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1 - WORDS AND PHRASES DEFINED

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2 - DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES

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2A - UNIFORM MOTOR VEHICLE RECORDS

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2B - CONSOLIDATION OF THE REGULATIO

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3 - ORIGINAL AND RENEWAL OF REGISTR

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3A - VEHICLE COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERA

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4 - TRANSFERS OF TITLE OR INTEREST

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4A - LIENS AND ENCUMBRANCES ON VEHI

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5 - PERMITS TO NONRESIDENT OWNERS

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6 - LICENSING OF DEALERS AND WRECKE

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6A - MOTOR VEHICLE DEALERS, DISTRIB

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6B - LICENSE SERVICES

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6C - AUTOMOBILE AUCTION BUSINESSES

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6D - DAILY PASSENGER RENTAL CAR BUS

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6E - MOTOR VEHICLE SALESPERSON LICE

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7 - SPECIAL STICKERS

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8 - SPECIAL ANTITHEFT LAWS

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10 - FEES FOR REGISTRATION, LICENS

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11 - PENALTIES

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12 - SEVERABILITY AND EFFECT OF CH

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CHAPTER 17A. MOTOR VEHICLE ADMINISTRATION, REGISTRATION, CERTIFICATE OF TITLE, AND ANTITHEFT PROVISIONS.

ARTICLE 9. OFFENSES AGAINST REGISTRATION LAWS AND SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF REGISTRATION.

§17A-9-1. Fraudulent applications.
Any person who fraudulently uses a false or fictitious name in any application for the registration of a vehicle or a certificate of title, or knowingly makes a false statement, or knowingly conceals a material fact, or otherwise commits a fraud in any such application shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year or both.

§17A-9-2. Operation of vehicles without evidences of registration; use of temporary facsimile; penalty.
(a) No person shall operate, nor shall an owner knowingly permit to be operated, upon any highway any vehicle required to be registered under this article unless there shall be attached thereto and displayed thereon or shall be in the possession of the operator when and as required by this chapter a valid registration card and registration plate or plates issued therefor by the department for the current registration year, except as otherwise expressly permitted in this chapter.

(b) In the event that the registration plate or plates originally issued are lost, destroyed or stolen, a temporary facsimile of the plate or plates, showing the number of the same, may be attached to the vehicle by the owner for a period of not more than fifteen days, or until a new plate or plates are issued by the department, whichever is earlier: Provided, That no such facsimile shall be used and no such vehicle shall be driven upon the highways of this state, until the owner shall have notified in writing the West Virginia state police of the loss of such registration plate or plates.

(c) Any person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars; and upon a second or subsequent conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars, or confined in the county or regional jail not more than six months, or both.

§17A-9-3. Improper use of evidences of registration.
No person shall lend to another any certificate of title, registration card, registration plate, special plate, or permit issued to him if the person desiring to borrow the same would not be entitled to the use thereof, nor shall any person knowingly permit the use of any of the same by one not entitled thereto, nor shall any person display upon a vehicle any registration card, registration plates, or permit not issued for such vehicle or not otherwise lawfully used thereon under this chapter. Any violation of this section is a misdemeanor.

§17A-9-4. False evidences, forgery, etc., of title and registration.
It is a felony for any person to commit any of the following acts:

(1) To alter with fraudulent intent any certificate of title, registration card, registration plate, or permit issued by the department;

(2) To forge or counterfeit any such document or plate purporting to have been issued by the department;

(3) To alter or falsify with fraudulent intent or forge any assignment upon a certificate of title;

(4) To hold or use any such document or plate knowing the same to have been so altered, forged, or falsified.

§17A-9-5. Authority of division to suspend or revoke registration, certificate, etc.
The division is hereby authorized to suspend or revoke the registration of a vehicle or a certificate of title, registration card or registration plate or any nonresident or other permit in any of the following events:

(1) When the division is satisfied that such registration or that such certificate, card, plate or permit was fraudulently or erroneously issued;

(2) When the division determines that a registered vehicle is mechanically unfit or unsafe to be operated or moved upon the highways;

(3) When a registered vehicle has been dismantled or wrecked;

(4) When a registration card, registration plate or permit is knowingly displayed upon a vehicle other than the one for which issued;

(5) When the division determines that the owner has committed any offense under this article involving the registration or the certificate, card, plate or permit to be suspended or revoked;

(6) When the vehicle is operated by a commercial motor carrier whose authority to operate in interstate commerce has been denied or suspended by the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; or

(7) When the division is so authorized under any other provision of law.

