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Via the Post's Get There blog, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles has put in place a number of new regulations starting today. The fees to renew a D.C. driver's license or identification card has gone up from $39 to $44. That's not too big of a hike, and the good news is that those licenses will now be valid for eight years, instead of only five. That works out to $5.50 per year versus $7.80 per year before, so in a real way, it actually costs less now.
Other DMV changes put in place: the vehicle inspection fee will rise from $25 to $35, but if you're registering a brand new car, your first inspection sticker will now be valid for four years, rather than only two (older vehicles will still have to get inspected every two years). Also, vehicles that get better than 40 miles per gallon (so basically, hybrid vehicles) will only have to pay a reduced registration fee of $36.
Photo by sally henny penny
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i wonder why the district is cutting down the amount of money that they're able to get from licenses. not that i'm complaining, but it's curious....you really never see a municipality willing accept less money for something like this.
Two parts to that I think:
1) The District incurs a (significant) cost every time you show up at DMV and interact with an employee - so charging you $5 less but cutting down the number of trips to the overloaded DMVs is probably a good deal to them.
2) A couple bucks less in the bank NOW instead of a few bucks more in hand 5 years from now has a time value depending on the Districts' costs - o - cash.
...not to mention the high turnover of DC residents- it only costs less per year if you assume the person lives in DC proper that whole time. "incentivizing" people to stay in DC, Hoo wooda thunkit?
Um. $36 is more than $35. Is it reduced?
ah, $36 registration. $35 inspection. Different things. My bad, I'm rusty.
Also, vehicles that get better than 40 miles per gallon (so basically, hybrid vehicles) will only have to pay a reduced registration fee of $36.
My Jetta TDI diesel wagon gets 45mpg running only on locally-grown soybean biodiesel and my own smugness.
What I STILL can't believe (almost two years after moving out of DC) is that there is ONE inspection station for the entire District. At least it's near a McDonald's, so you can get an McMuffin while you queue up at 6 a.m., and then a burger at noon, when you're still in line.
Stephanie: what day of the week did you go to the inspection station. I've taken my registered vehicles to the inspection sta for over 20 years and never spent more than an hour and a quarter. My last two inspections were less than 45 minutes. Maybe you drove in a '80 toyota corolla or an edsal?
Oh and please stay away from McD's it's not good food for you.
I second erahk0. That $1 double cheeseburger may sound like a great deal, but they've got a lower-GI half-life of 20 minutes before...WHOOOSH! Not something you want to happen in the inspection line although, judging by the smells of some of the other drivers, they probably won't notice.
My last inspection took 2 hours. People have jobs! (..So they can pay the $30/month late fee when you go out of inspection every 2 years.)
I don't own a car, but I think you can make an appointment for an inspection online. Also, I have a friend who does use biodiesel (sans smugness), how can he prove his car gets more than 40mpg?
AMho It's the dealer sticker - bioD you get about the same mileage you would on normal diesel (as on my B100 Golf TDI, high-five, Monkey) and the Golf and Jetta have 40+ mpg stickers.
What I STILL can't believe (almost two years after moving out of DC) is that there is ONE inspection station for the entire District. At least it's near a McDonald's, so you can get an McMuffin while you queue up at 6 a.m., and then a burger at noon, when you're still in line.
You can make an appointment at the inspection station these days.
40+ mpg are also exempt from the excise tax paid at purchase, but scooters and motorcycles that can get way better than 40 mpg are specifically excluded. So, buy a small motorcycle or scooter, cough up 6%. Buy a bicycle, cough up 5.75% sales tax. Buy a Prius, (curb weight = 2765 lbs by the way) cough up nada in DC tax, and on top of that you get reduced registration fees. Motorcycles and scooters cost $52 a year to register.
Mokey,
I KNEW you were a TDI owner too!
Are we the only TDI owners under 40? Are you under 40? no matter. . .wanna grab a drink? Maybe!
Why should there be *any* fee for a drivers' license? I most, it should cover the processing costs. Raise revenue through taxes instead.
$5.50 a year for an ID / driver's license seems like a bargain!
Would that be your answer for everything .. raise revenue through taxes?
i didn't think about the people who come through the district and only stay for a short time...but don't those people stick with their ohio and michigan licenses anyway, and never register themselves in the district in the first place?