Section 84.82 Snowmobile Registration
84.82 SNOWMOBILE REGISTRATION.
Subdivision 1.
[Repealed, 1984 c 654 art 2 s 155]
Subd. 1a.General requirements.
A person may not operate or transport a snowmobile unless the snowmobile has been registered under this section. A person may not sell a snowmobile without furnishing the buyer a bill of sale on a form prescribed by the commissioner.
Subd. 2.Application, issuance, reports, additional fee.
(a) Application for registration or reregistration shall be made to the commissioner or an authorized deputy registrar of motor vehicles in a format prescribed by the commissioner and shall state the legal name and address of every owner of the snowmobile.
(b) A person who purchases a snowmobile from a retail dealer shall make application for registration to the dealer at the point of sale. The dealer shall issue a dealer temporary 21-day registration permit to each purchaser who applies to the dealer for registration. The temporary permit must contain the dealer's identification number and phone number. Each retail dealer shall submit completed registration and fees to the deputy registrar at least once a week. No fee may be charged by a dealer to a purchaser for providing the temporary permit.
(c) Upon receipt of the application and the appropriate fee as hereinafter provided, the commissioner or deputy registrar shall issue to the applicant, or provide to the dealer, an assigned registration number or a commissioner or deputy registrar temporary 21-day permit. Once issued, the registration number must be affixed to the snowmobile in a clearly visible and permanent manner for enforcement purposes as the commissioner of natural resources shall prescribe. A dealer subject to paragraph (b) shall provide the registration materials or temporary permit to the purchaser within the temporary 21-day permit period. The registration is not valid unless signed by at least one owner. The temporary permit must indicate whether a snowmobile state trail sticker under section 84.8205 was purchased.
(d) Each deputy registrar of motor vehicles acting pursuant to section 168.33, shall also be a deputy registrar of snowmobiles. The commissioner of natural resources in agreement with the commissioner of public safety may prescribe the accounting and procedural requirements necessary to assure efficient handling of registrations and registration fees. Deputy registrars shall strictly comply with these accounting and procedural requirements.
(e) A fee of $2 in addition to that otherwise prescribed by law shall be charged for:
(1) each snowmobile registered by the registrar or a deputy registrar and the additional fee shall be disposed of in the manner provided in section 168.33, subdivision 2; or
(2) each snowmobile registered by the commissioner and the additional fee shall be deposited in the state treasury and credited to the snowmobile trails and enforcement account in the natural resources fund.
Subd. 3.Fees for registration.
(a) The fee for registration of each snowmobile, other than those used for an agricultural purpose, as defined in section 84.92, subdivision 1c, or those registered by a dealer or manufacturer pursuant to paragraph (b) or (c) shall be as follows: $45 for three years and $4 for a duplicate or transfer.
(b) The total registration fee for all snowmobiles owned by a dealer and operated for demonstration or testing purposes shall be $50 per year.
(c) The total registration fee for all snowmobiles owned by a manufacturer and operated for research, testing, experimentation, or demonstration purposes shall be $150 per year. Dealer and manufacturer registrations are not transferable.
(d) The onetime fee for registration of an exempt snowmobile under subdivision 6a is $6.
Subd. 3a.Expiration.
All snowmobile registrations, excluding temporary registration permits, required under this section expire June 30 of the year of expiration.
Subd. 4.Renewal.
Every owner of a snowmobile shall renew its registration in such manner as the commissioner shall prescribe, upon payment of the same registration fees provided in subdivision 3 hereof.
Subd. 5.Snowmobiles owned by state or political subdivision.
A registration number shall be issued without the payment of a fee for snowmobiles owned by the state of Minnesota or a political subdivision thereof upon application therefor.
Subd. 6.Exemptions.
Registration is not required under this section for:
(1) a snowmobile owned and used by the United States, an Indian tribal government, another state, or a political subdivision thereof;
(2) a snowmobile registered in a country other than the United States temporarily used within this state;
(3) a snowmobile that is covered by a valid license of another state and has not been within this state for more than 30 consecutive days;
(4) a snowmobile used exclusively in organized track racing events;
(5) a snowmobile in transit by a manufacturer, distributor, or dealer;
(6) a snowmobile at least 15 years old in transit by an individual for use only on land owned or leased by the individual; or
(7) a snowmobile while being used to groom a state or grant-in-aid trail.
Subd. 6a.Exemption; collector unlimited snowmobile use.
Snowmobiles may be issued an exempt registration if the machine is at least 25 years old. Exempt registration is valid from the date of issuance until ownership of the snowmobile is transferred. Exempt registrations are not transferable.
Subd. 7.Out of state snowmobiles.
The commissioner of natural resources may issue special permits to out of state snowmobiles from a state or country where registration is not required to operate in Minnesota for limited periods of time not to exceed 30 days in connection with organized group outings, trail rides, races, rallies and other promotional events.
Subd. 7a.Collector limited snowmobile use.
The commissioner may issue a special permit to a person or organization to operate or transport a collector snowmobile without registration in parades or organized group outings, such as races, rallies, and other promotional events and for up to ten days each year for personal transportation. The commissioner may impose a reasonable restriction on a permittee and may revoke, amend, suspend, or modify a permit for cause.
Subd. 8.Registration by persons under 18 prohibited.
No person under the age of 18 years may register a snowmobile.
Subd. 9.
[Repealed, 1985 c 54 s 3]
Subd. 10.Proof of sales tax payment.
A person applying for initial registration of a snowmobile must provide a snowmobile purchaser's certificate, showing a complete description of the snowmobile, the seller's name and address, the full purchase price of the snowmobile, and the trade-in allowance, if any. The certificate must include information showing either (1) that the sales and use tax under chapter 297A was paid or (2) the purchase was exempt from tax under chapter 297A. The commissioner of public safety, in consultation with the commissioner and the commissioner of revenue, shall prescribe the form of the certificate.
The certificate is not required if the applicant provides a receipt, invoice, or other document that shows the snowmobile was purchased from a retailer maintaining a place of business in this state as defined in section 297A.66, subdivision 1.
Subd. 11.Refunds.
The commissioner may issue a refund on a registration, not including any issuing fees paid under subdivision 2, paragraph (e), or section 84.027, subdivision 15, paragraph (a), clause (3), if the refund request is received within 60 days of the original registration, the registration is not used or transferred, and:
(1) the snowmobile was registered incorrectly; or
(2) the snowmobile was registered twice, once by the dealer and once by the customer.
History:
1967 c 876 s 4; 1969 c 131 s 1; 1969 c 695 s 3,4; 1969 c 1129 art 10 s 2; 1971 c 577 s 2-5; Ex1971 c 48 s 33,34; 1973 c 202 s 1; 1979 c 241 s 1; 1982 c 580 s 1,2; 1985 c 54 s 1,2; 1986 c 444; 1991 c 254 art 2 s 5,6; 1991 c 291 art 8 s 1; 1993 c 375 art 1 s 1; 1995 c 220 s 61; 1Sp1995 c 1 s 6,7; 1997 c 216 s 61; 1997 c 226 s 7; 2000 c 418 art 1 s 44; 2001 c 185 s 7; 2003 c 28 art 1 s 6; 1Sp2005 c 1 art 2 s 30,31; 2007 c 131 art 1 s 5; 2008 c 357 s 8,9; 2009 c 176 art 2 s 7; 2010 c 361 art 4 s 11-13