§17A-9-6. References elsewhere to this section shall be read, construed and understood to mean §17A-6-18.

Whenever in this code or elsewhere in law reference is made to this section, such reference shall henceforth be read, construed and understood to mean section eighteen, article six of this chapter.

§17A-9-7. Surrender of evidence of registration, etc., upon cancellation, suspension or revocation; willful failure or refusal to surrender; fee for reinstatement.
(a) Whenever the registration of a vehicle, a certificate of title, a registration card, registration plate or plates, a temporary registration plate or marker, the right to issue temporary registration plates or markers, any nonresident or other permit or any license certificate or dealer special plates issued under the provisions of article six of this chapter is canceled, suspended or revoked as authorized in this chapter, the owner, holder or other person in possession of the evidences of the registration, title, permit or license or any special dealer plates shall, except as otherwise provided in article six of this chapter, immediately return the evidences of the registration, title, permit or license that was canceled, suspended or revoked, together with any dealer special plates relating to any license certificate, or any dealer special plate or plates if only the dealer special plate is suspended, to the division: Provided, That the owner or holder shall, before reinstatement, pay a fee of ten dollars in addition to all other fees, which shall be collected by the division and credited to a special revolving fund in the State Treasury to be appropriated to the division for use in enforcement of the provisions of this code: Provided, however, That on and after the first day of July, two thousand seven, any balance in the special revolving fund and all fees collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the Motor Vehicle Fees Fund created in section twenty-one, article two of this chapter.

(b) If any person willfully fails or refuses to return to the division the evidences of the registration, title, permit or license that have been canceled, suspended or revoked, or any dealer special plates, when obligated so to do as provided in this section, the commissioner shall immediately notify the Superintendent of the State Police who shall, as soon as possible, secure possession of the evidence of registration, title, permit or license or any special dealer plates and return it to the division. The Superintendent of the State Police shall make a report in writing to the commissioner, within two weeks after being notified by the commissioner, as to the result of his or her efforts to secure the possession and return of the evidences of registration, title, permit or license, or any dealer special plates.

(c) If any commercial motor carrier willfully fails or refuses to return to the division the evidences of the registration that have been suspended or revoked as provided in this section, the commissioner shall immediately notify the Public Service Commission which shall, as soon as possible, secure possession of the evidence of registration and return it to the division. The Public Service Commission shall make a report in writing to the commissioner, within two weeks after being notified by the commissioner, as to the result of its efforts to secure the possession and return of the evidences of registration.

(d) For each registration, certificate of title, registration card, registration plate or plates, temporary registration plate or marker, permit, license certificate or dealer special plate, which the owner, holder or other person in possession of the registration, title, permit or license or any special dealer plates shall have willfully failed or refused, as provided in this section, to return to the division within ten days from the time that the cancellation, suspension or revocation becomes effective, and which has been certified to the Superintendent of the State Police as specified in this section, the owner or holder shall, before the registration, title, permit or license or any special dealer plates may be reinstated, if reinstatement is permitted, in addition to all other fees and charges, pay a fee of fifteen dollars, which shall be collected by the Division of Motor Vehicles, paid into the State Treasury and credited to the General Fund to be appropriated to the State Police for application in the enforcement of the road laws.

A total of twenty-five dollars may be collected on each reinstatement for each vehicle to which any cancellation, suspension or revocation relates.

(e) When any motor vehicle registration is suspended for failure to maintain motor vehicle liability insurance the reinstatement fee is one hundred dollars, and if the vehicle owner fails to surrender the vehicle registration and the orders go to the State Police, an additional fee of fifty dollars shall be required before the motor vehicle registration may be reinstated. A total of one hundred fifty dollars may be collected on each reinstatement of any motor vehicle registration canceled, suspended or revoked for failure to maintain motor vehicle liability insurance.