 1971, P.A. 91; 508; P.A. 74-81; P.A. 75-213, S. 4, 53; P.A. 76-263, S. 7, 9; P.A. 77-6, S. 1,
2; P.A. 78-252, S. 1, 2; P.A. 83-489, S. 7, 17; P.A. 84-254, S. 35, 62; 84-429, S. 55; P.A. 85-525, S. 3, 6; P.A. 87-329, S.
11, 12; P.A. 90-263, S. 18, 74; P.A. 91-13, S. 2, 3; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-9, S. 2, 4; P.A. 93-341, S. 20, 38; P.A. 97-1, S.
2, 4; P.A. 98-95; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-6, S. 78, 85; June Sp. Sess. P. A 01-9, S. 51, 131; P.A. 03-171, S. 9; June 30 Sp.
Sess. P.A. 03-4, S. 22; P.A. 04-182, S. 7; 04-199, S. 21.)
History: 1961 acts increased inspection fee in Subsec. (b) and added Subsec. (f); 1967 act added provisions re fees for
motorcycle operator's licenses in Subsecs. (a) and (b); 1969 act increased fees for motor vehicle or motorcycle operator's
license from $6 to $8 and additional fee for public service operator's license from $3 to $4 in Subsec. (a); 1971 acts replaced
"discharge" and "discharged" with "separation" and "separated" in Subsec. (c) and required application within two years
rather than one year of date of separation and made $5 charge in Subsec. (e) applicable to checks of $50 or less, adding
10% charge for checks over $50; P.A. 74-81 inserted new Subsec. (d) re waiver of fees upon request of fire chief and
relettered former Subsec. (d) and remaining subsections accordingly; P.A. 75-213 increased fees in Subsec. (a) from $8
to $10 and from $4 to $5 and in Subsec. (b) from $5 to $6.50; P.A. 76-263 amended Subsec. (a) to include reference to
Sec. 14-41 and to increase fee from $10 to $21; P.A. 77-6 included drawers of checks in Subsec. (f); P.A. 78-252 increased
charges in Subsec. (f) to $10 for checks not exceeding $100 and 10% for checks over $100; P.A. 83-489 amended Subsec.
(b) to increase operator examination fee from $6.50 to $10; P.A. 84-254 increased the fee amounts reflected in the Subsecs.,
with the increases taking effect on successive July first dates of various years; P.A. 84-429 made technical changes for
statutory consistency; P.A. 85-525 amended Subsec. (a) to increase license renewal fee from $26 to $26.50, on and after
July 1, 1984, to reduce fee from $32 to $31, on and after July 1, 1986, to reduce fee from $37 to $35.50, on and after July
1, 1988, and to increase fee from $42 to $44, on and after July 1, 1992; P.A. 87-329 amended Subsec. (a), maintaining the
fees at the levels existing on and after July 1, 1986, and decreasing the fees effective July 1, 1992, to the levels formerly
existing on and after July 1, 1988, and amended Subsec. (g), maintaining the fee at the level existing on and after July 1,
1986, and delaying until July 1, 1992, the fee increase formerly effective on and after July 1, 1988; P.A. 90-263 amended
Subsec. (a) to substitute public passenger transportation permit for public service operator's license; and amended Subsec.
(b) to delete provisions re inspection fee for public service motor vehicles; P.A. 91-13 amended Subsec. (b) to establish a
fee for each advance appointment for operator's license examination; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-9 amended Subsec. (b) to
make imposition of the fee for an advance appointment for operator's license examination permissive instead of mandatory;
P.A. 93-341 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing reference to "public passenger transportation permit" with "passenger
endorsement" and amended Subsec. (d) by deleting references to "class 2" licenses, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 97-1
deleted obsolete references re fees throughout section, eliminated fee for issuance of home training certificate in Subsec.
(g) and relettered existing Subsec. (h) as (g), effective January 30, 1997; P.A. 98-95 amended Subsec. (f) to change fee
from $36 to $15 for checks of not more than $100 and from 36% to 15% for checks over $100, limited application of
percentage to a $200 maximum and imposed new $35 charge for amounts in excess of $200; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-6
amended Subsec. (a) to provide increased license fees for six-year license and to make technical changes, effective July
1, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 amended Subsec. (a) to provide for the option of a four or six-year license and a corresponding fee structure, effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 03-171 amended Subsec. (a) to delete fees for renewals of motorcycle
operator's licenses and amended Subsec. (b) to make examination fee applicable to operator of motor vehicle and delete
"motorcycle or other"; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-4 amended Subsec. (a) to increase fees for renewal of motor vehicle
operator's licenses from $35.50 to $43 for four-year renewal and from $53 to $65 for six-year renewal, and to increase
additional fee for each passenger endorsement from $9 to $12, and amended Subsec. (b) to increase fee for examination
of operator of motor vehicle from $36 to $40, effective January 1, 2004; P.A. 04-182 amended Subsec. (f) to increase fees
to $35 for returned check issued to commissioner in an amount not more than $200 and to 15% of amount of check in
excess of $200, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-199 amended Subsec. (c) to require commissioner to waive any operator's
license or registration fees, including renewal fees, of persons in active service of the armed forces of the United States
meeting requirements of subsection and to permit commissioner to adopt regulations to implement provisions of subsection,
effective July 1, 2004.
See Sec. 14-41(b) re fee for issuance of original operators' license.
Failure to endorse his license does not make the operator "an unlicensed person." 104 C. 487; 114 C. 76.